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“You ready for this?” Scott asked.
Chris took a swallow of the scotch, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and dropped the glass back in the drink holder between the seats. He wiped his clammy hands on his suit, forgetting that Ilaria had been adamant that he not mess with the corduroy.
“I’m ready,” he nodded.
“You don’t look ready,” his brother chuckled.
Chris waved his hand in his brother’s direction and shrugged his shoulders. “You know I always get anxious at these things,” he said. “Worried I’m going to slip up.”
“I don’t think that’s what’s bothering you,” Scott said quietly. “You don’t like leaving Y/N at home.”
Chris shot him a dirty look. He hated when Scott did that; hated that he knew what Chris was thinking, what he was feeling without him even saying anything. He opened his mouth to tell his younger brother just that, but right then, the black SUV pulled to a stop and the door opened. He took another drink from the glass of scotch, plastered a smile on his face, and hopped out, hand raised almost immediately as he heard his name being called from multiple directions.
His publicist, Megan, met him and Scott at the beginning of the barricades and led them past the multitude of photographers and reporters to the beginning of the long line where Chris would have to put on his best face and act as if he enjoyed answering asinine questions and having his picture taken from every direction.
"You got this, dude," Scott said, squeezing his shoulder.
Chris grimaced and scrubbed a hand over his beard. His phone vibrated in his pocket, so he took a second to yank it free.
Quit scowling, you look grumpy .
Chris chuckled and shook his head. He quickly typed out an answer.
How do you know I'm scowling?
Dodger and I are watching the red carpet. Well, I'm watching it. Dodge is asleep .
And you're scowling .
"Chris!" Megan called.
“One second,” he yelled, holding up a finger. He shook his head and laughed. He hated being here without her.
I miss you, babe .
I miss you, too. But, we talked about this. Go, have fun. Dodger and I are waiting at home for you .
His publicist shouted his name again, so he locked his phone and shoved it in his pocket. He caught up with Scott and Megan, as well as the bodyguard his team had hired for the night. He took a deep breath and put a smile on his face, hoping that it looked genuine.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“You seem preoccupied tonight,” Ana murmured right next to his ear, easing into the chair next to him.
Chris smiled at his beautiful co-star and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “A little bit,” he replied.
“I see you brought your brother?” It was a question, but not really; Ana’s way of prying while trying not to be obvious about it.
“I did,” he nodded.
“Couldn’t find a date?” Ana joked.
“Scott’s my date,” he laughed.
Thankfully, Rachel returned to the table before Ana could pry any deeper, instead, she patted Chris on the leg and got up, pausing for a moment to chat with Daniel’s wife before returning to her seat.
Chris shoved his hand in his pocket and squeezed his phone, resisting the urge to text her, to check in with her, to talk to her. They’d agreed months ago, before the Knives Out premiere, even before the Endgame premiere that they would wait until the time was right to introduce her to his world. She was patient, willing to wait, he was not. He wanted to show her off to everyone, wanted to let everyone know how he felt about her.
He was tired of keeping her a secret.
Scott appeared out of nowhere and set a bottle of his favorite beer on the table in front of him. He breathed a sigh of relief and mumbled “thank you” in his brother’s direction.
“You’re welcome,” Scott smiled. He leaned close and dropped his voice to a whisper. “I called Y/N. She said you look fabulous, but I look better. She also said I should always come with you to these things because there’s no way she could ever look as good as I do.”
Chris kicked Scott under the table, but he was chuckling under his breath. “You’re hilarious,” he muttered.
“She said it, not me,” Scott shrugged.
Chris managed to make it almost an hour, but when he had to go backstage to get ready for his presentation with Scarlett, he couldn’t resist pulling his phone out and checking it.
No messages.
He shouldn’t have been surprised; she knew he was busy and she wouldn’t want to bother him while he was under constant scrutiny. It never ceased to amaze him how patient she was with his celebrity.
“Whatcha looking at?” Scarlett asked, appearing at his elbow.
“My phone,” he said, quickly shoving it back in his pocket. He took Scarlett’s elbow and kissed her.
She rested her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest, and her arm around his waist. “You gonna tell me?”
“Tell you what, Scar?”
“About the woman consuming all your attention,” she replied.
Chris rolled his eyes, thankful she couldn’t see his face. “What makes you think there’s a woman?”
“Because I’ve known you forever and I always know when there’s a woman,” she shrugged. “You don’t have to tell me. I’m just being nosy.”
“You are nosy,” he mumbled, but he couldn’t help but smile. If it was that obvious to Scarlett, he couldn’t help but wonder who else might suspect there was a new woman in his life.
Not that he cared, but Y/N would. He wouldn’t say anything about their relationship without talking to her first.
“Tell me one thing, though,” she said.
“Okay, what?” he sighed.
“You gonna keep bringing Scott as your date to these things?”
Chris chuckled under his breath and shook his head. “Not forever,” he said.
He breathed a sigh of relief once they were done presenting the best actor award. It always stressed him out doing these things; he was always worried he’d mess up somehow. He kissed Scarlett on the cheek and excused himself, escaping into the shadows backstage so he could catch his breath without anybody hovering over him. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, his phone clutched in his hand. He desperately needed to talk to her.
As if on cue, his phone vibrated.
You were wonderful .
I’m glad it’s over. I still miss you. More than I did a few hours ago .
You’ll be home tomorrow night .
I know, but I wish you were here. I’m not sure I can keep you a secret much longer, babe .
You’re ready to share me with the world?
Are you ready to live under a microscope?
Anything for you .
Chris smiled to himself. He wasn’t sure he deserved her. He was sick of keeping her a secret, but he was also terrified of what would happen when the world found out about her. Things were perfect, but once the press and his fans found out there was a woman in his life, a woman he loved, that might change. He liked things the way they were and he knew Y/N did too.
He pushed himself away from the wall. No sense worrying about it tonight. The reality of the situation would still be there tomorrow.
Chris leaned against the door jamb, watching her sleep. Thanks to a weather delay coming into Logan Airport, he didn’t get home until almost midnight, hours later than he’d anticipated.
Y/N was curled in a ball, buried under the covers. Dodger had been sleeping at her feet; Chris could see the indent on the blanket where he’d been lying, but as soon as he’d heard Chris come in the door he’d padded out of the room and met his master at the door.
“Hey, Bubba,” Chris whispered, crouching beside him. “Did you miss me?”
Dodger wagged his tail, his entire rear end moving, his ears perked up. He leaned against Chris, nearly knocking him over.
“Come on, dude, let’s go to bed.”
Chris quickly stripped out of his clothes, mumbling under his breath when the chill air hit him, then he pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed, wrapping himself around Y/N. Dodger jumped on the bed and returned to his previous spot.
“You’re freezing,” she grumbled.
“And you’re awake,” he chuckled.
“A little.” She rolled over, her arms sliding around his neck, her warm body pressed against him, her head tucked under his chin. “Did you have fun?”
“I did,” he said. “I missed you, though. I wish you’d been there.”
“Next time,” she mumbled.
Chris took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Did you just say ‘next time’?
She nodded, her fingers digging into the back of his neck. “I think it’s time for Scott to stay home,” she giggled.
“He’s gonna be so pissed,” Chris laughed. He hugged her close, his tongue tracing her lower lip. “I can’t wait to show you off. All those other women are gonna lose their minds when they see how beautiful you are.”
“Yeah?” she breathed.
“Definitely,” he nodded.
She pressed a kiss to his lips, her fingers scratching at his beard. “Why don’t you show me how much you missed me?”
She didn’t have to ask him twice.