“I like them all,” I admitted.
Alyssa gave an exasperated sigh. “Well, yeah, they’re your roommates, but which one do you like best?”
“I like them all,” I repeated.
Alyssa still looked frustrated at what she likely considered to be an attempt to dodge the question—but Sierra’s gaze sharpened. “I think what Kylie’s trying to say is: she has feelings for more than one of them.”
I nodded while Alyssa looked at me with surprise.
“For all three?” Sierra asked.
“Yes.” My gaze was firmly on the cream-colored rug under the coffee table.
“But how will you choose one?” Alyssa asked.
“I don’t think she is,” Sierra said.
Alyssa was aghast. “What, are you just going to let them figure it out among themselves? Like flip a coin for you? Or do they not know you like them? Mason can be really obtuse, but Jude and Parker—”
“Alyssa,” Sierra interrupted. “Sometimes a woman doesn’t have to choose.”
I felt a bit like an older sister explaining the birds and the bees, as Sierra and I told Alyssa about our friend Ronnie and her relationship with her men.
“It’s not a very common arrangement, but it happens,” I concluded.
With effort, Alyssa pulled herself together. I got the feeling she’d lived a rather sheltered life, and it had shocked her quite a bit. “Do you think the three of them would want something like that?”
“I don’t know.” It was the honest truth, though it was something I’d thought about more and more, especially after the intimacy I’d shared with Parker in that tower of the business building.
“Wow.” Alyssa looked so charmingly naive, I had to bite back a laugh. Sierra seemed to do the same.
The rest of the weekend passed quickly. Sierra got us tickets to a show on Saturday night, and on Sunday, we had brunch at the restaurant downstairs and swam in the hotel pool. It was a little intimidating swimming next to an actress who had the body of a goddess—nicely showcased in a bikini probably costing more than my car—but it was a fun, relaxing weekend.
Alyssa seemed to enjoy it, too. On Saturday, I caught her making notes to herself on her phone about all the things she needed to do. By Sunday, she seemed more relaxed.
Sierra was attending a formal dinner at the film institute Sunday evening, so we said our goodbyes in the afternoon.
“I’ll see your next movie when it comes out,” Alyssa said after giving Sierra a hug.
“What is your next project?” I asked.
Sierra hesitated, but her eyes were bright. “I, um, I’m taking a little break.”
“Really? What will you do?” I asked. “Travel?”
“No.” She took a deep breath. “It sounds completely pretentious and like the most Hollywood thing ever, but I’m writing a screenplay.”
“For a movie?” Alyssa’s voice was part squeal.
“Yes.”
“That’s awesome,” I said. “Have you written anything like that before?”
“No.” Sierra sighed. “And that’s a problem. But I’ve taken some classes, and I just… I’m not seeing scripts that have strong female leads. That’s one of the reasons I was so eager to come to this film festival. We need more movies where the woman’s role isn’t just to be rescued. Or where she’s not put in danger solely to provide motivation for the leading man.”
“That sounds amazing,” Alyssa said, and I agreed wholeheartedly.
“Thank you,” Sierra said, sounding grateful for the support. “Don’t tell this to anyone—the people I know back home would laugh, but I have this dream that I’ll write the screenplay and I’ll be able to direct it myself.”
“I hope you get to do that,” I said sincerely. “Have you ever directed anything before?”
A rosy blush filled Sierra’s cheeks. “Yes, once. Sort of.” Her cryptic response made me vow to text Ronnie and see if she knew what it was about.
Alyssa was quiet as I drove back to campus. “Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said instantly. “Thank you. I didn’t realize how much I needed a break until you dragged me away.”
I laughed. It had definitely taken some convincing to get her to come.
“And Sierra’s a sweetheart. Such a normal person but she’s acted with such huge stars, like Aiden Hunt… I can’t even imagine.”
“It’s a whole different world.” I wondered if Sierra would miss it when she took some time off.
Alyssa flashed me a mischievous smile when we got closer to campus. “Do you think your three men missed you?”
“I don’t know.” It made me wonder what they’d been up to over the weekend. I was fairly certain they hadn’t continued our tradition of role-playing bedtime stories while I was gone.
“Well… let me know how that works out,” she said. “I’m really curious about the possibilities.”
That definitely made two of us.
23
Kylie
“And for you, sir? What can I get you?”
It felt nice to be tending bar again—even if it was a makeshift bar that used to be part of a chemistry laboratory.
“How about a vodka martini?” Jude said, glint in his eye. “Shaken, not stirred.”