Page 151 of Promising You
He turns my face toward his and kisses me. “We need to start early. We’re not doing it just once.”
“Then I guess I won’t be sleeping tonight.”
Ava’s voice booms from the TV and I look over and see her face, covered in way too much makeup, smiling back at me. She’s sitting in a chair talking right to the camera. “Garret and I were high school sweethearts. We started dating when we were 15. He was my first. Most girls say their first time isn’t great, but mine was. Let’s just say that Garret’s talents go way beyond swimming.”
“Okay, we’re not watching this.” Garret takes the remote from me and turns the TV off.
“You need to know what she’s saying about you.” I take the remote back and turn the show back on. Slow, soap-opera type music plays in the background as Ava and some guy make out on her bed. You can only see the back of the guy. He’s on top of Ava, shirtless but wearing jeans.
“Garret, look! They did just what I said they’d do. They hired some actor so people would think it’s you. I was kidding when I said that, but they actually did it!”
“This can’t be legal.” Garret gets his phone out. “There’s no fucking way.” He calls his dad as the show goes to commercial. His dad answers and Garret mutes the TV and puts the phone on speaker.
“Yes, Garret,” his dad says before Garret even says anything. “I’m watching the show and I saw the scene with Ava.”
“Yeah? So? What can we do about it?”
“Nothing. In that scene, she didn’t actually say your name, so technically it could’ve been anyone.”
“But everyone assumes it’s me.”
“Yes, that’s implied, but that’s not enough for a case.”
“So she just gets away with it?”
“There are only two more episodes after tonight. We’re not going to start a legal battle over this. We just need to get through the next couple weeks. I’ve hired some additional security here at the house until all this is over.”
“Why do you need extra security?”
“Earlier today we had photographers waiting outside the front gate along with some teen girls camped out across the street. I assume they’ll be there tomorrow as well so I’m sending the driver to pick you up. You can’t drive your car. You need to be in a vehicle with dark windows. I don’t want anyone seeing you come home.”
“What time is the driver coming?”
“In the morning, around 9.”
“Tell him to come later. Jade doesn’t leave until noon and I want to be with her until she leaves.”
“You just call him and tell him when to be there. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He hangs up and I turn the volume back on the TV. Ava is talking to the camera again, recapping last year’s episodes for people who didn’t watch the original show. It all sounds scripted and not at all how she normally speaks. She mentions Garret again and as she talks, they cut away to some photos of her in high school, including ones of her and Garret together.
“I wasn’t dating her when those photos were taken,” Garret says, annoyed that I’m making him watch this. “She’s lying. This whole thing is a lie.”
“And this is just the first episode. I wonder what she has planned for the other two episodes.”
“I don’t know and I don’t care.” He slips his hand under my shirt. “It’s time to get you naked.”
“But the show’s not over yet.”
He shuts the TV off and tosses the remote on the floor, then works his hand down my jeans, hitting the spot that makes my whole body go crazy. “You really want to watch it?”
“Watch what?” I ask.
His cocky smile appears. “That’s what I thought.”
Right after we do it, I get up and start getting dressed.
“Where are you going?” Garret asks.
