Ollie leaned into the scope of the camera and Kara tilted it to make it a bit easier for him. ‘Hey Casey, good to see you.’
‘Good to see you too, Ollie. It’s been a while. Listen, I’m sorry about all the shit you’re dealing with. That was rough today.’
With everything going on, all the crap with Sienna seemed like forever ago – it was still crazy to him that he’d woken up this morning with not even the slightest idea of what was coming.
‘Thanks, Casey,’ he said, meaning it.
‘And next time you’re in town, shout me for a beer.’
‘I will do.’ Those kinds of exchanges happened all the time in their industry, and the beer/drink/dinner never materialised, but he was pretty sure this was real. They’d had a few nights out with some of the other cast members when they were working together the previous year and they’d definitely struck up the beginnings of a friendship.
‘Oh, and by the way – anyone who’s been anywhere near you two in the last year knows Sienna’s statement was bullshit. Saving her own arse. She must pay her publicist the big bucks. See you later. Bye, Kara, and thanks again.’
With that, she blew them a kiss and then the screen went black.
It was Kara who reacted first. ‘Statement? What statement?’
Ollie felt a deep, depressing inevitability sink from his shoulders to his gut. Of course Sienna would release a statement. His team had been urging him to do the same all day andhe’d refused, because the negative optics weren’t on him. Sienna would claw at every possibility to restore her image.
He clicked onto Instagram, knowing that if she’d posted something it would be everywhere. As soon as he pulled up her profile, there it was. A tear-stained and emotional Sienna, who, despite her distress, was sporting flawless make-up and perfect hair, stared straight into camera.
‘Hi everyone. Thank you so much to all of you who have reached out after the horrendous invasion of my privacy this morning. You guys know I’m an open book, and I always want to be fully transparent with my fans, but the reality is that Ollie and I have been keeping something to ourselves for the last few months.’
Kara reached over and paused the video. ‘You have?’
He shook his head. ‘News to me.’ He pressed play.
‘We actually separated last summer…’
Beside him, Kara gasped and murmured, ‘Cow.’
‘And we’ve both moved on. As you all saw, I’m now in a really great relationship with Van Weeks, who has a brilliant new show coming out shortly on Netflix…’
It was almost laughable. She was hustling even in this moment.
‘And I won’t speak for Ollie, but I can say that he has someone new too.’
Again, Kara questioned him. ‘You do?’
Same answer. ‘Also, news to me.’
‘We wish each other well, and we’re both grateful for the wonderful times we had together. We’ll go on as best friends…’
‘I’ll scratch her eyes out,’ Kara joked. ‘I’m your best friend.’
‘…who want only the best for each other. I hope that this update puts this morning’s video in perspective and all I’d like to say is be kind. You don’t know what other people are going through. Thank you and I love you all.’
Ollie had to give it to her – she’d just cleaned up her image and scored a PR win at the same time.
‘In case it wasn’t already clear, I now can’t stand her. Any time you want to talk or bitch, I’m here and ready.’ Kara nudged him playfully and he felt such a wave of gratitude and love that he finally snapped and got to the point of the conversation he’d been trying to have for the last two hours.
‘Actually, I kinda want to talk now,’ he said, turning to face her, leaning forward in his seat so that they were only a few inches apart.
‘I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to blurt it out. Have you ever thought about you and me?’
‘All the time. It’s why I spend half my life on FaceTime with you.’
She wasn’t getting this, so he went back in. ‘No, I mean, actually you and me. Together. As in, a relationship.’
