Page 7 of Seeking Stars
"If I may," Ana interrupted, clearing her throat, "a documentary won't work if Mr. McMillan isn’t on board. I like to get really close to the people I work with, which requires openness and vulnerability. If he's not willing, then the whole thing is destined to fail."
"You sound like my therapist," Liam grumbled. For a moment, Ana thought he'd continue, but he didn't.
"The work I do can sometimes feel like therapy because it's unguarded," Ana acknowledged. She added, "Only I don't help you find the answers. Whatever you come up with are the answers shared with the world. Nothing more, but definitely nothing less. I shareyourtruth with the world." She gave her statement a second to sink in. "I think I need to leave you both to discuss. At this point I half-expect to be made to sign an NDA," she joked, but neither man seemed to think it funny.
"I'm sure I don't need to explain how detrimental it would be to you, if people were to learn you don't know how to keep conversations private. Your professional reputation is all you have, and I suggest you're careful with it. Or would an NDA make you feel better?" Coulton asked, all friendliness gone.
Ana recognized the threat and the test. "I don't need an NDA. My brand is intimate, raw, honest people in film. I'm not about to jeopardize that."
Coulton gave her the tiniest smile. "I like you."
"That's good," she said. "But you need him—" she pointed at Liam— "to trust me. To want this."
"We'll reach out again soon. Can you arrange your schedule to stay in LA for a couple more days?"
Her original return date had been set for the next day but, hell yeah, she could rearrange her schedule. She had to do what she could to get this opportunity. Coulton didn't know that Ana had been racking her brain for ideas for her next project, or how she'd welcomed the relief of being offered to sign with Diana. Ana had made a little bit of a name for herself, but she still existed lightyears away from achieving her ultimate goal. Working with Liam McMillan could change everything.
Pausing for effect, she said, "I don't think I have anything significant back home until Monday." She didn't bother to add that the important thing was Ely's birthday. "I can stay for the weekend."
"Perfect," Coulton said. "We'll talk."
***
After storming out of Coulton's office, Liam went home, checked if his therapist could fit him in for a quick consult over the phone, and proceeded to look Ana up online.
He recognized her on the second link he clicked on his phone. He frowned, frozen for a second— he'd seen her work before. From what he remembered, he'd enjoyed it. He'd even subscribed to one of her profiles! But he hadn't realized it during their brief time together. Curious, he cast a couple of her trailers to the big screen in front of him, and soaked in the new piece of information.
He read a couple of articles and downloaded one of her films to watch later. With the TV off, he waited for his therapist's call in silence, the simmering in his veins persistent but low. The darkened screen reflected a slightly distorted version of him; the man in the black glass rested his arms on the back of the sofa, an ankle over the other knee. His shaking foot was the only part of him that betrayed his emotional state.
His therapist's name lit up his phone and he answered on the first ring.
He grabbed the phone in his hand. "Coulton fucking tricked me," he blurted.
"Okay, breathe." Dr. Linda said on the phone. "I'm glad I could fit you in for a quick call, Liam, because it sounds like you need to talk this through. Start from the beginning."
"Coulton called me in for a meeting this morning." Faint tremors echoed through his muscles, not quite there, but not far either. "He set me up. He agreed to push my contracts into the future, move things around, giving me a month… but not a break. He found a documentary filmmaker and he's trying to make me sign with her. To sell my private life for a reduced workload."
"Oh. I'd ask how you feel about it but I can hear it in your voice. You're angry."
"I'm pissed off, yeah. You know how much I need rest, and how much I want to have that… that personal space where I get to be me. Coulton wants to commodify my time off, pretending it's a break."
"I can see how that would push your buttons. How did you respond?"
Liam closed his eyes, hiding from her question and his own resulting frustration. "I didn't give him an answer."
"I see. Still having trouble asking him for what you want?"
"C'mon, Doctor. You know I don't have a grasp of what I want yet." He closed his lips into a thin line and waited for his therapist's answer. At least she wouldn't make him wait for what was coming.
She laughed on the phone. "Sorry for my reaction, Liam. It's that you call me Doctor when you're exasperated with me. I'm going to guess it's because you know I'll challenge you on this."
He had to chuckle. Having her accurately guess how he felt always made him feel better. "Yep. You got it right. Go ahead, challenge me."
"You know what you want. We've spent a lot of time exploring that. One thing is what you want from Coulton: for him to back off a little. We also know what you want from life— we've talked about it, right? You want to find your people. Your inner circle. Maybe someone you can love romantically and who loves you back. Am I correct about that? Do I remember that right?"
"...yeah." Liam's smile came reluctantly to his face. "You remember that right."
"Then you know what I'm going to say next. You're not trying to figure out what you want. You're trying to figure out how to ask for a break and get it, so you can rest from the pace of everything and invest time into relationships."
