The props warehouse at the studio was filled with the usual organized chaos of a working film set.
The air smelled of sawdust and paint, mixed with the aroma of the lunch that Jojo's wife had packed for the crew.
Hailey sat on a stack of foam padding, picking at her sandwich without much appetite.
Her mind kept drifting back to the empty bed she had woken up in, to Eric's polite note, and to the way he had disappeared without saying goodbye.
"You look like someone stole your lunch money," Jojo said, settling down beside her with his own meal.
He was the manager of the props department
Tattoos covered both his arms, telling stories of a life lived before he found his calling in the film industry.
His wife was known throughout the studio for her cooking, and today she had outdone herself with homemade sandwiches, fresh fruit, and cookies that smelled like cinnamon and love.
"I'm fine," Hailey said, forcing a smile. "Just tired."
"Tired from what?" Donald looked up from where he was sorting through a box of vintage props. "You didn't stay late yesterday."
Hailey felt her cheeks warm, remembering exactly what had kept her up late.
"I had trouble sleeping," she said, which was technically true.
"Trouble sleeping, huh?" Jojo grinned, his tone teasing but affectionate. "That's what happens when you spend too much time thinking about boys."
"Boys?" Hailey asked, trying to sound casual. "What boys?"
Donald laughed, abandoning his sorting to join the conversation.
"Come on, Hailey," he said. "We saw you talking to that Collins guy yesterday. The one who looks like he stepped out of a magazine."
"A very expensive magazine," Jojo added with a chuckle.
Hailey's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Eric's name.
"We were just talking," she said, but even to her own ears, the denial sounded weak.
"Sure you were," Jojo said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "And I'm sure that's why you look like you've been hit by a truck this morning."
"I do not look like I've been hit by a truck," Hailey protested, though she made a mental note to check her appearance in the bathroom mirror later.
"You look like a woman with man troubles," Donald said, settling cross-legged on the floor.
"Am I wrong?" he asked with a knowing grin.
Hailey sighed, realizing there was no point in denying it.
These men had known her for months, had watched her find her way through the ups and downs of working in the entertainment industry.
They could read her moods better than she could sometimes.
"It's complicated," she said finally.
"It always is," Jojo said sympathetically. "Want to talk about it?"
Hailey considered this, thinking about her need for advice against her desire to keep her private life private.
"I don't know where I stand with him," she said eventually. "One minute he seems interested, the next he's pulling away."
"That's men for you," Donald said, earning a sharp look from Jojo.
"Present company excluded," he added quickly.
"Some men," Jojo corrected. "The good ones figure out what they want and go after it."
"And the bad ones?" Hailey asked.
"They string you along while they figure out their feelings," Jojo said, his expression more serious now. "Don't let anyone do that to you, Hailey. You deserve better."
Hailey nodded, though she wasn't sure if Eric was stringing her along or if he was just genuinely confused about his feelings.
"But what if he's just confused?" Hailey asked. "What if he needs time?"
"Time for what?" Donald asked. "To decide if you're worth it? That's not how it works."
"Donald is right, Hailey," Jojo agreed. "If a man is interested, really interested, you'll know it."
"Maybe he's just not ready for something serious," she said.
"Maybe," Jojo agreed. "Or maybe he's already involved with someone else and doesn't know how to handle it."
The possibility hit Hailey like a cold wave.
She had suspected that Eric had feelings for someone else, but she hadn't considered that he might actually be in a relationship.
"You think he's seeing someone?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"I don't know," Jojo said gently. "But rich guys like that usually have complicated lives. Lots of obligations, lots of people pulling them in different directions."
Donald nodded in agreement.
"Plus, guys from that world don't always know how to handle real emotions," he said. "They are used to everything being a game or a transaction."
"A transaction?" Hailey felt a knot forming in her stomach. "You think that's all I am to him? A distraction from his real life?"
"I didn't say that," Donald said quickly. "I'm just saying, their world is different from ours."
"Different how?" Hailey asked.
"Well, for starters," Jojo said, unwrapping a cookie, "they don't usually date stunt doubles or props assistants."
"Thanks for the confidence boost," Hailey said dryly.
"I'm not trying to discourage you," Jojo said. "I'm just being realistic. These people have expectations, family pressures."
"So you think I should just forget about it?" Hailey asked, crumpling up her sandwich wrapper. "Focus on work and stop worrying about things I can't control?"
"That's one approach," Jojo said. "Or you could talk to him. Ask him directly what he wants."
"What if I don't like the answer?" Hailey asked.
"Then at least you'll know where you stand," Jojo replied. "Uncertainty is worse than disappointment."
"Is it though?" Hailey asked. "At least with uncertainty, there's still hope."
"False hope isn't hope," Donald said. "It's just self-torture."
"Wow," Hailey said. "You guys are really cheering me up here."
"We're being honest," Donald said. "That's what friends do."
"How long has it been?" Jojo asked.
"Since what?" She asked.
"Since you last heard from him."
Hailey looked at her watch. "About eight hours."
"Eight hours?" Donald looked incredulous. "That's it?"
"It feels longer," Hailey said defensively.
"Of course it does," Jojo said. "Time moves differently when you're waiting for someone."
"Minutes feel like hours," Donald agreed. "Hours feel like days."
"You guys are really not helping," Hailey said.
"Sorry," Jojo said. "But maybe eight hours isn't that long. Maybe he's just busy."
"Or maybe he's having second thoughts," Donald added, earning another sharp look from Jojo.
"What?" Donald said. "I'm just covering all the possibilities."
"You're being pessimistic," Jojo said.
"I'm being realistic," Donald countered.
"There's a difference between realistic and negative," Hailey said.
"Is there?" Donald asked. "In my experience, expecting the worst usually protects you from disappointment."
"But it also protects you from happiness," Jojo pointed out.
"Not necessarily," Donald said. "If something good happens, it's a pleasant surprise."
"That's a terrible way to live," Hailey said.
"It has worked for me so far," Donald said with a shrug.
"Has it though?" Jojo asked. "When's the last time you went on a date?"
"That's beside the point," Donald said, his cheeks reddening again.
"Is it though?" Hailey asked, starting to see where this was going.
"My dating life has nothing to do with this conversation," Donald said.
"Doesn't it?" Jojo pressed. "You're giving relationship advice, but you're single."
"So is Hailey," Donald pointed out.
"Exactly," Hailey said. "Which is why I'm taking advice from married man over here."
She nodded toward Jojo, who beamed with pride.
"How long have you been married?" Hailey asked.
"Seven years next month," Jojo said. "Best seven years of my life."
"How did you know?" Hailey asked. "That she was the one?"
"I didn't," Jojo said. "Not at first. I thought she was out of my league."
"What changed your mind?" Donald asked, apparently forgetting his earlier embarrassment.
"She did," Jojo said simply. "She made it clear she was interested, and I stopped overthinking it."
"So you're saying I should make the first move?" Hailey asked.
"I'm saying if you want answers, go get them yourself," Jojo said.
"What's the worst that could happen?" he added.
"He could reject me," Hailey said. "Publicly. Humiliatingly."
"Or he could be relieved that you took the pressure off him," Jojo suggested.
"Some guys are terrible at making the first move," Donald added.
"Speaking from experience?" Hailey asked.
"Maybe," Donald mumbled.
"Definitely," Jojo corrected with a grin.
"This conversation has taken a very different turn," Hailey observed.
"Has it though?" Jojo asked. "We're all talking about the same thing. Fear."
"Fear of what?" Hailey asked.
"Rejection. Disappointment. Making fools of ourselves," Jojo said.
"The usual human fears," Donald added.
"So what do we do about it?" Hailey asked.
"We face it head-on," Jojo said. "Or we let it control us."
"Those are pretty much the only two options," Donald agreed.
"Great," Hailey said. "No pressure at all."
"There's always pressure," Jojo said. "The question is whether you let it paralyze you or motivate you."
"And which one are you going to choose?" Donald asked.
Hailey looked at both of them, these men who had become her friends and confidants over the past months.
"I guess we'll find out," she said finally.