Reminding me that I was more like the help here and less like Noah’s actual date.
“And where did you find Juliet?” Reina asked. It was a little disconcerting for her to be talking about me like I wasn’t there. She was very nice about it, but still. He hadn’t found me. I wasn’t a lost wallet.
“Juliet and I are friends, and she’s coming with me to the party.”
That seemed to be good enough for everyone. Reina nodded and said she would take care of it. “The car is this way.”
“Party?” I asked as we followed her. “I think I’ve mentioned it, but I hate parties.”
“Yeah, me too,” he agreed.
“Then why are we going to one?”
“It’s for work. We’ll stay for a little while, get some pictures and some food, and then I’ll have Ray drive you home.”
Ray? Was that his driver? And did that mean . . . he wasn’t coming with me? He was going to put me in a car and that would be that?
When we stepped out of the theater, it was like a sound bomb had been set off. There was an explosion of noise as a throng of fans screamed for Noah, calling his name. The bright flashes from all the photos were blinding, and I had to look down at the ground to regain my bearings.
This was his life. It was incomprehensible.
The car ended up being a limousine. Not one of those big stretch ones, but it was bigger than a regular sedan with enough seating for all of us.
There was a flurry of movement off to the right, and I turned to see a woman ducking under the rope and in between two security guards who were just a second too slow in grabbing her. I wasn’t sure what was happening and could only stand there and watch, my mouth hanging open. She pole-vaulted herself onto Noah, crying, screaming his name, telling him that she loved him as she clung to his back like a baby monkey. He tried disengaging her, but it was the four guards who ran over that successfully yanked her off, carrying her away.
It was terrifying.
Reina ushered everyone into the limo, including me. There was a second of stunned silence as we pulled away, and then there was a chorus of concern from everyone there, asking Noah if he was okay.
“I’m fine,” he reassured us. To my shock, he did look totally calm. Annoyed, but he often looked annoyed.
“How are you not more shaken up?” I asked. My heart was still drumming a staccato beat in my chest, and the fight-or-flight adrenaline inside me had just started to dissipate.
He shrugged one shoulder. “That’s not the first time that’s happened to me.”
“I think we should look into getting you a private security guard for these kinds of functions,” Reina told him. At the look on his face, she said, “I know. I know how much you want to live a normal life, but I think we’re getting to the point that things might need to change.”
I totally agreed with her, but this wasn’t a conversation that I needed to be a part of. So I sat quietly while Reina changed the subject and started prepping him for what would happen when we arrived and how he would need to pose for pictures despite not wanting to. Her return to normalcy was like a cue to the others—Morgan was scrolling on her phone, talking about the different outlets that wanted to speak to him at the party, while Annie ran product through his hair, making sure the waves set just so.
She had the best job.
He shot me a sheepish grin, as if to say he was sorry about all of this, and I shrugged. He didn’t have anything to be sorry for. The crazy fan wasn’t his fault. Then it occurred to me that he was talking about our present circumstances, where I sat quietly while everyone else talked to and with him. Admittedly, when we’d been sitting together in the theater, it felt as if we were almost like a regular couple. I don’t know why I assumed it would continue to be just me and him. But now with three other people quite literally between us, he felt a world away.
Noah seemed so important. He had these people who were there just to take care of him and help him in his career. I sat in that car, feeling small and not liking it. Maybe when we got to this party, I’d see if I could find someone in the ride-share app to pick me up. Although I guessed we were heading into a situation similar to the one we’d just left and it might take some time.
The car slowed to a crawl, and I saw another wall of photographers, camera crews, and fans cheering and screaming. I hoped these guards would protect him better than the last.
“Morgan, would you mind getting out here and taking Juliet inside so that Noah can get his pictures?” Reina asked, and Morgan nodded.
“Juliet, is that okay?” Noah asked me, and I wondered whether he saw any discomfort on my face.
I smiled, because the idea of avoiding that red carpet actually sounded nice. “Yes. I’ll just meet you inside.”
“Can I get your number?” Morgan asked. “In case we get separated.”
I told her my phone number and then she opened the car door. I went with her through a couple of security checkpoints, and it seemed as if none of the guards were too pleased about me being listed as Noah Douglas’s guest. They hadn’t been given a name, and they kept checking my driver’s license. Which I didn’t understand, because the word guest wasn’t going to magically morph into my name if they looked at my ID often enough.
But we got inside and it was like a whole other glitzy, glamorous world. It was dark and it took my eyes a second to adjust. There was also music playing, and several people were on the dance floor already. Thankfully it wasn’t too loud and allowed people to still have conversations. There were waiters wearing white tuxedo jackets circulating with champagne flutes, and a large bar to provide whatever other kinds of drinks people wanted. To one side there were dining tables set up with crisp linen cloths, and on the other there were soft-looking padded benches and sofas. It was all sleek and modern with different-colored lights flashing from the walls.
Everywhere I looked there was one famous person after another. It was like I’d walked into my favorite movie. Or all my favorite movies put together. Brad Pitt smiled at me as he walked by, and although he was old enough to be my dad, it did make me feel a little light-headed.
Morgan stuck to my side, asking if I wanted something to eat or drink.
But surprisingly enough, my almost constant dull roar of an appetite had gone totally silent. My stomach was still upset over what had happened to Noah with that fan. “No, I’m good. But thank you!” I wondered whether she was going to babysit me until Noah arrived. Which made me feel a little ridiculous, as she seemed to be about my age, if not younger.
“Okay, I’m going to grab some food. Do you want to wait here for me?” she asked.
I kept surveying the crowd and saw Zoe Covington. “I see someone I know. I’ll be over there. Thanks!”
As I made my way over to Zoe, it suddenly struck me how presumptuous I was being. She might want to be alone with her husband or had other friends she wanted to chat with, and I was about to insert myself into their lives.
So I stopped, unsure of what to do, but Zoe saw me and waved me over.
When I got closer to her, I realized that her face looked pained. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m just worn out. I know I’ve been sitting for the last few hours, but these shoes hurt more than I’d anticipated. I need to sit down and this is where Chase left me, so I’m afraid if I go somewhere else he’ll never find me again, because I forgot my phone at home.”