The noise and bustle of the city were left behind in its wake, a sense of peace and tranquility ushering Rina and Joel into another part of the town. They had made the journey on foot, wanting to partake in nature with the subtle warning of the mess they would have met had they returned to the car park to get Joel’s car.
Rina asked a million if she wasn’t being a bother to him, but all the time, Joel’s response had always been the same. Rina could never be a bother to him, not in a thousand years. Although Rina had never met him before, Joel had been obsessed with her from the very beginning.
He followed all her movies and series and was one of the saddest people when she announced her retirement from the industry. When the news about her scandal got out, Joel didn’t need to speak to anyone to know it was a lie. Rina didn’t strike him as the person who could do that, and for a while now, he had been wanting to see her, to talk to her.
Nature had presented the opportunity when he’d seen her sit beside him at the panel session, and he had promised himself not to let the day go by without talking to her.
“Are you sure you want to be seen with me?” Rina asked, kicking a pebble in front of her. “I’d understand if you say no. I’m not exactly great company right now, with everything that has been happening.”
“I know you didn’t do them.” It was the first time he had said those words since they started the walk. “I don’t know who’s framing you, or why, but I do know that it is such a low thing to do, and an excessive length just to tarnish a person’s reputation. The person must have you so much.”
Rina thought about it. There had been no signs all the years they’d spent together. Kayla wasn’t a very nice person, and Rina knew that. Kayla had never bothered hiding it from her, since they were, after all, best friends. But at the same time, Kayla never treated her in the same manner she treated others. She’d always had something pleasant to say about her acting skills, or her outfit each time they went out together.
And that happened frequently.
Kayla and Rina used to have mini girls dates that spanned a whole day, so much that Finn started complaining after a while. Everyone in the industry knew them as an inseparable pair, and it was the practice for producers to cast them together for roles in the same movie.
Rina couldn’t see what point it had all gone wrong. It was one of the questions she kept asking herself, how she had missed it in Kayla’s eyes. She’d always thought that the eyes were the gateway to the soul, even during acting, but Kayla had put a whole new definition to it.
“You know, don’t you?” Rina didn’t know Joel had been looking at her while she thought about Kayla.
“What?”
“You know who did this to you.” Before Rina could reply, Joel shook his head. “You don’t have to tell me who it is. It would be weird telling a stranger all that detail. But when we become friends, I’ll be expecting you to talk to me about anything. No pressure.”
Rina chuckled awkwardly, then changed the topic swiftly. “Thank you for doing that earlier. I usually do not respond that way, but…”
“I know how bitchy Kayla is,” Joel muttered, clueless as to how he had just uttered the name of the mastermind behind the shitty reputation Rina now had. “I’d always wondered how you both managed to be friends all these years.”
“Ouuuu,” Rina drawled, looking up at Joel. The sun rested beside him, shining in full force into Rina’s eyes, making her squint. Joel thought it was the cutest sight he’d ever seen.
“Are you admitting that you have been obsessed with me since my debut when I was nineteen?” Rina teased, oblivious to the bubbles she’d caused in Joel’s gut.
“Now, you’re pushing it,” he laughed, even though he felt a jolt in his heart. “Obsessed is too strong a word. How about we settle for intrigue? That’s more like it.”
“Obsessed is a much better word,” Rina mused, a smile splayed on her face. It was a refreshing conversation, and that was the freest she had ever been since the divorce. Rina felt she could finally take in doses of fresh air without feeling constraints in her chest.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Joel raised his hands in mock absolution, and Rina laughed again louder this time. It made Joel smile as well. He tried to memorize the sound, a symphony of beautiful chords and harmony, and the twinkle in her eyes like she didn’t have all of the weight on her shoulders.
Rina didn’t feel that awkwardness that usually persists when she met people for the first time. With Joel, conversation was easy, and he had a good sense of humor. She gave him a quick once over, having tried so hard not to look too much at him.
Joel caught her. “Now who’s obsessed?”
“What?” Rina gasped in humorous disbelief. “I was just thinking about how much height you got. If the paparazzi hit and we have to run, don’t you think your height would be a deterrence to our speed?”
Joel rolled his eyes. “Of course. That’s what you were thinking about.”
“I’m glad we are on the same page.”
“Not exactly.” Joel halted suddenly, and Rina angled her head watching him. He turned to face her and looked into her eyes hazel eyes. Joel deemed it to have been a wrong idea as he suddenly found himself unable to say anything. So, he opted to look at her long black hair instead. “We will be on the same page if you agree to come work for me.”