Guarding Love

Chapter 1 - People's Choice Awards Red Carpet

A/N - Possible triggers such as abuse, both physical and verbal, are mentioned. 

"Never miss an opportunity to show your love, especially to those close to you, because we are always at our most cautious with them for fear of being hurt." – Paul Coelho

Y/N POV

547pm

I check my watch for the fourth time in the last ten minutes. The traffic on Eighth Street is at a standstill. Despite leaving early for my flight once, I feared I wouldn't make it. My girlfriend is going to kill me, I thought. While we Facetimed and talked when possible, I hadn't seen her in months because of my filming schedule. Today was the first day I'd had a long enough break to fly back home.

"Jess, can we not take Seventh to Fifth and then Fifth to Scotch?" I call from the back to my driver.

"Unfortunately, with construction on Fifth and an accident on Seventh, our only option is taking Eighth." He sighed, showing his frustration.

"Okay, we'll give it another fifteen minutes, and if we haven't at least moved five blocks, I'll call Melissa and have her reschedule the flight and—"

"Then you'll need to call Katie," Jess interjected. I could hear the concern in his voice.

"Yes, I'll contact Katie, and it will be fine. She'll understand." I reply, looking out my tinted window and watching people walking past us.

Katie and Jess had never gotten along. However, that is mainly due to Katie always ordering him around. No matter how often I pointed out her behaviour, she would correct it for a while and then return to her previous behaviour. Regardless, he hated how Katie treated me when she got upset. I never thought about it since people don't think clearly when upset and angry. Plus, she never got physical, and Katie is a thousand times better than Erin. She is attentive and caring and always listens to my every thought.

Erin was very selfish and abusive. When she got angry, she showed it physically. It was to the point that I was lying by making up stories and hiding bruises, and it took me a long time to get out. I was embarrassed and scared to leave. Moreover, I felt it was my fault and deserved it, but Kel and Scarlett constantly iterated that it wasn't my fault and that I deserved better. I don't know what would have happened without Scarlett and my high school friend Kel. It has been years since I left Erin, but I am still working on how to get over the triggers and traumas she gave me. 

Kel and I were the outcasts of our high school, which is how we found each other. My mom passed away when I was in high school. My father dove into his work to forget while my brother left for university, which left me alone. I became very withdrawn and hid away from the world. Kel managed to break my walls, and we became inseparable. Her family became my unofficial adoptive family. She was the reason I got through High School. I was the reason she followed her dreams of being in the military. She always wanted to do good, protect and be there for everyone; her father and grandfather served. 

When I was withdrawn, I gave up on my dreams of being an actress, but Kel was there to bring back that drive and passion. She had a passion for acting, too. Thus, her parents were always driving us to auditions or acting class. After a while, Kel's drive to be in the military became stronger than her passion for acting. As I moved up in the industry, I would get her in touch with a casting director or on-screen in one of my movies when she was free. She always said that once her military contract was up, she would retire and go into acting full-time. I, of course, had the countdown on my phone two years, zero months and one day.

Scarlett and I had hit it off instantly when we first met on the set of Iron Man 2 despite our characters' having on-screen differences. I had been nervous meeting Scarlett for the first time. We were in different circles of the industry. I had idolized Scarlett since I saw her in The Horse Whisper. Seeing that movie and watching her performance was why I enrolled in acting school and gymnastics. I had always wanted to be a singer, but something changed when I saw that movie. Thus, meeting my idol was scary and nerve-racking. In addition, I had the biggest crush on her. Regardless, we somehow became best friends and were almost inseparable. Which is why so many fans thought we were together or would ship us romantically.