Jerk

After dinner, Kate left. She knew when to leave.

John drove in the direction of Beverly Hills.

In the back seat of the car, with only Lyman and Eva remaining, she suddenly asked, "Are you very close to Kate?"

"Why do you ask?" Lyman was somewhat puzzled.

"Nothing, I just... Did I overthink it?" Eva's voice was somewhat calm. "Did I overthink it?" She repeated the question.

"What, are you jealous?" Lyman turned to Eva with a playful smile. He had already taken her hand at some point, and it felt cool to the touch.

"I don't know; I just feel a little uncomfortable." She struggled slightly and pulled her hand out of his grip, whispering, "Lyman, am I being too weak?"

She sounded choked up. "You're a big director, and temptation is always around you. I'm really afraid that one day we'll suddenly become strangers. I can't help but think about it, even though I don't want to."

Her words were jumbled.

But Lyman felt uncomfortable hearing them.

She was holding him so tightly. She was holding on tightly. "How about I quit being an actress?"

Hearing this, Lyman didn't feel a hint of warmth. Instead, he felt his muscles tense up, and his heart started beating rapidly.

...

Four months ago, it was Eva's birthday.

Her mother called and said, "You need to live well over there. I'm getting old, and I won't be much use in the future. Many times, you'll need someone to support you."

At that time, Lyman bought her a gift, but due to his busy schedule, they didn't meet. She also didn't mention to her mother that she had someone she liked. She was afraid.

...

Three months ago, Lyman went shopping with her for the first time and bought clothes together. She was very happy and even went to the celebration party for "Saw." She knew his attitude had changed somewhat, and perhaps he could understand the worries deep in her heart. From that day on, she was looking forward to it very, very much.

...

Two months ago, Lyman started a new project, and she had read the script and made a request to play a role, but it was rejected. Lyman smiled at her and said, "Aren't you going to ask me why?"

She didn't ask. She didn't particularly want to play that role; she just wanted to spend more time with him, time together. The expectation of a slim chance had been declared void from the beginning. She didn't feel too bad about it, really.

He was a decisive person, but he could also take advice. These two traits don't usually describe the same person, but they fit him perfectly.

In all the times they had interacted, Eva's deepest impression of him was his passion for movies. No matter how tired he was, as long as it was for the sake of a movie, he was always full of energy. But he rarely showed interest in things outside of movies. He was very career-oriented, which was a good thing.

...

Then, today, they met Kate. Eva had spoken to her a few times during the filming of "Bad Boys" before. She was a somewhat confident person, unlike herself. In all aspects, she was superior to her, which was her own comparison. She could see that there was something extraordinary about her; she wasn't naive. Really, she just rarely expressed her opinions. She could also feel Lyman's affection for her, but she was still very afraid. Afraid of the unknown.

...

In the car.

Lyman remained silent.

He had always thought he had a great mentality, except for when he had just arrived, and he didn't know what to do.

But now, he felt that he could easily face any problem. This was the confidence brought by strength and money. A sense of security.

To be honest, he had once thought about a life with multiple wives and concubines. After all, he was a director. Living two lives as a person, he hadn't even experienced what it felt like to be liked by someone before, which led him to fall for a certain enchantress.

The feeling of being cared for by someone was good, and since then, he hadn't had any other thoughts.

When a person truly desires to possess someone, their emotions are limited.

He had started to be more ambitious. Truly, he wanted to make more money.

But at this moment, he felt his head heavy, his thoughts scattered, and he was feeling quite uncomfortable.

From the moment she spoke until now, he could understand many things from the slight trembling of her body.

Acting, being an actress, becoming a big star – the first half of the girl's life had been dedicated to this goal. For this, she had even come to Los Angeles, far from the embrace of her parents, to study acting in a foreign country, in an unfamiliar city.

During those times, she hadn't given up; she had persevered. But now...

Lyman gently embraced her. He could somewhat guess what she was thinking, and he was probably right. But the more he understood this, the more he felt suffocated.

Through the car window, pedestrians occasionally passed by in front of him, showing no interest in the stories of others.

In this cold city, there were too many troubles like this. Everyone was helpless, everyone was enduring.

It wasn't clear how much time had passed. The sky became increasingly overcast.

The car came to a silent stop; they had arrived home. The front door's lights were already on.

Eva was trying to control her emotions.

She got out of the car slowly and walked to the door. Lyman took out the keys and opened the door.

The butler was still awake and was about to come over upon hearing the commotion, but Lyman waved him off.

The house was lit up, and Lyman went to the bathroom.

When he came out, Eva was sitting on the couch, wearing a somewhat forced smile.

Lyman stood several meters away from her, looking at her like that.

"You had a little to drink, and your emotions got stirred up. Don't overthink it," Eva tried to make amends.

Up to this point, she was trying to make up for it.

She was a good girl.

"Let's go out for a walk," Lyman suggested.

"We just got back. Where do you want to go?"

"Let's take a stroll downstairs."

The front yard was maintained by someone and looked quite pleasing to the eye.

Following the cobblestone path, there were several streetlights on both sides, brightly illuminating the low flowerbeds. The adjacent lawn was a deep shade of green.

"Why did you think about quitting acting?" Eva walked beside Lyman, wanting to change the subject, but Lyman repeated the question.

Seeing his seriousness, Eva blinked her eyes and whispered, "Aren't I afraid?"

"Afraid of what?"

"I feel like you don't like me being an actress... in the spotlight. And I feel like I'm not good enough for you. You're so outstanding, and I'm afraid there will be a distance in our relationship in the future. You know, our time together is so short, and I'm... I don't dare to say." She pursed her lips.

"Phew."

Lyman took a deep breath, trying to cover up some of the restlessness inside him.

Seeing that he still didn't speak, Eva lowered her head, and suddenly, she smiled again. "It's not bad not to be an actress. Then I'll have time, and I won't have to travel everywhere. I can always be with you. Isn't that what you've always hoped for..."

"Do you not trust me?"

"Do you want me to be with you? That's not bad..."

"What did you just say?" She suddenly looked up.

"You never really understood me," Lyman said, looking at her, enunciating each word.