Page 25 of Seeking Stars
"Okay," she agreed, nodding. "I can totally see that. And I suppose the objectification that comes with it must be a lot, too."
He lifted a shoulder. "Sometimes. Not gonna lie, it's really cool to be seen as attractive and, if people are relatively respectful, I'm okay with someone being a fan just for the thirst factor. No big deal. What I don't like is when in order to get a job I have to push my body to the limit or I won't get a role, or when people around me can't see past that. Does that make sense?"
"Mmmh. That if people employing you or having a relationship with you only want you for the thirst factor."
"I guess clichés are clichés for a reason."
"Right. Because you don't want to be wanted just for your body."
He chuckled as his face scrunched up. "I guess that sounds…"
"Standard. I think everyone wants to know they're liked or wanted for who they are as a whole."
Liam pursed his lips. Yeah, it was as simple as that. He was another regular person, that way. The fact she could see that so clearly filled him with warmth that had nothing to do with the California sun shining on them.
"What else?" She asked.
"Another thing I dislike— paparazzi." He could hear the contempt in his voice and felt no remorse over it. "It's obscene how terrible they are. Everyone has a camera now so to stay in business they push every boundary. It's one thing to be recognized wherever you go, that creepy feeling that you're always being watched, or even the scary fans, but paps? They see you as an object that makes them money and nothing else."
"That sounds terrible. I think I'd hate it if people felt entitled to accost me, ask personal stuff, or to tell lies about my life. Paparazzi seem like my worst nightmare."
"They are a complete nightmare. They've accosted my brother, who wants nothing to do with the film industry. A couple of my exes have been approached as well. So it's not just about how they treat me and the people I care about. Anyone I spend time with gets attacked online, which is terrible in its own way, but for people to make a profession out of it? I have a hard time with it."
"Makes sense to me that you hate them." She put her hand on his forearm and squeezed, before snatching it away to drink some of her coffee. He zeroed in on the place her fingers had pressed on his skin, pretty sure it was the first time they touched. "And that you feel like there's no privacy. No freedom from watching eyes."
"It's one of the main reasons why I started therapy. Fame is a monster that demands to be fed with bits of my soul, and I don't want to give it all away."
"I'm sorry, Liam. I can see how this documentary is asking for pieces of your soul, too."
He lifted his eyes to hers and searched there for something, anything that would tell him she really meant that. That she really got what he shared. He thought he could see honesty there.
He smiled. "It is. I will say, though… if you keep letting me get to know you, too, at least I'll feel like I'm not the only one giving."
She mirrored his gesture. "I'd like that, yes."
"So tell me if things get hard, okay? I don't know how to explain this to you in a way that can prepare you for what you might see of fame, just by being around me."
She dismissed his concern with a one-shoulder shrug and he bit his tongue, afraid to burst her bubble so thoroughly.
"I'll be around you for this project and then I'll be gone," she said. "I don't think it'll get much worse than the couple of flames I've gotten on Social Media."
"You did get some, then, huh?"
"Yep. Telling me you're too good for me." She let out a nervous chuckle.
Liam opened his mouth to challenge that notion but thought better of it. What could he really say? That they could be a good fit if they wanted didn't sound quite right.
"What did you say? Did you say anything?" He finally got out. "To the people sending you stuff online."
"No. Like you said, I could say whatever and they would believe what they want."
"Does it bother you?" he asked, unsure of what he was looking to get from her.
She bit her lips as she thought, the action narrowing his attention to her full lips. He tore his gaze away.
She had left the crust of her toast aside, and busied herself making it into crumbs. "I… no, it doesn't bother me," she said after a while. "Beyond the fact that I have no control over it, that is. People will think what they will and that's uncomfortable. I do worry though, because it could impact my career negatively if people think that I… that we… if I appear in any way unprofessional."
He pressed his lips. She thought that if people assumed they were together it could play against her. What a novel concept.
