"You're actually upset right now? Look at everything the world has given you, Luke."
"And that's great, but I'd rather have you."
• the story before "count on me" by sircalyum • book 1
// smut included //
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MONDAY, AGAIN. Filming was scheduled to start at about eleven, and it was ten-thirty. I decided to go ahead and head down to the studio, just to have plenty of time to be briefed before things began. I was still shaken from everything that had happened this morning and my talk with Calum barely helped; he was still convinced Luke liked me and I was still having to deal with the fact that Luke made the decision to end between us.
I knew it was for the best, but I continued to worry about drifting away from him. I wanted to latch onto him when I could. I just wanted to have him around, and to have him in my life for as long as I could.
I wasn't about to admit that I had genuine feelings for Luke, but he had come to mean something to me and I didn't want to give that up.
I walked into the studio and my eyebrows furrowed as I saw Pat, talking and laughing with Tony on the set. My heart began to pound and I made my way over to them.
"There she is!" Tony said as she sent me a wide smile. "Change of plans today." My heart sank as she spoke and I expected her to basically fire me until I wrote the article she was trying to push out of me. "Pat's hosting one last time, but you are playing the game with the boys!"
"Wait, what?" I asked Tony. A girl walked over to me and began mic-ing me, and I thanked her once she was done.
"It's a farewell to Pat and get-to-know-you for you," Tony told me with a smile. "I wanted to give Pat one go with the boys, before you get to take over."
"I figured you wouldn't mind," Pat said, sending me one of his smiles. Pat smiled in a way that you knew he was trying to put on his charm, but most of the time you wished he'd never look at you again. He didn't look sleazy, but his actions could, at times, be sleazy.
"I mean... I don't mind. Are you sure anyone's going to want to know anything about me?" I asked them both, still sort of confused as to why I would be playing the game as well. I wasn't even sure if we were sticking with the same plan.
"Of course!" Tony said, nodding her head.
"They've been raving about you in the comments... people want to know all about you." I looked over at Pat and tried to scope whether he was upset by that. As I looked back at Tony, a knot in my stomach grew. With Pat, Tony could do anything. Pat had no shame—I was sure he'd back Luke, or myself, into a corner and make us confess something. I breathed in deeply and decided to put on my game-face; he wasn't about to further ruin things, not if I could help it.
