“I did,” Drew admitted, every muscle in his body tightening as he braced for impact.
Jessica’s jaw dropped. “But it’s fake. You’re straight. Lee isn’t really your boyfriend.”
“I’m not straight,” Drew said, still uncomfortable with speaking his truth aloud when it was so new and close to the bone. “I’m coming to grips with being bi. I was with Lee last night and I really enjoyed it. I enjoy him.” He wanted to say that he was falling for Lee, but his head was still so mixed up and his emotions so raw that he couldn’t honestly say what his feelings were.
“You can’t do this to me!” Jessica shouted, grabbing the first thing that came to hand, one of the pillows from the couch, and throwing it at him. “I made you who you are. The whole gay thing was my idea. You can’t turn on me like this.” She grabbed the TV remote and threw that at him, too.
“Jess, please stop,” Drew said, holding up his hands but keeping his distance. “This isn’t making anything easier.”
His phone started to buzz in his pocket as Jessica raged on with, “You can’t just destroy my life like this!”
It felt like the wrong thing to do, but Drew reached for his phone. With any luck, the call might be exactly what was needed to cut through the intensity of the moment.
Drew nearly sighed in relief as the name of his driver appeared on his screen. “Hey, Ali,” he answered the call.
“Morning, Mr. Oberlin. I’m down here waiting,” Ali told him.
“I’ll be just a second,” Drew said, then ended the call. Jessica was still a mess of tears and anger when he looked at her and said, “I have to go. I can’t be late on set.”
“You would just leave me like this?” Jessica demanded.
“No, not like this.” Drew took a step toward her and pulled her into a hug. Jessica sobbed and sagged against him. “I’m sorry things turned out like this,” he said. “I didn’t plan it at all. You know I’ll always love you as a friend. You’re a good person, Jess. Right now, you’re just tired, and you’ve been thrown for aloop. But you’re strong. You’ll get over this. Your star is rising, too. You’re going to get to the top and get everything you want from life without me, I just know it.”
“But I want you,” she wept, resting her forehead against his shoulder. “I love you.”
“I think you love the idea of me,” Drew said, nudging her back and letting go of her. “That’s not who I am anymore. I need to figure out me, and you need to figure out you.”
“This isn’t how things are supposed to happen,” Jessica continued to weep.
“I know, and I’m sorry,” Drew said with a sigh. He glanced toward the door, then back at her. “I really have to go now. But you’re going to be okay, I swear.”
He wished he could say a longer goodbye and make sure Jessica would be alright, but the studio car was waiting, and he absolutely did not want to be one of those actors who held up an entire production for personal reasons.
His misery and anxiety didn’t ease up once he was in the car, though, or once he was on set. He did everything he could to separate his professional life from his personal, but even with his efforts, he knew he was having an off day.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Sawyer asked after they’d shot the same scene five times in a row without getting everything the director was after.
“No, it’s just some personal stuff,” Drew said, his head starting to throb.
“I get it.” Sawyer thumped his back supportively. “Everyone has a bad day at the office now and then.”
Bad day was a good way to put it. And it got even more uncomfortable when he got a call from Abby between scenes.
“I take it you’ve heard everything by now,” Drew answered with a sigh.
“I have,” Abby said. “I’m not sure if you’ve heard everything, though.”
Drew frowned, wondering what that was all about. “Heard what?” he asked.
“Jessica is on a flight back to L.A.”
Drew’s eyes popped wide, but only for a second. “I can’t say I’m surprised, really.”
“She says you broke up with her, but she’s not going to accept it,” Abby went on.
“Well, she’s going to have to accept it,” Drew sighed.
“That’s what I told her. But you know Jessica. She’s nothing if not stubborn,” Abby sighed, too. She paused before going on with, “So, did you really sleep with Lee?”