Lights! Camera! Caleb Hemsworth!

Chapter One

"I look ridiculous—like a fucking slut," I say as I stare at my reflection.

My older sister Violet smiles at me in the mirror. "You look absolutely amazing—the best slut I've seen thus far."

"Yeah right. You're just saying that so I go to the wedding." I search her reflection, hoping to see anything that would indicate I'm right. Nothing.

Violet squirts some hair lotion into her hand and rubs it between her palms, working it through my beach wave curls. "Oh, shut up, Selena. You know deep down you want to come. No matter how hard you try to deny it, you want to see him."

"I don't. Caleb and I...we just...I haven't spoken to him in a while, so I don't know what's going on. You know what I think, it's a bad idea for me to go to this wedding. I'm sure Mom would understand."

"Eh, yeah right. Mom would have your ass if you skipped out on this wedding. Hell, I would too. Juliet is like a sister to us. Don't make her upset on her wedding day. You did enough damage when you said you couldn't be a part of her bridal party."

"You know why I couldn't. She knew why too."

"For crying out loud, Selena, it's been five years since you last saw him. I doubt he's holding a grudge against you for breaking up with him. You had to chase your dreams, and he was wrong to try to stop you. Now, look at you, one of the most sought-after actresses in the business." Violet gushes.

I want to tell her that wasn't entirely the truth. Caleb had been thrilled I landed a huge role on a number one sitcom. He was the first person I'd told when I received the call. We'd met in his downtown apartment in Kansas City and celebrated over Chinese takeout and cheap wine. The good old days. Then everything went downhill the next week when my agent suggested I leave my boyfriend behind and focus on my career. Later on down the road, there would be men more suitable for me in my line of work.

I tried to explain to Caleb about what the agent told me, and he got mad, no more like pissed the hell off. I tried everything in my power to let him know the breakup was only going to be for a short while until I got settled in Hollywood. He told me if I walked out that door, I could just forget about him.

I pleaded with him to see it from my point of view, and he told me if I had truly loved him I would have never entertained the thought of breaking up with him. I called his bluff and headed to LA two days later. I never saw or heard from him again. I was so mad that he stopped talking to me that I lied to my mother and sister about the breakup. I put the blame on him for everything.

"Hey, Sel, are you alright?" Violet says, staring at me with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Truth be told, I'm nervous. I don't think I can handle seeing him again. It's going to kill me. I just know it." 

That was the honest truth too. Caleb had meant the world to me, and I let him go. For what, fame? Fortune? A career that had meant nothing to me for the past five years, because I couldn't spend it with him. The love of my life...my soul mate.

"You will do fine, Selena. Besides he's coming with a date...see nothing to worry about. He won't even know you're there." She adds. That piece of information sent a knife to my heart. So he was seeing someone. Of course, he would be, it's been five years.

****

"So much for no one knowing I'm here." Dammit, the paparazzi found me again. I'd told my assistant to give them a false location, and she'd said she was on it, but I guess not since at least fifteen paps were surrounding the church steps. "Anna, did you give them the false address?"