Everything Started Here With You

It Won't Take Long

"To me he is the one I want to have...even if I have to throw away everything I have."

Se Mi
-- You Who Came From the Stars

It didn't take long for me to find the guy I'd seen earlier. It was as if he was waiting for me to find him when I came downstairs. The girls had tried to stop me, but I wasn't having it. My life, my decisions. Plus, Hayden and I were planning to divorce anyway. I might as well give him a reason to fully agree with me.

"...Want to get out of here?" he asked almost immediately.

"If only that were possible," I said. "Even if I wanted to...I wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"You've flirted with almost every woman in this room. You have no type. Every single last one of them has rejected you. Either married or...they just don't like you."

"Do you?"

"Do I what?"

He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. I knew what he was asking. It's called playing hard to get. I'm not looking for a one night stand. It's all in or nothing.

"Do you like me?" he asked.

"I'm interested," I said. "If I knew a place we could go where we could get to know each other more...I'd take you there."

He laughed and dared to put an arm around my waist. Anyone who had seen me come in with Hayden would wonder almost immediately if I was cheating. Any reporter spotting us was bad news for me, so I'd do my best to avoid the front yard. I didn't know how the back looked, so I'd take my chances. Tony had yet to tell me his name on his own, so I was assuming he was fine with pet names.

We found our way to the back door and outside. The music was much louder, so I knew we'd get to have an amazing shouting competition. I was looking forward to it. The camera crew in the back weren't very interested in interviews, so I was grateful for that. We each grabbed a glass of wine and took a trip around the yard.

"Pinot Noir!" Tony shouted. "It's really great!"

That's how I figured he wouldn't be any good to me. Wine critic. They disgusted me more than Hayden did when he pretended to be a good husband. I'd go along with it, because he was handsome. His face made up for his job. It was all good. As long as he didn't start shouting random wine facts to me.

It wasn't long before we were joking around and chatting with other partygoers. The women were too nice. It was like Lexi knew toxic like the back of her hand. We laughed about all the funny moments we had with Lexi and how long we all knew her. Tony grew bored until one of the women started flirting with him. He said his goodbyes and went away with her. I didn't mind.

Not long after they left, everyone was gathering to listen to Lexi give her speech. I needed to act now if I was going to make something happen. She was going to be onstage talking while no one was guarding the inside. The girls would most likely be out here now to cheer on their best friend. I could easily take on the guard by the stairs.

"Good evening, California!" Lexi yelled into the mic. I flinched and covered my ears for a good second. Someone behind me asked if I was fine. Why was everyone so dang nice! I didn't like it. "It's so nice knowing that everyone has been very supportive during my career. It's already been ten plus years since my debut as an actress and model. Ever since then...I've felt attached to everyone. I want to thank--"

I closed the door to the house and sighed heavily. Ugh, I can't stand hearing someone yammer on about how great their life is. Maybe I can actually find something worth reporting back to Jackson. Everyone would surely trust me again then. I needed something to redeem myself with. Just because Jackson trusts me doesn't mean no one still wants to hurt me.