The Truths Behind the Life of Maeve Sun Lively

49

"Are you just saying that or do you mean it?"

I secured her face in my hands, making sure all she could see was me. "Do you see how madly in love I am with you?"

She laughed, "Oh, I sure do see it now." Taking my hands off, she pecked me with a kiss on the lips again before the both of us flinched from Cameron's voice.

"Alright now, you two love birds, I don't need to be seeing you two licking each others' faces off in the early morning." He came out shirtless to the kitchen, grabbing for the coffee but finding none. He glances at our two mugs, then back at our faces. "Seriously? You only made enough for the two of you?"

We both laughed, Klarise especially, mocking Cameron with a grin. "Make your own coffee, you are the oldest after all."

Mason comes out right along after, eyes looking heavy. He frowns at Cameron when he catches sight of him. "Put on a shirt before you catch a cold, Cam." Who waves him off, making Mason roll his eyes. But he smiles when he sees me. "How are you?"

I leave Klarise to Cameron and head over to him, reaching up and stroking his hair. "Never been better, you? How is the company coming along?"

He sighs a little, as we walk away from the kitchen. "I guess building up a company from scratch isn't as easy as you might think."

I offered him my sweetest and most comforting smile. "I think you'll be just fine."

"Yeah." He looks sideways, then back at me. "Are you really okay? I heard about what happened at the...awards."

I turned away, walking more towards the living room. It was hard to look him in the eyes sometimes. "I'm fine, at least I think I am." Just as quickly as the topic came up, I turned around and switched the subject. "I saw Mr. Wang."

This makes him go through a series of facial expressions, first raised eyebrows, then eyes widening but then starting to squint, and at last, everything goes into his usual frown. "Mr. Wang?"

I nodded. "Yeah. You know, it's funny to me how I was ever scared of him, how you and me both so relied on him."

He takes a deep inhale. "Things were the way they were. How was he?"

"Definitely not too fine, considering the karma that got him back for the things he did."

He reaches for my arm and I let him take it. "I hope we'll never go through with someone like him again."

I wrap one of my arms through his. "Me too." And for a moment we just rested there, enjoying each others' company.

"Hey!" Klarise called to us over at the kitchen. "Do you two want some cake for breakfast?"

Mason looked at me, grinning a boyish grin. "Surely one bite won't hurt for an actress, right?"

I bounced my eyebrows playfully up and down, which made him laugh. "You're right, one bite definitely wouldn't hurt."

AS KLARISE AND I had talked about over at breakfast, and a little bit later that night, two days after we were going on a plane over to New York. While Mason and Cameron, whatever they were up to, seemed to be heading back over to L.A. together. It was a dangerous act, I don't know, at least to me it was. Mason and Cameron going together, and me and Klarise going off together. What did that look and sound like? Two pairs of best friends in paradise?

But while I was scared, I tried to not let it get to me.

There were cameras, and sometimes I never understand how people knew exactly where and when certain celebrities would be, but here we were, cameras flashing in our faces at the airport, people crowding over us. I was waving and trying to be as polite as possible, signing autographs after autographs, when suddenly someone asks; "Are you here alone? Where's Cameron?"

I looked up from the autograph I was signing. "Excuse me? It's a little loud, what did you say?" I heard her perfectly fine.

She said the same thing again, and as I started to frown, I looked around me. I wasn't alone, I was just with Klarise when we were getting our luggages. But as I looked around more, I realized I had been alone. Maybe for at least fifteen minutes. Because she was nowhere to be seen.

Something in my heart started to panic. I glanced back at the girl, trying to keep calm. "Me and Cameron have been good, but our careers and projects lead us to a long distance relationship."

There's more cutting in here and there, their voices suddenly making me impatient. I let the guards next to me lead me away.

There was a car waiting in a private parking lot where suddenly it was all quiet but the thumping of my heart, the sound of it beating through me. The black shaded window of the car rolled down, and Klarise was inside. I didn't know what to really feel, seeing her just there.

I forced a smile up. "Where were you?" Still smiling, I climbed into the car and the driver started driving.

"I had to take a call, and you know, the noises there weren't the best environment."

I looked at her skeptically for a long time, and at some point I saw her eyes waver, unsure. Some kind of idea and thought and accusation was already forming in my brain, I had always been like that, but this time however, I didn't want it to form. I couldn't stand the idea that was already adapting into me, that she might be...I didn't reach the conclusion of the thought.

"Am I not allowed to take a call?" Her voice, for almost the first time since we got back together, was tuned sharply. And it stung.

I looked away from her, making the two corners of my lips smile, no matter how hard, I knew I had to form that smile. "No, of course you can. I was just worried, that's all."

The car drove on, and for about ten minutes neither of us said anything to each other. Just silence.

She rests a hand on top of my hand then, but when she looked at the rearview mirror that reflected the driver's face, she took her hand off. "Hey," her voice was suddenly soft again. "I know I know, and I'm sorry for raising my voice at you."

I looked at her, smiling came a little easier. "It's okay."

It wasn't until after two weeks of spending time together in her apartment over at New York that the arguments and disagreements started happening.