Chapter 8 Mr Hollywood

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• Another half-hour would've been wasted over them just arguing whether or not he should drive her back to Miles' house. So Mykaela let him be.
• Andrew would only keep convincing her until she gave in. "You look better. Healthier," he commented while shifting in his seat. His grip on the wheel just made his knuckles whiten.
• It was a rental car. She just couldn't push him away when he'd practically dragged her to the parking lot. Maybe Drew just wanted to talk to her some more. Catch up and all that.
• Constant communication with him kept her happy and hopeful when they were still in the States. They were like best friends then. Maybe he just missed the closeness they used to have?
• "Miles helps me out...with a lot of things." She read the first signage. The roads didn't look busy. Their destination was at least an hour away if Milan traffic wasn't going to be a headache. She hoped so.
• "I see." Andrew thrust the handbrake upward. They halted behind vehicles heeding the traffic lights ahead. "He said you met through a common friend?" Drew turned to stare at her.
• Historical buildings stood in neat rows to their right side, while an old and brick-walled church to their left towered over its neighboring establishments. "His best friend," she replied.
• "Does he take care of you?"
• "Miles? Yeah. He's really...caring." Although Miles didn't have siblings growing up and preferred to live alone, his thoughtful and understanding nature often stood out. "He's like, my personal driver when he's not busy." She chuckled. "He's like Jill most of the time." She glanced out the window.
• For minutes, they just kept chatting, mostly because Drew wouldn't stop talking. She tried to keep it casual, though. Mentioning she'd attempted self-harm after leaving New York would just worsen her anxiety. Work had already exhausted her energy, and she certainly didn't need a long and awkward car ride. So, for now, she'd keep the lid shut tight on that subject.
• "He doesn't visit his family often?" Drew asked.
• "They're always busy with the business." Mykaela sat back and pretended to be comfortable in the passenger seat. The thought of Andrew driving her home tonight was the last thing on her mind when she replied to his desperate messages earlier. She checked her phone again. A notification informed her of a missed call from her sister.
• "Don't trust anyone that easily."
• She glanced at Drew after he sighed. For a moment, she could only blink and stare at his profile, his stony expression rather intriguing.
• "The investigator I hired mentioned something."
• "What?"
• "About his family being involved in some shady business deals." Drew cleared his throat. "Sure, they're relevant to the upper class, but their underground connections are much more interesting. Just saying."
• "What?"
• "Just be careful."
• "Okay..." she mumbled while his eyes focused on the road. She waited for him to say more, but he just clammed up. Must be her cue to break off their discussion about her pretend relationship with her pretend boyfriend.
• "Your parents know you're living with him?"
• "Yes. When's the last time you talked to Beth?"
• "Don't remember," was Drew's only reply to her swift switch to another topic. He changed gears and stepped on the accelerator.
• "She's busy working on a new project?"
• "I imagine."
• "I hope she's doin' okay," Mykaela muttered, remembering the one and only time Beth had talked to her over the phone.
• Roughly two years ago, and she'd rather not dwell on the past. The fact that Beth disliked her was low hanging fruit. Beth had left him months before Drew even came into her life, but Kel still thought she partly caused the two's breakup. Although she never meant to ruin their marriage, she just swallowed the bitter pill.
• "She's fine. Havin' the time of her life, actually." Drew scoffed at his own words. The busy street and noisy cars around them kept the atmosphere from being overly quiet and brooding, but she still caught the slight disdain in his tone.
• "Sent her some emails, y'know. Last Christmas. To apologize," she murmured.
• "She didn't say anything." Drew honked at a swerving motorist. "I don't enjoy driving in New York but this traffic's getting on my nerve."
• "Why don't you go see her? Pretty sure she misses you."
• "What?" Drew pulled a face.
• "It's been years. Just give her a call."
• "I don't even know her number." Drew gripped the steering wheel and drove through the myriad of vehicles bustling across the Milan highway.
• "You have common friends; I'm sure."
• "Why're you being pushy about it?" His tone sounded curious and fairly annoyed. When she didn't respond, he posed another question she wasn't expecting. "You think, I was just stringing you along?"
• "Legally, you're still married."
• Drew rolled his eyes and scoffed again.
• She grinned. Actually she missed bantering with him. For a chain of long and painful months, she had done nothing but ignore him, pretending like he didn't exist. For his own good, though. But now that they're talking again, she appreciated his candidness even more.
• Plus, she was terribly curious. Did he want to give it another shot with his soon-to-be ex-wife? If he didn't think it was possible, then why hadn't he pushed through with the divorce?
• "We're both caught up with work right now," Drew said in his defense, his voice muted. "Maybe she's gonna...call me up this month to talk with the lawyer."
• "Right." Kel made a face and kept a clever retort to herself. She sincerely hoped the two would reconcile. Not entirely out of guilt, though.
• He should just get back with Beth. Surely there's still a glimmer of hope and love left between him and Elizabeth. A no-brainer, really. Some whit of an optimistic feeling just told her that a happy future with his former significant other was still something he often imagined.
• "It ain't over till it's over, D."
• Her shrill ringtone disrupted their back-and-forth as she reclined in the passenger seat. She frowned when she didn't see a text or call from Miles.
• Was he home now? Waiting for her? Or was he too busy with his work-hard-play-hard friends that he forgot to call her again?
• "You're used to the security guys now?"
• "You saw them?"
• "Hard to miss," Drew muttered. "They follow you around? Even when you're not with him?"
• "Nah. I mean, I dunno...maybe." She watched Drew maneuver his way out of a traffic jam. Then she stared at her phone.
• Miles never messed with her phone. Nor would he activate a GPS tracker to keep track of wherever she went. The Falcos were rich enough to afford a dozen security teams, but she never asked about the works. They might think she was being intrusive.
• "Your mom keeps worrying about you," Drew sighed after seconds of awkward silence. "They think Miles doesn't want you to go back home. Does he want you to finish school here?"
• "Not really. That's just her in mother hen mode."
• "Two years left. Right?" Drew regarded her with a faint grin. "Sometimes I picture you in a doctor's coat, stethoscope always hanging over your shoulder, working ER shifts every day."
• "UCMLE rejected me."
• "What? Why?"
• "Some issues with my records. Really bummed about it."
• "Oh. Sorry." He tutted.
• "Yeah. Just sucks. But...I'll get over it."
• "So? What's the plan?"
• "Just need to save up. Work harder. Then study, study, study." For a moment, she pondered the thought of resuming medical school this year. "How's your work?"
• "Pretty okay. You planning to get a loan? For tuition? His parents could be feeling extra generous this time of the year."
• "I would never." Mykaela shook her head a few times. The suggestion sounded cumbersome and just downright embarrassing.
• "Why not?" Drew maintained a neutral expression. "Jill said they're nice folks."
• "They're nice enough to let me live with their son without having to worry about rent," she muttered. "Wouldn't dare ask for more help."
• "They're not that well-known, but, in the corporate scene, they're kind of a big deal. They fund a few charities and non-profits, too."
• "Who told you? The P.I.?" Kel scrunched her brows, somewhat surprised by his sudden interest in the Falcos.
• "There's this thing called Google, y'know?"
• "I read about their new cruise ship last month. But that's it." She stared at him again. Drew simply smirked at her and kept driving. "What else?"
• "They run at least three companies. A cruise and shipping line, export trade, and a hotel chain."
• "Really?" She frowned. Miles didn't say specifics when they last talked about what kept his family super busy.
• "And other small businesses outside Italy." Drew sighed out loud when she didn't respond. Then he glanced at her and tutted a few times. "You clearly don't know who you're living with, K."
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