A Starlit Summer by Kate Frost (best manga ereader txt) 📕

‘Really? Nothing? You’ve honestly not slept with him?’

‘No.’

‘Cos social media’s having a fucking field day with the two of you. Imagining how beautiful your children will be.’

Jenna shook her head. ‘What if I told you Milo was gay.’

‘Then I’d say either you’re lying or he’s an awesome actor.’

Jenna sat upright and hugged her knees to her chest.

Carla placed a hand on Jenna’s leg. ‘You’re serious about him being gay? I’m usually pretty good picking up on if someone’s gay or not. With him I got nada; I’d say he’s straight as fuck.’

‘I’m certain about it because the night I had that party at the cottage he slept with one of the actors. As in a male actor.’

‘That’s pretty bloody conclusive then.’ She leant back, resting her hands on the blanket. ‘Wow, so he’s using you as a cover up for his sexuality. He has everyone fooled.’

‘Except I know the truth and I don’t want to play along – I could milk this as everyone seems to be suggesting and have my five minutes of fame, but I don’t want to, it’s not who I am.’

‘You’ve got integrity, that’s for sure. You know, it’s so ’effing sad to live like that nowadays when he shouldn’t have to hide it. Hell, everyone knows I’m bi.’

‘Yes, but who you are, your look, your personality, your openness about being bi is what helps you get parts. Milo told me if everyone knew he was gay he’s certain it’d stop him from getting the leading man, love interest roles. He told me he’s got limited time at this kind of fame and he wants to get the most out of it as he can.’

‘His whole life is one big performance. It must be fucking exhausting.’

~

After lunch they left the cottage and headed to Falmouth, away from anywhere Jenna thought either Finn or any of the cast would be, especially Milo. Apart from the first weekend, she hadn’t really explored this part of the coast. There’d been little downtime to see much of the area outside the filming locations, so it was good to spend a few hours wandering about like a proper tourist, nosing around the independent shops, having a beer in a pub by the harbour, and buying fish and chips to take back to the cottage.

They ate them straight from the paper, sitting outside on the picnic table, birdsong the only sound apart from their munching. The cottage glowed in the evening light; the freshly painted walls were pristine now they were clear of the scaffolding. The windows had all been repaired, sanded and repainted, their glossy grey contrasting against the white walls. The newly laid slate roof looked smart. The outside at least was finished and appealing even if inside still needed a lot of work. The only trouble was, everything about the cottage now reminded Jenna of Finn: him on the roof relaying the slates; dipping his brush into thick glossy paint ready to transform the windows; shirtless on that insanely hot day working on the cottage’s stonework.

Jenna sensed Carla watching her and looked across the table.

Carla pointed a chip at her. ‘You need to switch off and stop thinking about stuff.’

‘Easier said than done.’

‘Always is. Getting drunk often helps.’

‘To begin with, until the tearful bit happens.’

‘Hey, I always think of you as a happy drunk.’

Jenna laughed. ‘I’m so glad you’re here.’

‘You know, I was thinking, to take your mind off all this shit with Milo, how about we meet up with Heidi tonight? Have me as a mediator between the two of you?’

‘I don’t want to see her tonight; I don’t want to spend what time I have with you focusing on Heidi and our messed-up friendship.’ Jenna looked across the picnic table at Carla. ‘Unless of course you’d like to see her, I mean you two are still friends...’

‘We are, sort of. It’s not like I’ve seen much of her over the past few months. She’s been too bloody busy.’ Carla raised a pierced eyebrow. ‘And to be honest I think she’s doing her best to avoid me and bringing up what happened between the two of you – she must know that she was totally the one in the wrong.’

‘Who knows if she believes she wronged me or not.’ Jenna stabbed her fork into the battered fish. ‘I will talk to her, but not tonight.’

‘That’s fine, I just wanted to give you the opportunity, that’s all. She’ll be back in London soon enough; plenty of time for me to catch up with her. You never know, you two might actually be on speaking terms again by then.’

Jenna nodded but her gut was telling her otherwise. She couldn’t imagine their friendship ever returning to how it was. Maybe she was burying her head in the sand turning down Carla’s offer to support her when facing Heidi, but the last thing she wanted to do was add more stress into her life.

~

It was late on Sunday afternoon when Jenna waved Carla out of the drive on to the road and the long journey back to London. She wandered back to the cottage feeling lost. The place was quiet and lonely without Carla’s company and laughter. Tomorrow Finn and his dad would be back working on the cottage, continuing to repair it bit by bit. She had an early call time and knew she’d leave before they arrived. Maybe that was for the best. She locked the front door and leant against it, thinking of the long evening stretching ahead with no company. She wondered if her Great Aunt Vi had ever felt lonely living here on her own for so many years. With effort, Jenna pushed herself away from the door and wandered over to the kitchen. She switched on the kettle. It was too early to go to bed but that’s what she felt like doing. She had things to do though, a few lines to learn, and she needed to look