Chapters (52)
- COVER PAGE
- DEDICATION
- PART ONE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- PART TWO
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHORS
She let go of Hugo’s hands and took a step back. ‘So you want me to drop everything and move across the world to be with you? Just like that? Without even a discussion? Don’t you think you should’ve talked to me about it first?’
Hugo’s brow furrowed. ‘I thought this was what we wanted. It would give you the opportunity to make contacts there,’ he added defensively, his voice hushed so his family wouldn’t hear.
‘Hugo, I’ve got responsibilities here. My job. The podcast. My family. I can’t just pick up and leave,’ Evie said, struggling to keep her voice quiet.
‘Quit! Record remotely! FaceTime! We can afford to be a little spontaneous now with my advances and royalties. And it’s only going to be up from here.’
‘What about uni?’
‘Evie, you have more talent in the tip of your little pinkie than anyone else I know. You’re already a writer. There’s a whole world out there waiting to hear what you have to say. I can’t finish this thing without you.’
Evie was flattered—really, she was. But it was in this moment that something clicked. This decision to leave uni no longer sat comfortably with her. Doing that would not just stop her from learning more about screenwriting and production; she’d seen how many opportunities finishing university had provided Ben, particularly around contacts in the industry. She had been given a chance to relive her twenties, she wasn’t going to let herself make the same choices as the first time around.
‘I still have so much more to learn,’ she said. ‘I think it would be a mistake to walk away.’
‘Jesus, Evie. Don’t you think you’re being just a little selfish?’ said Hugo through gritted teeth. ‘This is my dream! Are you really going to make me choose between you and everything I’ve been working for all these years?’
‘I would never make you choose, Hugo. I want you to go to LA, you have to! I wouldn’t let you stay behind for me. That’s not what I’m suggesting. But I can’t just follow you wherever you go at the drop of a hat. I have dreams too,’ Evie said.
Hugo snorted, before catching himself and nodding sympathetically. ‘Of course, if you’d rather stay here, for whatever reason, we can make it work. I’ll travel back on the weekend. We can FaceTime. Talk on the phone. It’s only six months.’
Evie nodded. ‘We can make it work. I know we can. I love you, okay,’ she said as positively as she could muster. ‘And I’ll still be able to help with the screenplay.’
‘If that’s what makes you happy, then it makes me happy too,’ he replied, taking her in his arms.
Her head on Hugo’s chest, Evie silently asked herself, I am happy, aren’t I?
TWENTY-FIVE
Twenty-five