Manhattan Dreams ✅

40. Showbiz

Waking up on New Year's Eve is bittersweet. I should be excited for Josh and of course I am, I love him and I want him to be successful but I'm also terrified. This could be the day he's discovered and I'll have to watch him walk out of my life just as quick as he walked into it.

I wake up before him, climbing off his bed and deciding to take a quick shower but before I can even get out of the room he's awake and stopping me. "Penelope?"

I sigh, turning around and forcing a smile onto my face as I look up at him. "Hey. I was trying not to wake you."

"Okay" he chuckles. "Any reason why you're sneaking out?"

"Nope" I lie, pursing my lips in a fine line. "Just wanted to take a shower."

"Without waking me?" he asks with a lopsided smile. "That's a shame" he adds teasingly. "What's going on?" he asks seriously. "Since when do we avoid each other?"

"We don't" I admit, running my fingers through my hair. "I just wish today was already over" I add honestly.

"Maya" he groans, jumping down off his bed and moving towards me. "Not this again. I don't know what more I have to do to convince you that you'll never lose me. I'm all yours."

"I hope you're right" I smile softly, stepping towards him and placing the palms of my hands on his chest. "But I've seen a lot of romcoms and they have the same storyline. Boy and girl fall in love, boy or girl gets amazing opportunity, and boy and girl break up."

"Yea okay" he nods, "but you're forgetting about the last ten minutes of the movie where the two characters realize they're dumbasses and get back together. We're just skipping a step" he smiles, reaching forward to caress my cheek. "Amazing opportunities will come and go but you and me, we're forever Maya. I promise."

"I love you" I murmur.

"I love you more" he says sweetly. "And that will still be true when the clock strikes twelve alright?"

"Okay" I concede. "Can I go take my shower now?"

"Yea" he nods, letting me go reluctantly.

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Josh's POV

After our interaction this morning I decide to give Maya some space. I knew her head was jumbled right now even though I had done everything I could think of to assure her that no matter what, she would always be the only girl for me.

I knew Maya was my soulmate. I felt it the first time I saw her, the first time we kissed and well this past weekend of course. I had been with Sophie plenty of times but one night with Maya blew all those times out of the water. If it took Maya a while to realize what I already knew then I'd give her the time she wanted. "What's up with you?" Max asks as he walks into the rehearsal room, interrupting my thoughts.

"Nothing man" I sigh, fixing the microphone. "How was your break?"

"Exhausting" he smirks making me roll my eyes. Sometimes I regretted allowing Maya to set him up with my ex. The two of them were nauseating.

"Yea too much information" I chuckle.

"Whatever" he shrugs. "Where's your girl at? You two are usually attached at the hip."

"Maya is uh just relaxing a bit before tonight. It's gonna be a long night" I fabricate, hoping that he'll drop the subject but of course he's a persistent pain in my ass.

"Um okay" he replies skeptically. "Are you sure that's all it is? You didn't do something stupid did you?"

"No" I shake my head insistently. "She's just busy alright. Can you just drop it?"