For Fake and For Real

16. Not Written in the Stars

Lucy had been in Rome for 3 weeks...and hated every second of it. Although a beautiful and romantic city, she would take in every view while reflexively looking to her side wishing Tim was there with her. Pictures never did it justice, she bitterly realized as she crossed a bridge above the Tiber River and took in the beautiful view while the sun was slipping behind the Ponte Sant'Angelo. For just a moment, she closed her eyes and almost imagined if Tim were there; how she would insist on a selfie of the two of them, and it wouldn't take much convincing for him to agree. Then, he would have wound his arm around her back to settle his hand on her hip and pull her close claiming it's because her "short arms" would make the frame too tight otherwise. And he would let her take one typical smiling picture before whispering something ridiculous in her ear that would make her laugh to capture, as he called it, "her real smile". He said everyone in Hollywood is so used to plastering on fake smiles that they don't even realize they're doing it, but he only ever wanted to see the kind of grin that made the wrinkles around her eyes look more pronounced.

"That's how I like to see you. With your real smile, because I love when you're really happy. It makes me happy, too," he told her when they were taking behind the scenes selfies while on set months ago, and that's the message she heard every time she took a picture, and it was ALWAYS in the sincere, soft voice he had delivered it the way she remembered it.

Swallowing hard at the memory of him, she did her best to form a real smile as she captured an image of her overlooking the Tiber and texted it to him.

Lucy: Miss you

She knew he was probably working, so she didn't expect a reply, let alone a call, but she happily answered.

"Hey, baby," she greeted happily.

"Hi...are you okay?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, didn't you see the picture? I'm looking at a super beautiful building on this lovely bridge, and Rome is just filled with all of this beautiful architecture! I feel like I'm walking through history." At least that was the truth.

"You weren't really smiling."

Of course he noticed. He KNOWS her too well. "I'm okay, really."

"So, this has nothing to do with what's getting released soon?"

"Nope. I almost forgot."

"Lucy, don't lie to me," his tone was gentle and quiet.

"Fine...so...Jackson sent me a draft of the joint statement, and it's short and sweet, and it's fine."

"And it's not true. You have to remember that."

"I know," she exhaled.

"I was gonna wait to call you after it was published, so that I could be there for you," he winced. Truly, the media attention had never bothered him before, but this particular lie that was about to be published cut too deep and hit too close to home for him to be comfortable with it either.

"Tim, it's fake, and I know that...and this was part of the plan- a plan we both agreed to...and maybe it's happening like 2 months earlier than the original contract, but we signed up for this almost a year ago. We knew this was going to happen." She really couldn't say if she was laying it all out to remind herself or soothe Tim's obvious worry.

"Yeah, but when I signed up to date you, I didn't care about you. It was all "for fake" as you put it during our first fake date," he let out a dry laugh at the memory.

She recalled it so clearly how uncomfortable and unwelcome his touch used to be, and right now, she was willing to trade just about anything to feel him hold her. Funny how things change. "It doesn't mean anything, Tim. The breakup is fake. I know that."