reached
across it, putting his hand over mine. "Jen."
I stared at the place where he'd made my hand disappear.
"What?"
"Look at me."
I raised my eyes to meet his.
"I'm proud of you,” he said. “You did the right
thing."
"I hope you'll be proud of me when I spend the next thirty years
waiting tables."
"Come on," he said, squeezing my hand. "You don't
mean that."
"I know, but it just felt like I was so close, ya
know?"
"Hey. You think Jennifer Lawrence got where she is sucking
dick?"
I flinched.
"You think Julia Roberts would ever even dream of dropping
to her knees to impress a producer?"
"No."
"You think Meryl Streep would've done anything besides kick
that prick in the balls?"
I smiled. "I suppose not."
"And you know who else is going to make it on talent
alone?"
I raised my eyebrows. "Who?"
"Jennifer Layne," he said. "You're going to be
one of those classy actresses that women want to be and men want to be with."
I turned an ear towards him. "Are you saying you want to be
with Meryl?"
"Can you keep a secret?"
My heart pinched at the warm creases around his eyes. "Of
course."
"I already have."
“Is that so?”
"And she might be the finest actress on the planet, but I
assure you, she didn't have to fake her orgasm with me."
I pushed his hand away. "Jesus. Ethan!"
He leaned back and smiled.
"It's not okay to talk about Meryl like that."
"If you think that's bad, you should hear the kind of stuff
she says about me."
"You wish."
He laughed, the low rumble echoing through my bones.
"Thanks," I said. "For saying that stuff before."
"It's true. You must know you did the right thing."
I nodded. "I do, yeah, but I still wish it hadn't
happened."
"If you regret what didn't go down, just think how much
you'd regret if something did."
"I know," I said, a chill running up my spine. "Plus,
what if I'd gone through with it, and I still didn't get the part?"
His eyes grew wide.
"That was a joke," I said. "I don't even want to
think about that."
"Me neither." He wrapped his hand around his beer and
drained the rest of it. "I'm sorry I made light of you being upset
before-"
I shook my head. "You didn't. You were great. You rescued
me as soon as I told you I needed rescuing."
"I shouldn't have let you get in a situation where you
needed to be rescued."
"It's not your job to protect me."
"About that-" He leaned forward and put his elbows on
the table.
I raised my eyebrows. "What?"
"You know I have to kill this guy, right?"
"He's not worth the jail time."
"At the very least, I have to beat the shit out of him.
It's only right."
"I don't want anything to do with you breaking your streak
of peacefulness."
"I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for me."
I shook my head. "To quote one of my favorite movies, 'If
might is right, then love has-'"
"No place in the world."
I furrowed my brow. “You know The Mission?”
He shrugged. “Of course. It’s a classic."
I raised my eyebrows. "Then you'll recall that it's a movie
about forgiveness."
"It's a movie about a lot of things, and that's just one of
them."
I lifted my glass and licked a patch of salt off the rim before
downing the last gulp.
"What's his name?"
"I'm not telling you."
"You think I can't find out? I know the name of the play
and everything."
"You promised not to make a big deal about it."
"And I'm going to keep that promise," he said.
"By not taking it to a homicidal level."
I cocked my head at him.
He raised his eyebrows.
"It means a lot to me that you’re mad."
"Livid,” he corrected. "Like about to give the Hulk a
run for his money livid."
"Whatever kind of livid you are," I said. "Take
it out on your next run."
He scrunched his face.
"Cause I'm flattered that you want to protect me,
but-"
"Actually, I think you do a pretty good job of protecting
yourself."
I smiled.
"I just feel obligated to seek revenge on your behalf."
I lifted a palm in the air between us and spoke like a wizard.
"I absolve you
across it, putting his hand over mine. "Jen."
I stared at the place where he'd made my hand disappear.
"What?"
"Look at me."
I raised my eyes to meet his.
"I'm proud of you,” he said. “You did the right
thing."
"I hope you'll be proud of me when I spend the next thirty years
waiting tables."
"Come on," he said, squeezing my hand. "You don't
mean that."
"I know, but it just felt like I was so close, ya
know?"
"Hey. You think Jennifer Lawrence got where she is sucking
dick?"
I flinched.
"You think Julia Roberts would ever even dream of dropping
to her knees to impress a producer?"
"No."
"You think Meryl Streep would've done anything besides kick
that prick in the balls?"
I smiled. "I suppose not."
"And you know who else is going to make it on talent
alone?"
I raised my eyebrows. "Who?"
"Jennifer Layne," he said. "You're going to be
one of those classy actresses that women want to be and men want to be with."
I turned an ear towards him. "Are you saying you want to be
with Meryl?"
"Can you keep a secret?"
My heart pinched at the warm creases around his eyes. "Of
course."
"I already have."
“Is that so?”
"And she might be the finest actress on the planet, but I
assure you, she didn't have to fake her orgasm with me."
I pushed his hand away. "Jesus. Ethan!"
He leaned back and smiled.
"It's not okay to talk about Meryl like that."
"If you think that's bad, you should hear the kind of stuff
she says about me."
"You wish."
He laughed, the low rumble echoing through my bones.
"Thanks," I said. "For saying that stuff before."
"It's true. You must know you did the right thing."
I nodded. "I do, yeah, but I still wish it hadn't
happened."
"If you regret what didn't go down, just think how much
you'd regret if something did."
"I know," I said, a chill running up my spine. "Plus,
what if I'd gone through with it, and I still didn't get the part?"
His eyes grew wide.
"That was a joke," I said. "I don't even want to
think about that."
"Me neither." He wrapped his hand around his beer and
drained the rest of it. "I'm sorry I made light of you being upset
before-"
I shook my head. "You didn't. You were great. You rescued
me as soon as I told you I needed rescuing."
"I shouldn't have let you get in a situation where you
needed to be rescued."
"It's not your job to protect me."
"About that-" He leaned forward and put his elbows on
the table.
I raised my eyebrows. "What?"
"You know I have to kill this guy, right?"
"He's not worth the jail time."
"At the very least, I have to beat the shit out of him.
It's only right."
"I don't want anything to do with you breaking your streak
of peacefulness."
"I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for me."
I shook my head. "To quote one of my favorite movies, 'If
might is right, then love has-'"
"No place in the world."
I furrowed my brow. “You know The Mission?”
He shrugged. “Of course. It’s a classic."
I raised my eyebrows. "Then you'll recall that it's a movie
about forgiveness."
"It's a movie about a lot of things, and that's just one of
them."
I lifted my glass and licked a patch of salt off the rim before
downing the last gulp.
"What's his name?"
"I'm not telling you."
"You think I can't find out? I know the name of the play
and everything."
"You promised not to make a big deal about it."
"And I'm going to keep that promise," he said.
"By not taking it to a homicidal level."
I cocked my head at him.
He raised his eyebrows.
"It means a lot to me that you’re mad."
"Livid,” he corrected. "Like about to give the Hulk a
run for his money livid."
"Whatever kind of livid you are," I said. "Take
it out on your next run."
He scrunched his face.
"Cause I'm flattered that you want to protect me,
but-"
"Actually, I think you do a pretty good job of protecting
yourself."
I smiled.
"I just feel obligated to seek revenge on your behalf."
I lifted a palm in the air between us and spoke like a wizard.
"I absolve you
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