This is my first time taking the lead role in a TV drama, and I wanted him to see I was making progress in work. I wanted him to be proud of me.
“That’s lovely.” He buttoned his shirt up. My shoulders sagged. “You said you would stop by today.” “I did?” “Pierce you promised.” My sister had school, mum was out of the question and there was no one else I wanted more to watch me on stage. “You don’t have to stay for the whole thing.” I pleaded. ”just long enough that I see you.” Pierce looked at me, conflicting emotions warring on his face. “I can’t today, Myra. I’ll come to your next one.” I smiled sadly, the sting of disappointment sinking in. “You said that last time.” “I know, just…the next one. I promise.” He swept my tousled hair back from my face and kissed me. “Have fun at your interview.” The room felt empty without his presence filling my apartment. I hugged my knees to my chest. ‘You’re being an idiot’ an incessant voice whispered in my head. It was wrong. I had learnt a long time ago that relationships were a complicated thing. Pierce, was nothing short of a dream come true for a woman like me. All he needed was time, and I loved him enough to give it to him. The voice in my head had no more arguments to make. Since I was up, I decided to get a head start on preparing for my interview. There was no point forcing myself back to bed or staying up to worry about my relationship with Pierce, I had bigger fish to fry. Pierce or no Pierce, that day was set to be one of the best day in my life AND career. * * * We waited while the host made her opening speech. She talked about the gossip and dreams for a bit while Hannah, the best manager in the world, drilled information I already knew into my skull. “Remember Myra, the minute you notice the conversation is steering towards your rumored relationship with Blackwood-“ “I push the focus back to the show, I got it.” “And you do it subtly, with an award winning smile in place.” Her brown curly hair moved with a life of its own as she spoke. “Won’t she have to win awards to know what that feels like?” Jace, a costar joked, as he fluffed his hair. I rolled my eyes. Jace liked to bug me like an annoying brother at any chance he could get. “Are you set?” a stagehand asked us. When we had given our affirmative, he ushered us up the stairs and into the light. I planted a smile on my face and waved to the hooting crowd as we made our way to Lindsay. My eyes scanned through the crowd, hoping to find a particular pair of eyes watching me. Maybe he decided to surprise me, I wished as my cast mates took various positions on Lindsay’s sofa. “Might I say you look very beautiful today Myra.” Distracting me from my futile search. I forced an easy smile on my face. “Thank you so much, Lindsay. It’s such an honor to be on your show.” Few minutes later we were bouncing off each other, building a very easy conversation. She quizzed me and the other cast members on what it felt like to be on set, the dynamics outside the filming process and the challenges we had struggled with in our roles. By the end of our one hour with Lindsay, I was positive that we would have more viewings for our soap opera by the end of the week. I was grinning from ear to ear when I met with my manager backstage. Surprisingly, her expression didn’t mirror the excitement on my face. “Did I say something wrong during the interview? I’m sure it went well.” I asked, confused. Hannah smiled like she was trying not to upset me with her next words. “Oh honey, you did great! Star of the fucking show.” “Then what’s the problem?” I opened the flask filled with berry infused iced tea and took a sip. She extended her cell phone to me, which I collected warily. “She pulled me farther away from the other actors. “Look, I know, you say there’s nothing between you and Pierce Blackwood, but in case there is, I want you to look at this away from the group.” I refused to let his name bug me, but Hannah's actions were doing nothing to soothe my now bubbling nerves. I froze with my bottle halfway to my lips when I saw the main photo and headline. It was a photo of Pierce smiling down at a small framed woman while she had her hand in his hair, and the headline read; CEO of multi-million dollar conglomerate, Pierce Blackwood, photographed with first love. My flask slipped from my hand.Hiii Letting you guys know that the chapter tittles are like Easter eggs. They show or hint at a minute (or big) scene in the story. Can you find ‘em all?
“Shit!” Hannah yelled and caught the bottle before it reached the ground. I could not force a word of thanks to her, or peel my eyes away from her phone. It wasn’t the caption that got to me. When you are famous, unwarranted rumors tend to spread, especially when you’re more secretive. I had seen posts shipping me and fellow cast members, him and other members of high society, a few deep founded allegations about our relationship…so the tagline was nothing new. It wasn’t the headline that had me moving in a mindless gait to an empty folding chair, it was the picture…pictures! I discovered in horror, as I scrolled down the article.It was her. Pierce’s first love was with him in every photo, a big smile on her face. She was back and in his arms. Pierce seemed to be supporting her weight with his body while she clung to him like every breath in her body was fueled by his presence.I didn't need the caption to tell it's her because she looked like me. Or I should say, I looked like
Laughter bubbled in my throat when her words registered in my head. “Hannah, what on earth would I need this for? Put it away before someone walks in and assumes the same thing.” I dropped the packet on the bench between us like it had burned my hand. “I’m not kidding Myra. I know you wish I am, but I’m not. You’ve been sick for nearly a month, you stopped eating mango flavored chips even though they’re your second favorite food in the whole world, and your body, it’s changing…” “Jesus Christ Hannah, slow down with the sex talk. I’m not pregnant, okay? I can’t be. We’ve used protection every time we had sex.” “Every time?” “Yes!” I yelled and moved further away from her. The last thing both of us wanted was a child. I had an experience being raised in a dysfunctional family, and I would not do that to a kid. Plus my career had just started, what part of my life would a kid fit in. Pierce…well Pierce was Pierce. A kid out of wedlock was not up on his bingo cards. We were caref
Every emotion that battled for the frontline a second ago all trickled into one. My heart thumped in my chest as I watched Pierce speak with the doctor while she played with the edge of his suit. I began to feel lightheaded and took a step backwards. The simple movement seemed to draw Pierce attention because he turned and looked straight at me. I searched his eyes for…guilt? Pleasure? Any emotion that would let me know where we stood. The woman turned to him, then me, and soon, she was tugging Pierce towards me. I stood frozen, like a deer in headlights as the pair approached me, the doctor, forgotten. This was a good thing. Pierce would introduce us and later in life, we could laugh about how much I was panicking now. As they stopped directly opposite me, I peeled my eyes from Pierce and smiled at her. The first thing I noticed was how similar we both looked. It wasn't like we looked like twins, but the similarity was obvious enough to make me uncomfortable.I knew from t
My fingers hovered over my screen after I typed his name out. Saying goodbye to Pierce was not an easy feat to accomplish, yet this was the only way to go.Or am I supposed to ask him for an explanation? Begging him to not leave me? Just to further humiliate myself?I couldn't fool myself anymore. I wished I could wave a hand and make everything right for the three of us. I placed my hand on my flat stomach and sighed. I hated myself for all the times I let myself dream of a perfect life with Pierce. The life we could have with the child I was carrying if only he gave us a chance. Maybe it was best if we didn’t end things. I could wait for him to show up, we would talk it out and come to an agreement. I could not erase Pierce from my life completely. Even if I tried, and with the baby, and my finances…why did things have to get so complicated? I had to be brave. If not for me, then for the child I carried. They deserved to have a life filled with love and staying with Pierce wou
“Look this way Myra.” “Miss Myra can you smile this way!” “I love your dress, was it made by a popular designer?” “Please, one more photo Myra!” the photographers shouted as we walked the red carpet. Camera lights flashed repeatedly but I was used to it by now. My nerves were more active than usual that night. Seeing as it was my first outing after texting Pierce. I hated to admit it but not hearing from him was making me very nervous. Especially since there were rumors circulating that he would attend this event. My sister tugged at my arm and I looked beside me. “Is it always like this?” Lily asked, awe written on her face. I was glad I had decided to make her my plus one for the party that night. “Not always, but this is a double event. We’re celebrating the birthday of the CEO of the label and the success of our new TV series.” I explained to her, pushing thoughts of Pierce to the back of my mind. I did not want to be there, but Lily’s presence made me feel m better
“What on earth are you doing, Pierce?” I whispered as I tried to tug my arm from his tight grasp. I smiled at Lancaster’s wife who watched us curiously. Fear filled my body as he pulled me along with unwavering resolve, Ignoring Lancaster’s wife as she tried to exchange pleasantries. I did not want to be alone with him, I could not. What if he quizzes me about my hospital visit and I cave? What if he asks me to get rid of the baby? “Pierce stop.” I pleaded, full panic setting in. He was always keen on keeping our public appearance to near zero. Acting like this would certainly stoke the rumors and he would hate that, maybe hate me too. I was sure I heard a camera click as we walked past a table. Oh god. I turned back for a second to find my sister grinning mischievously at our retreating figures. Tami’s glaring face was the last thing I saw before we rounded a corner. The wide hallway was empty. “Pierce, please, you’re hurting my arm!” My voice betrayed my panic. I needed to reas
“Is this seat taken?” she said with a smile as she drew an empty seat back and slipped into it. I was glad she wasn’t directly beside me. We had Adam between us. “It’s My-ra” Lily spoke up smiling at her. My innocent sister thought it was an honest mistake. “Oh.” Tami responded, while giving her a once over. Then she continued like no one had interrupted her. “I was just so alone at my table, and the only one of Pookie…I mean Pierce’s friends.” She corrected with a sly smile ”Is you. I hope you don’t mind that I’m here.” I pressed a hand into my thigh, and forced a smile in her direction. “No, not at all miss Tami.” Lily frowned at me. “So you do know him?” she whispered. “Doesn’t he look amazing up there?” Tami continued, her eyes glued to the stage, then she turned to the rest of us at the table. “Sometimes I can’t believe how close we are. And that handsome face comes with the most selfless person on earth. “ I tried to tune out her words and retreated into myself “Did I m
I cleared my throat and smiled at Lily to assure her I was alright. “Is everything okay? You scared us for a minute.” Tami said sweetly. I nodded, avoiding Pierce’s eyes. If I looked at him I would crack. “I think I had the wrong drink.” I answered. Lily frownwed and pointed at the glass in front of Tami. “That’s your glass.” “What on earth are you talking about?” Tami asked, the irritation in her voice obvious. “Myra’s the only one wearing red lipstick tonight.” I looked at the cup in front of Tami and it was the only glass at the table with a red lipstick stain. She had switched out my cup. “Oh,” Tami chuckled, “I must have picked it up during your speech. My eyes were glued to the pair of you and that happened. My mistake.” Tami had her suspicions, which meant she could reveal them to Pierce and push him to insist that I got rid of my baby. Fear coursed through my veins and wrestled the impulse to reach for my glass of water. There was nothing strange about my behavior, I
I thought about my neighbors while dad was acting a tyrant over us. We tried to be quiet a lot. But a few times dad would yell. Or shove us too hard against the walls. Our neighbors said nothing, and avoided eye contact. “It’s easier to pretend.” I answered quietly, staring down at my twisting fingers. “True. I got tired of pretending. I got into a lot of fights as a kid.” He continued. “So I could pretend the welts on my body were from my scuffles, not from my father. Now I cover those scars with tattoos.”“What about the scars in your mind?” He slowed his chewing, “those ones, we just have to live with. You’re doing a good job of it.” I let out a laugh, ready to deny knowing what he wad talking about, but the knowing look he gave me told me there was no point. My shoulders sagged. “You think so?” “Oh yeah, movie star.” “You know?!” He chuckled, “I’ve seen a couple of your series while in prison. Was my warden’s favorite . Seeing your…friend, jogged my memory.” “I d
His eyes zeroed on Donna with the money outstretched. “What did Donna do?” “Why do you think I did anything?” She retorted, shoving the money back in her pocket while I looked around. I had to find a place to sleep tonight. “You’re offering money to someone else and her house is empty, you did something.” “Oh piss off.” “She helped Myra’s…uhh, pack a mattress and collected a bribe for keeping it a secret.” “I thought it was a prank!” “He took your stuff?” Seth asked me, his brows raised in surprise. “Yeah, he did. But I’ll get it back.” Maybe I could just lay on the floor? I didn’t check the bathroom yet so I didn’t know if he had taken the sheets too. “When?” “Monday? Tuesday maybe.” “Where are you going to sleep?” Layla asked, hitching her bag up her hip again. “Till monday, I can crash with a friend.” “Today?” Three pairs of eyes looked at me expectantly, and I shrugged. “A motel.” “There isn’t one nearby. Oh! Seth can drive you to the closest one thou
I blinked and looked at the numbers glued to the door. It was my house, that much was true. But it was empty. No brown couch, lemon side-table, my ginormous bean bag. Even the bohemian style rug that managed to pull the whole together was hone. Every single thing was missing from the living. Color drained off my face as I wondered what else was gone. I rushed into my room and looked around in search of Yvette’s box, sighing with relief when I found her on a dingle table in the middle of the room. Everything else was gone, save for the bed frame, and a wardrobe. There was a small note and cute little teddy bear beside her urn. I grabbed the note and read it. ‘Call me.’ I didn’t have to dial the number to know it was Pierce. Did he really rob me?! “Ah there you are!” A woman exclaimed excitedly beside me and I jumped in surprise, I didn’t even hear her come into the house. She had on the biggest t-shirt and basket ball short and was grinning from ear to ear at me. “Nice to me
After the money I cost him, I figured I owed him an explanation. I wiped the corner of my lip nervously and adjusted the blazer. “When I left home today, I…someone who I didn’t want in the house was in it.” “Oh?” “Yeah.” I hoped he had deduced himself that the “someone” was Pierce. After-all he was the only touchy subject in my life. “Just to make sure we’re on the same page, we’re talking about Pierce?” “Yeah him.” “Oh.” He went quiet after that. But his face said the things he didn’t want to say. “You can…ask me about it.” I offered. “You sure?” He had stopped eating and was studying me like a wounded kitten. “I’m sure.” “Okay…why was he at your house?” “He wanted me to sign some papers.” I grimaced, remembering the amount. “He was trying to alleviate his guilt by buying me off. Such an asshole.” I muttered. Carter took another bite of his burger and chewed slowly. He had lost interest in the food but was trying to give me a sense of normalcy, so I wouldn
I cringed at the sound of the bottle shattering and cursed again. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-“ “It’s fine, It’s just a little wine I shouldn’t have startled you like that-“ “Let me clean that up.” A waiter said, a barely hidden grimace on his face. I could feel a lot of eyes on us and my cheeks turned bright red as I tried to wipe the mess on the table. Carter’s hand slipped over mine again and gave me a reassuring squeeze. When I looked up, he was smiling. “Let me do it.” He said and collected the table cloth from my shaking hands. “That was a disaster.” I muttered under my breath as the waiter left to get a broom. “It’s not that bad, a disaster would be someone slipping and falli-“ A waiter chose that particular time to walk by and I guess he did not see the dark liquid on the ground with the dim lights because he slipped, hovering in the air for a split second before his body came down, and the lobster dish he held, rained down on him. “Oh my God!” I gasped a
He cradled his helmet in his left hand and had the other in the pocket of his jeans. His eyes looked past me and were focused on Pierce, the viking braids on his head turned him into a viking , biker God, if those existed. “Are you okay, Myra?” He asked bending his head to look at me. Why on earth was I always caught staring at him? “Yeah, everything’s fine-“ I started, “wait. No. Everything is NOT fine.” I turned my back by to him, crossed my hands, heels still in them, and glared at Pierce. “But it will be as soon as he leaves.” “Who the hell are you supposed to be?” Pierce asked her neighbor, sizing him up. “The one guy here she doesn’t want gone.” He answered coolly. I felt a mini war going on from the stance both men were taking. I started to think that it was a bad idea to get him involved. “Is this your date? He doesn’t strike me as your type.” “My “type” as scarred me for life, it’s time I try something new, don’t you think so, Pierce? Now for the love of God, LEA
He had the guts to look at me like I was the problem in this situation. His bushy brows were furrowed as he scowled, his eyes showing equal parts of desire and annoyance. Ditto. “Going out with Hannah?” He questioned. “This isn’t your usual filming getup. “Well excuse me, fashion police, but you need to get out of my house!” He looked at my face finally, then around the house like cockroaches were crawling all over the place. “Really Myra? This? This is what you settled on finally? It’s a dump. Why didn’t you take the apartment I offered?” “And be indebted to you even more? No fucking thank you.” It felt so hot in the house. I had Pierce to blame for that. He was only standing by the doorway, but he managed to fill the room so far all I could see was him, all I could smell was him, all I could think for crying out loud was him! I wanted him gone. “Now if you would be kind enough…LEAVE.” “You can’t be serious Myra.” He started, moving into the room further. “did you even have
I typed the name into google, having never heard the name before. Scrolling and reading while I peeled another pepperoni slice off my pizza. The mythological wife of Yahweh according to the Canaanite pantheon. Mother of sacred trees…Erased from history like most divine females. I slowed my chewing till it came to a halt. That last bit sounded familiar.A notification from Carter popped up on my screen. I opened it.-I understand that it could be taken the wrong way. But I consider her a powerful deity. Queen of the heavens. I think looking at you feels like I’m looking at the sky. I sat up on the bed and pushed my tongue through my cheek as I read the text over and over, trying to find a double meaning, or hidden insult. There were none.-I like Asherah. I texted back.l-I’m relieved. More dots hovered and I waited. Peeling a single pepperoni from the top of my pizza. -Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?”I looked at the text silently.-yes* * *The next d
Trevor emerged from beside the cars lined in the lot in a tailored armani suit. A simple engraved stainless steel brooch on his collared vest. Forever the stylish icon. “Miss Myra. You look good.” He gave a quick appraisal of my clothes.“Good to see you too Trevor.” I said, not slowing my pace. “I would ask if you missed me but I can guess why you’re here.”“Doing Mr Blackwood's dirty work obviously, now could you make my life easier and wait?”I stopped and crossed my hand over my chest and waited for him to catch up to me. “Was Pierce here today?” I did see someone watching us while we filmed, I couldn’t have imagined a whole human being no matter how bothered I was by him.He crossed his own hands in a similar fashion. “Do you really want me to answer that?”“Yes.”“Alright. He left the office- after acting like piss, I might add- then he returned even more pissy and handed me back the documents he had me painstakingly work on, and told me to meet you here.”“So yes?” That meant