Tʀᴜʟʏ? - ᴀ ᴛɪᴍᴏᴛʜᴇ̀ᴇ ᴄʜᴀʟᴀᴍᴇᴛ ғᴀɴғɪᴄᴛᴏɴ

5

I nodded my head along to the radio, driving down to the hotel they had reserved for the night. I would be sharing a room with Lilia, and I looked forward to getting to know her more. She seemed fun and like someone I could potentially be great friends with. I tapped my fingers on the side of the steering wheel as my mind wandered to what had happened only a couple minutes ago. I glanced down at my phone once I reached a stoplight but sighed as there were no notifications. I wasn't sure if I should text him first or if he would. Besides, it would be weird to text him immediately after getting his number. I pursed my lips as I wondered why he decided to get my number, or better yet, why he even decided to talk to me. I was a broke college student with barely any family just trying to make my way in the world. He was an insanely famous actor who I doubt would ever want to associate with me if he knew who I truly was. I sighed as I turned into the parking lot of the hotel. It was just a shabby looking best western, but I wasn't complaining. The internship was paying for the room, which was better than nothing.

I walked into the small room, dropping my stuff on the far side. Lilia wasn't here yet so I decided to clean up for the night. There was a fast food place next door and I decided to go. I shrugged off my sweater and replaced it with one of my oversized hoodies. I sighed and laid down on a chair. The doorknob jingled and I looked up as Lilia entered she looked tired and gave me a smile when she saw me.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi. I was planning to go next door for dinner. Want anything?" I asked. She looked thoughtful.

"Could I get some chicken nuggets?" She asked. I chuckled as I nodded and stood up, stretching my arms.

"Yep. Be back in a bit," I said. She smiled again as I said goodbye and left the room.

I sat in the line of the drive-thru waiting for my turn. My phone buzzed in my cup holder and I picked it up, reading all my notifications. I had a few Instagram likes, some messages from my friends and..a text from an unsaved number? I clicked it and as the conversation opened I realized it was Timothee. My face went red and I quickly decided to save him in my contacts before reading the message. I spent a couple seconds debating on what to save him as, and eventually just decided on "t." I took in a breath and clicked back to my messages.

T: Hey

T: whatcha doing

I bit my lip again as the line pulled forward and I was at the cash window. I paid quickly and soon went back to my phone, trying to think of a response. I never expected him to be so casual.

me: Just getting dinner wbu

I nervously clicked the send button and switched my phone off, too anxious to watch. The line pulled forward quickly and I drummed my fingers against the wheel. My phone buzzed again and my breath caught in my throat.

"Hi here's your food would you like any sau-,"

"No thanks, thanks, bye," I said quickly grabbing the bag and pulling away. I fought the urge to look at my phone again while I drove. It buzzed a second time and I took a deep breath. As soon as I parked I grabbed the bag and my phone, locking my car behind me and hurrying to my room. As I got in the elevator, I opened my messages.

T: Oh cool, I just ate

T: btw where are you staying? Not to be creepy or anything lmfao

I laughed at his texts as the elevator reached my floor. I thought on what to respond with. Why did he ask me where I was staying? I felt as if he might judge me if I told him, but something about him made me feel like I could trust him. I wasn't sure why. I nervously typed a response as I walked down the hall and reached my room.

me: some best western down the street that they got for us

me: are you staying at some fancy place in boston? Lmao

I cringed at myself but sent it anyways. There's always an awkward phase, I reminded myself. I opened the door to the hotel room and Lilia was passed out on the chair. She popped up at the sound of the door opening.

"Oh good, I'm starving," She mumbled. I laughed and placed the bag on the desk, finding the television remote. Lilia was already in pajamas so I grabbed a tank top and some fuzzy pink pants and went into the bathroom. I quickly changed and defended my food from Lilia. When we finished eating, we both got into bed and scrolled through the hotels free channels. We settled on a random kung fu panda movie and I felt my eyelids getting heavy.

"What do you think we'll have to do tomorrow?" Lilia asked. I shrugged.

"I dunno. I hope we don't have to do costumes again," I said, rolling my head back. Lilia snorted in agreement.

"Maybe we'll get to do cameras again. You could see your boyfriend," She teased. I laughed and nudged her. We had to share a bed, no doubt because our internship was too cheap to afford a double room.

"I texted him a bit earlier," I explained. My face suddenly heated up. I never checked to see if he had responded.

"Really?" Lilia asked, her mouth in an 'o'." She noticed my distressed state as I tried to unlock my phone, momentarily blanking on my password.

"What happened?" She asked, interested.

"I forgot to see if he texted back," I explained again, finally pulling up the convo. He had sent two more messages.

T: lol yup

T: will you be back on set tmrw?

I looked at the time and it was only sent around five minutes ago. I let out a sigh of relief. I could feel Lilia watching over my shoulder.

me: yeah, we're gonna be working on set until someone tells us to go home so no clue how long

I sent it. Lilia looked like she was going to explode.

"You know you're just like, casually texting the hottest guy in the universe? Right?" She asked. I chuckled.

"May I?" She asked, holding out her palm. I handed her my phone and she read through our messages. Suddenly she handed the phone back to me.

"He's typing," She whispered. She sounded terrified. I laughed.

"He's just a human," I said, trying to calm her down. Her eyes stayed glued on my phone and I looked down right as he sent a message.

T: looking forward to seeing you around more often then ☺️

I felt butterflies in my stomach, yet I wasn't sure why. Sure, there was no denying he was definitely cute, but I had no clue what he really was like and I wasn't sure if I had feelings for him yet.

"Cleo, just so you're aware, you're the luckiest girl in the universe," Lilia said. I nodded.

"Maybe," I said, biting my lip.