Living a Dream: Love Story in Vietnam

Chapter 10 - Advice from a Few Reliable Sources

We arrived back at the hotel at around ten at night, and the moment I came into my suite, I went straight for the shower, ran the water so hot it made me as red as a lobster, then I went to bed with my hair still wet and not tied up, which was a horrible idea since it would be a tangled mess when I woke up, but whatever. I wanted this day to be over.

My phone dinged again. Then rang. Then dinged again. I looked at it and saw six missed calls from Scott as well as a dozen messages left by him. I read through them all. He was worried about me. He told me not to go to bed yet so we could talk.

He sent me another message as I was looking at this in the dark, and my phone was extremely bright because of it. He said that he was back at the hotel and in the elevator.

I turned on the lamp on my bedside table, and when I pulled the covers off of myself and swung my bare legs off the bed, there was a knock at my door. He was here.

"I wish we could just talk tomorrow..." I mumbled, and my chest tightened. I went to the door and opened in, knowing I looked a mess in front of him. He had his hair down now, and he was in a blue t-shirt and black jeans. "Hey," I said.

"Hey. Sophia..."

I turned and walked into the room, and I knew I was only in blue booty sweat-shorts and a purple tank top that dipped a little, showing my cleavage that wasn't protected with a bra. My damp hair was covering that area, though. "I know you want to talk about today."

"Or about the last couple of hours. You left so fast, when I came back to the house, you were already gone. Why leave so quickly?"

"You know why."

He let out a sigh through his nose and shoved his hands into his pockets. I was facing him, but I tried not to look at him. "You know that was all acting, Sophia. We talked about that. And Rachael talked to you, too."

"I know. I know you all told me that, but..." Tears stung my eyes. "Gosh, this sucks. I don't like feeling hurt like this."

He came close to me but didn't touch me. "You don't have to be, Sophia. You don't have to be hurt."

"Easier said than done. Yeah, I know it was acting, I know that you and Rachael are good friends and that you love me and everything, but... it just hurt really bad seeing another man I came to love kissing another woman. It's as you said at the sanctuary... a kiss is a kiss."

He stared at me with sad eyes as mine were trying their best to hold in tears. "I get it, Sophia. I do. Brian broke your heart, and that scarred you. He was an ass. But that's not me."

I folded my arms over my hair and bust. "I know you're a good man, Scott. You're one of the best out there, it's just... I wonder if we went too fast. I went to fast with Brian, and got my heart broken. Now... I'm just scared this won't last."

"Sophia..." he started, but I spoke over him.

"The reality is, I'm just a normal girl who works on a film set. You're an actor who will go on to different far places to do great things and maybe kiss other women. I..."

I pressed my lips together as Scott nodded in understanding. "I get your fears and insecurities, Sophia. And I have them a bit, too. I wonder where this will lead, but I'm hopeful. I know that I'm not going to go after other women, and I have faith that you wouldn't go after another man. Right?"

"Yeah. Just... we only met not two weeks ago."

He took my shoulders, and the heat of his hands was like an iron on my skin. "That doesn't matter. Look at me." I did so, and I saw the disparity and sincerity in his slanted brown eyes. "I fell for you when I first saw you on that street, and those feelings only grew each time I saw you or talked to you after that. It was the same for you." I nodded. "Then let's just keep going."