On the Outside (Caught Inside #3)

by S. Briones Lim

  Before I could get one syllable out of my mouth, he climbed back into the director’s chair and began yelling at the crew. Bewildered, I spun around and eyed Xavier questioningly. “What’s going on?”

  Xavier snorted. “Pushing you into the wave. What else?”

  Chapter 21

  Xavier was a lifesaver! Not only did he help facilitate my ability to catch a wave, but his mere presence was enough to give me the boost of confidence I needed to finish day number one of shooting. By the time we were ready to call it a wrap, Wyatt was visibly relaxed and, dare I say, happy with my performance.

  Of course he’d never say it to my face.

  Soaking wet, Xavier and I trudged onto shore and found Charlie waiting for us. His eyes momentarily darkened when he saw Xavier, but just as quickly brightened when his gaze landed on me.

  “Hey, you were great out there,” he praised, clapping his hands softly.

  “Thanks.” Grabbing a towel from Piper, I shot him a confused look. “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t supposed to come until tomorrow.”

  He shrugged, each one of his muscles flexing as he lifted his arms. “Figured I’d come check the set out. Wanted to see how you were doing. I was curious, you know.”

  “Oh.” My cheeks warmed underneath his gaze.

  Of course Xavier would choose that very moment to practically rip my leash off of my ankle. I yelped in surprise just as Xavier straightened himself, rolling the plastic tube up into a circle.

  I scrunched my face in annoyance. “What’s the big idea? First you don’t want to talk to me and now you’re interrupting someone who does.”

  Charlie couldn’t wipe the arrogant grin on his face, nor did he care to hide it. As Xavier’s cheeks visibly flushed, the Aussie actor reached out to touch my bare arm, which was ridden with goose bumps. “Want to meet up again tonight? To run over our lines again?”

  What the fuck was going on? Charlie was acting like a weird pod person.

  Xavier’s lips tightened for a moment before he interjected, “We were already going to dinner tonight.”

  Since when?

  I continued to shoot both men bewildered looks while my petite makeup artist beamed with excitement. If I didn’t know better I’d think she was actually having fun watching my turmoil. Shooting another annoyed glance at my newest friend, I blurted out, “It’s always great being told you had plans that you didn’t know you had, don’t you think?”

  Piper started to giggle at the same time Xavier’s eyes widened in embarrassment.

  “What are you talking about, Harper? You do remember our…uh…thing, right?”

  I continued gaping at him as Charlie broke out into a laugh. “Wow, pathetic. Forcing a girl to go out with you when she was just about to have plans with another man. You never cease to amaze me, Greene.”

  Okay, now I was getting upset. I hated being talked about as if I wasn’t standing there.

  Xavier rolled his eyes and sighed. “We were going to talk about Riley, remember? We were discussing it right before Wyatt made us go back into the water.”

  Yup, that totally caught me off guard, but who was I to oppose a chance to explain my side to the story?

  “Wha…oh! Yeah, that’s right. We were finally going to discuss the elephant in the room like rational adults instead of the stupidity we encountered yesterday at the restaurant. And by stupidity, I meant your sister.”

  Xavier and I glared at each other, causing Charlie to step back in discomfort. “Uh, yeah. Guess I caught you two at the wrong time. Harps?”

  What the fuck is with people calling me ‘Harps’?

  “Yeah?” I replied, pressing my lips together.

  “See you tomorrow. I’m looking forward to shooting all our scenes together.”

  I nodded my head, never taking my eyes off Xavier. “Yeah, see you.”

  Once Charlie was out of earshot, I snapped my fingers in Xavier’s face. “What the fuck was that about? This isn’t just some ploy to make me feel bad, is it?”

  His mouth dropped open. “Huh?”

  “You know, making me think that we’re actually discussing the situation as rational adults when you’re really there to chew me out.”

  “Erm…I’m not making you think anything, and I am definitely not going to chew you out. Speaking of which, you’re one to talk.”

  Now it was my turn to drop my jaw. “What do you mean?”

  “All this time I thought…”

  “Thought what?” I demanded through gritted teeth.

  “You made me think that you were interested in me!” he blurted out, leaving me in shock. “I should have known better. You’re an actress. Isn’t it your job to pretend?”

  I could feel my forehead scrunch up. “Not when it comes to my personal life and not when it affects another person’s life. What makes you think I was pretending?”

  There was a moment of silence, which led me to fidget. Xavier continued his expressionless scrutiny, eyeing me as if deciding what to say. I buried my feet in the cold sand, secretly wishing I was an ostrich so I could hide my head instead. By the time Xavier spoke again I had decided I was probably going to play the actress card after all. It was better looking like a bitch than a pathetic loser, right? Besides, it was what the world already thought of me. Why not keep the façade going? I could be the bad girl of Hollywood if that’s what everyone wanted.

  “You know what? If you think that badly of me, maybe I don’t even want to go to this stupid dinner.”

  Yes, I do. I really do!

  Xavier threw his head back and sighed. “Just come with me, Harper. We need to clear the air on a lot of things. It’ll really help me out when it comes to filming. Wyatt’s already blaming me for the delay in our production schedule.”

  “What’s in it for me?”

  He paused for a beat before replying. “Me.”

  With that he turned and walked away, leaving me gawking after him. Piper ran up to me and began clapping her hands manically.

  “Oh my gosh! Are you guys going out on a date? This is so exciting! Who would have thought the behind-the-scenes tomfooleries could be much more interesting than the actual script?” She squealed in delight. “Maybe I should watch those special features on the DVDs after all.”

  “Well, I’m happy that you’re happy because I literally have no idea what just happened.”

  Piper pushed back her long hair and snorted. “Uh, he likes you? Seriously, for a grown woman you are totally clueless.”

  “I am not,” I shot back.

  She bowed her head and grinned sheepishly. “Okay, whatever you say, but I must say this—I don’t know what the hell you two are arguing about, but it seems to me whatever it is, he wants to work it out with you. Why do you seem so shocked about it?”

  “Because he was so opposed to working things out before. Why the sudden change?” I was still stunned at the sudden turn of events.

  “Do you really have to ask why?”

  I nodded, dumbfounded.

  “Let’s see, it could be because you’re pretty and you’re sweet. Why wouldn’t he want to fix things?”

  Pretty? Sweet? Oh, poor, naïve Piper. It was only a matter of time before she found out all my dirty laundry, so I might as well tell her now. With a sigh, I explained. “Let’s just say I messed something up with a mutual friend of ours. It was pretty bad, and now I’m pretty sure his perception of me is skewed. Not to mention his sister absolutely hates me.”

  “Just because of that whole drama with your friend?” she asked doubtfully.

  I nodded.

  “Don’t even worry about that. A real adult male doesn’t care what his friends think. He has a mind of his own.” She looked up at me and nudged me in the rib. “A grown woman is the same. I know you’re worried about his sister, but you really shouldn’t be.”

  “I’m not worried about that Kacy bitch.”

  Her tiny lips curled up into a mischievous smile. “Yeah, maybe she sho
uld be worried about you. Besides, if all goes well tonight, this ‘Kacy bitch’ may end up in your life for a really long time. It’s good to know you’re not scared of her.”

  I nodded my head but couldn’t help but feel a twist in my stomach.

  Am I afraid of her?

  Chapter 22

  I stared in the mirror and pulled at my fishtail braid. I was about to meet Xavier for our little “heart-to-heart,” as he called it, and I was even more nervous than I was before our first “date” at the bowling alley. To make matters worse, once again I couldn’t decide what to wear.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you? You can roll in there in leggings and a shirt and he wouldn’t care.”

  I couldn’t help but feel, however, as if this meeting would make or break whatever slippery path we were sliding down and decided to look as best as I could to help my agenda out. Opting for a bohemian look, I wore a simple peasant dress coupled with espadrilles. My red hair was scattered with a collection of tiny braids, which were carefully assembled against the rest of the wavy strands.

  Was it too much? Was I overdressed? Was I underdressed?

  “Shut up, Harper. Don’t ruin this like you’ve ruined everything else in your life. He asked you out because he wanted to fix things. At least I think that’s what he’s doing.” I shut my eyes and sighed. Even I was feeling brainwashed by all those fake stories about me. Power of the press, right? They make you believe anything they want you to believe, even if the lies were about you. Of course I knew those stories were fake—I’d know my own self, right? Yet here I was, wondering if I turned into the very person I loathed.

  I stared at my reflection, gripping onto the edge of my turquois stained dresser. “Are you really that bitch everyone loves to hate?”

  A knock at the door snapped me back to reality.

  Gulping, I called out, “Coming!”

  I picked up my feet and practically ran to the door. All the nervous energy inside of me was bubbling, threatening to explode. Taking a moment to wipe my sweaty palms against the gauzy material of my dress, I yanked the door open and nearly gasped when I saw Xavier standing outside looking as if he just stepped off a runway. He gripped three long-stemmed roses and nervously shoved them in my face.

  “Hi, Harper,” he greeted quietly.

  “Oh! What are these for?” I grabbed the flowers, brushing my fingers against his. My face heated up and I quickly ducked behind the cellophane wrapper.

  What is wrong with you? You’re acting like a thirteen-year-old going to her first dance.

  Coughing a bit, he smiled. “I gave it a lot of thought and I was a jerk, plain and simple. I really should have listened to your side of the story first and—”

  “And what?” I asked, shooting him a bemused smile. I had the right mind to gloat, but I was just so relieved that I almost couldn’t see straight.

  He scratched his head and grimaced. “I guess I was just a bit hurt to think you’d go for someone like Aaron. All this time I was wondering if you were attracted to me given that we never really discussed our intentions after that night at the bowling alley. Then I find out that you—”

  “Slept with Aaron right away. Got it.”

  If Xavier wasn’t flustered before, he was now. “Yeah, so seeing how I allowed myself to get carried away by a lot of things, not to mention insecurities, I was hoping we could have a first date do over. Given that the bowling alley and restaurant plans were basically DOA, I was hoping tonight could more than make up for it.”

  I blinked in sync to the quickness of my heart. “Are you serious? So all this talk about discussing the elephant in the room was just a pretense for a date?”

  He smiled sheepishly. “Why don’t we discuss it now then?”

  “I guess…”

  “Honestly, I was so confused with everything. I mean, I care about Riley, but I don’t know…I don’t feel as if you’d hurt her purposely, you know?”

  “I wouldn’t,” I agreed. “I care about her too, and I would never purposely hurt her.”

  He nodded. “I think deep down I knew this, but of course my sister kept putting wild thoughts in my head.”

  I pursed my lips. “I bet she did.”

  “Anyway, I figured I’d go by my gut and not what everybody else says. It’s how I became successful in this business, and hopefully it’s what will help me figure some stuff out about us.”

  “Like what?” I gulped.

  “I think you know.” He motioned toward his car. “Come on. Let’s stop with all this awkwardness and get the night started.”

  I took a deep breath. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

  ***

  As a show of good faith or merely a way to poke fun of ourselves, Xavier took me to the very restaurant his sister nearly beat me up in. Our time together was going great when for some unknown reason I decided to revisit the topic of my momentary beat down. Dabbing my lips with a napkin, careful not to smear my wine red lipstick, I cautiously ground out, “So…how does Kacy feel about this? Does she want to beat me up again?”

  Chalk it up to having butter fingers or just being caught off guard, but Xavier lost his grip on his fork, which clattered noisily onto his plate. Reddening a bit from the stares he received from neighboring tables—he wasn’t kidding about hating the spotlight—he answered quietly. “Um, she doesn’t know that I took you out tonight. Of course I wouldn’t tell her. Figured it might mess with my mind again.”

  A whirlwind of emotions bubbled inside me. For one, I was a bit relieved that she didn’t know. Better she be left in the dark than ruin my date. No really! I wouldn’t put it past her to stalk us and make a scene. At the same time I couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt Xavier wasn’t so forthcoming. As much as I tried to ignore it, Piper’s words echoed in my mind.

  “If all goes well tonight, this ‘Kacy bitch’ may end up in your life for a really long time. It’s good to know you’re not scared of her.”

  If Xavier didn’t tell her, maybe he didn’t see this turning into something more.

  “Harper. Harper. Are you okay?” Xavier snapped a finger in front of my nose.

  “Um, yeah…great quiche, right?” I shoved an oversized chunk in my mouth, making it difficult to speak on purpose. It bulged in my cheek unattractively.

  Xavier lifted an eyebrow but didn’t say a word. He picked up his fork and stabbed into his own piece of steak.

  Not counting that minor mishap, the rest of dinner was pretty awesome. I’ve never gone out on a date where I felt so comfortable and so like myself. By the time we were ready to head home I was already running the pros and cons of inviting him in for “coffee.”

  Don’t do it. Don’t give in to those media perceptions of you.

  “I had a pretty good time tonight. Even with that Kacy question you threw at me.” Xavier shot me a wink that left me crying a bit inside. We climbed into the car gripping our doggie bags and quietly buckled our seatbelts.

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I just had to know…” My voice trailed off. Once again Piper’s ominous words rang in my head. I knew I’d be seeing him the next morning for filming, but how would that be? Would it be just a normal day reeking with the unknowns of a great date? Or would it be that certain something more that I always heard about but never actually experienced?

  Xavier surprised me by grabbing onto my hand. “Is it safe to assume you had fun tonight?”

  My gaze dipped low, and for some reason I couldn’t take my eyes off the way his beach weathered hands gripped my milky skin. One would think after all the time I spent on the beach I’d be a bronze babe, but unfortunately my genes didn’t work that way.

  “Harper? Did you have a good time?” he repeated.

  He’s probably annoyed he has to keep repeating himself with me.

  “Yeah, of course.” I lifted my eyes. “I’m actually surprised you even wanted to see me again.”

  “Because of Kacy?”

  I flinched. “That and because…well, besides o
ur daily surfing lessons what else do you really know about me? Add to that some exaggerated rumors and an angry mutual friend and you get a deadly combination.”

  He ran his hands over his shaved head in thought. “The ocean does weird things to people. Good and bad.”

  “I’m not following.”

  Squeezing my hands tightly, he explained. “The reason why surfing is important to me is because of how much my life depends on it. It relaxes me and fuels my creativity. Sure I work in show business and what not, but my true love? The ocean. I know it sounds strange, but deep down I always knew the person I finally let my guard down for would have something to do with the sea.”

  “You mean being forced in it?” I laughed weakly.

  He shook his head. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m glad you were cast, and as horrible as it sounds, the whole Riley ing made me realize that I have been falling for you harder than I initially thought.”

  “W-what do you mean?” I stammered. I both wanted to hear what he had to say and was beyond freaked out about it. This was entirely new territory for me.

  “I feel…different around you. Like I can actually speak to you, because you know how talkative I am.”

  My eyebrows lifted. “Really? Talkative? You?”

  He snorted. “I’m kidding. I’m about as talkative as a door handle.”

  “You can say that again.”

  “You know what we can say? We can say you make me discover things about myself that I didn’t know before.”

  I leaned toward him with interest. “Like what?”

  “Like how patient I am as a teacher—”

  I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “That I am a good judge of character after all.” He paused and smiled shyly. “And how life doesn’t always have to be about work all the time. How as a perpetual ‘perfect Type A,’ I can let my guard down and fall for the bad girl.”

  I narrowed my eyes and huffed. “Bad girl? Really? Thought you didn’t read the tabloids.”

  He nodded his head and clarified. “An outsider.”