Dennie on the Rocks?
Buckle up, readers, because Hollywood’s hottest couple may be calling it quits. That’s right, Derek Riley and Bonnie Aiken could be done for good. One of our favorite sources witnessed a lovers’ quarrel early Tuesday morning outside Champion Studios, and neither big screen legend looked happy when they parted ways. We’ve been rooting for the dynamic duo since their first appearance on screen over a year ago, but it looks like Bonnie is ready to break another heart in search of her next spring fling. If poor Derek needs a shoulder to cry on, I volunteer as tribute!
Vote below on who you think the starlet will go for next. My money’s on rugby star Cole Evanson now that he’s split from his longtime girlfriend, but Bonnie and music sensation Liam Connolly have been spending a lot of time together, with and without Liam’s girlfriend, Kasey. Could Liam be two-timing our favorite delivery girl-turned screenwriter? Or maybe Cole and his perfect bod are the reason Derek looks ready to give up on this whirlwind love story. Share your thoughts below and stay tuned for your next Hollywood Hot Scoop! XO
“What does a girl have to do to get someone murdered around here?”
Derek chuckles, far too calm about the stupid tabloid article that is about to make our lives far more difficult than they need to be. “If your charm hasn’t worked so far,” he says without looking up from his phone, “I’m pretty sure nothing will.”
Easy for him to say. I don’t think he’s ever been in a situation where his charm hasn’t worked. The man oozes charm. Besides, he’s not the one who has the whole country speculating about his dating life. At least not to the same degree as me.
No one is voting on his secret love affairs.
I glance out the limo window to see how close we are to the Dolby Theater. I was already nervous about tonight, and this article dropping a few hours ago isn’t helping anything. How am I supposed to walk the Oscars red carpet when my whole relationship with Derek is in question? Sure, our relationship isn’t real, but the world doesn’t know that.
Our publicist, Fran, must read my question in my face because she clears her throat and pulls my attention to her at the other end of the limo. “Here’s the plan,” she says, glancing between us.
We must be quite the sight right now, with me sweating so badly that I’m going to be nervous about lifting my arms even a little on the red carpet, and Derek stretched out in his seat and scrolling through a new script on his phone like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
He doesn’t. No matter what his relationship status, he has always been popular since the first time he smiled on camera. Even as an unnamed background character, he was stealing hearts, and now he’s one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. He could date a garbage can and still be an Oscar nominee like he is now.
Derek’s life is and always has been perfect, and he’s too good of a guy to realize how easy he has it.
“The plan?” I push when Fran doesn’t continue.
She blinks, pulling her eyes away from Derek. I’ll accuse her of drooling later. “This latest article is trending more than we’d like, so tonight you two are going to prove to the world that you’re absolutely committed to each other.”
I glance at Derek, who purses his lips. “And how do we do that?” I ask. “We’ve been together for a year and a half. If that’s not a sign of commitment, then what—”
“Eighteen months is hardly a blip,” Fran argues. “Maybe in Hollywood that’s a long time, but the fans who love you are the ones who believe in happily ever after.”
It’s the curse of only being cast in romantic movies, even though they’re my favorite. Everyone expects my relationships to be fairy tale worthy. “Okay, but what does that have to do with me and Derek? How do we fix this?”
“Derek could propose.”
Derek chokes, his phone slipping from his fingers. “Derek could what?”
Fran smiles, showing off her unnaturally straight teeth. “Propose. On the red carpet.”
Sitting up straighter, he glances at me for a split second but keeps his focus on Fran. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
“Of course it is. It’s the best way to help you both.”
This is what we get for sharing a publicist. Fran is great, she really is, but lately she’s only been seeing us as a pair. It’s like she forgets Derek and I are two different people with different trajectories. He’s going big time, ready to change the world one story at the time, and I’m just happy to get roles. I don’t care what they are.
A proposal would help me—I know it would—but I can’t see how it would benefit Derek. Especially because I know what Derek’s ideal future looks like. A highly public marriage to me isn’t it. This has been true since the beginning, but it’s been getting harder and harder to think about going back to just friends.
I’ve gotten too comfortable being his girlfriend, which is dangerous.
“We can’t get engaged,” I say, putting my hand on Derek’s arm. I feel his gaze shift to me, but I don’t let myself look at him. If I do, my resolve will break. “Fran, this relationship is already hard enough, and we’re not ready to get married.”
“It doesn’t have to jump right into a marriage,” Fran says with a scoff. “You know how these things go. As soon as this Hot Scoop thing blows over, you can carry on your merry lives and keep this engagement going indefinitely.”
“Until the next gossip column forces our hand,” Derek says roughly.
Finally I look at him, and I can read his expression clear as day. He not only doesn’t want to marry me, but he can’t. Not without breaking certain promises. Derek will only marry once, and it’s going to be to someone he really loves.
I take a steadying breath, though my fingers have started shaking. I’m not ready for this relationship to end, but there are only so many directions things could go. Either we ramp things up, or we end it and move on. Our careers won’t let us coast along like we’ve been doing.
I’ve known this for a while, but I’ve been trying not to think about it. I’m terrified of what’s coming when Derek finally realizes he’s let our pretend relationship go on for too long.
“We’re not getting engaged,” I say as firmly as I can. “We’ll just be madly in love tonight and hope for the best.”
Fran’s mouth pinches. “You know I don’t like relying on hope.”
“Then you shouldn’t be working for Bonnie,” Derek says. He takes my hand, lacing our fingers together before lifting my hand to his lips. I know what he’s silently telling me. Thank you. He knows as well as I do that Fran isn’t wrong about how beneficial a proposal could be, but we’re in this together. What affects one of us will affect the other.
Besides, Derek is too good of a man to be saddled to me forever. He deserves something real and lasting, which isn’t something I can give him. That means we are more than likely going to “break up” within the next week, and I’ll be on my own again. I already feel uncomfortable just thinking about it.
When it’s finally our turn to step out onto the red carpet, we’ve both put on our best smiles as the cameras start flashing. The reporters pelt us with question after question about our relationship and if we’re breaking up, and we deftly avoid answering any of them, only speaking when someone asks about Derek’s nomination or our upcoming movie. And when someone from Hot Scoop asks for a picture of the two of us together, Derek pulls me in for a kiss that would have anyone believing we’re head over heels.
But it feels more like a goodbye.
I’ve never been more glad to go to an after party, though technically this would be considered an after-after party, since we already spent the last couple of hours in a hotel penthouse suite hosted by the director of Derek’s Oscar-winning movie. This party is going to be way better than the last because there won’t be anyone to impress. After a night of plastering on a carefree smile, I’m ready to let loose and stop pretending. I’m exhausted—and over-the-moon happy for Derek—but I wouldn’t miss this for the world.
Derek holds my hand as we make our way to the front door of his luscious Malibu house, nodding at Bruce, his home security guard. Bruce glances at our hands but doesn’t say anything, though I can tell he’s itching to make a comment. He probably read the article this afternoon and is wondering how much longer our relationship is going to last.
“Who’s here?” Derek asks, pausing before he opens the door.
Bruce smiles. “The whole gang.”
I perk up. “Even Freya?”
“Flight landed this morning.”
Derek gives my hand a squeeze, matching my grin because he knows how much I adore Europe’s sweetest princess. “After you,” he says, pushing the door open and guiding me inside.
Voices pull us to the back of the dimly lit house, to the huge lounge that overlooks the ocean. The room is my favorite in Derek’s house, not only for the view but because it’s full of the most luxurious couches and chairs I’ve ever sat in. At the moment, two of the three couches are occupied by our four best friends, though it doesn’t seem like anyone has noticed us yet. They’re too busy watching highlights from the Oscars and making snide comments.
“I would never be caught in something like that,” Freya says, pointing to the TV with her LaCroix.
Next to her, Liam snorts a laugh and puts his feet on her lap as he stretches out across his girlfriend, Kasey’s, lap as well. “That’s because you don’t have Kate Winslet’s bod. You wouldn’t be able to pull it off.”
Freya shoves his legs away and seems to be considering dumping her drink over Liam’s head. I think the only reason she doesn’t is because of Kasey beneath him. “How dare you say such a thing to royalty?”
Cole chuckles, clearly taking Freya’s side, as he always does. “Better watch yourself, Liam,” he says, shaking his head.
“Freya,” Kasey says with a lifted eyebrow, “you literally told us ten minutes ago that you hate when people give you special treatment.”
She sniffs. “Special treatment is not the same as avoiding insults.”
“Admit it,” Liam says. “You would be a total frump in that dress.”
“I would look fabulous, but pink is not my color.”
“That is absolutely not true,” I say, grinning when all eyes swivel our direction.
“Derek!” Liam bounds from his seat and nearly tackles Derek as he leaps onto him in his usual greeting. “How does it feel to be an Oscar-winning actor, my man?”
Though Derek struggles to hold him up—Liam isn’t small by any means—he clearly loves the attention as he laughs. “Probably about the same as being a Grammy-winning musician, so you tell me.”
“I am so angry there are no awards for government officials,” Freya says right before she slams into me with her own hug. “Hi, Bon! Did you miss me?”
“Always.” And I mean that. Freya may be the heir to a freaking throne, but she’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had. She and Kasey, who is a recent addition to our gang, are crucial to my sanity. “I didn’t know you were flying in this week!”
Freya pats my cheeks like I’m a child and she’s my elderly grandmother, even though she’s only a couple of years older than my twenty-nine. “I would not miss celebrating with Derek!”
Derek untangles himself from Liam, who seems to have been trying to put him in a headlock instead of hugging him, and pulls Freya into a tight embrace. “Thanks, Peach. That means a lot. I wasn’t even sure I was going to win.”
“Of course you were going to win.” Cole hasn’t moved from his spot on the couch. He’s usually more enthusiastic than this, and though he seems happy for Derek like the rest of us, I can almost feel his underlying sadness. It’s been almost five months since he broke up with his girlfriend, but he hasn’t been the same since.
Though I really want to hurry to the guest bedroom Derek keeps for me so I can change into pajamas—I spend more time here than I do in my own apartment—I make my way to Cole’s couch and sit on his legs, which are stretched out along the couch. “Hey, Evanson. Why the glum face?”
He fixes on a terribly fake smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Holding out my hand, I wait until he grabs it, and then I smile at him. “Wanna talk about it?”
He shakes his head, which I expected. He and Sage were going to be forever, and Cole even had a ring ready to go for months before the breakup. He said he was waiting for the right moment, but now that Sage has split, I’m wondering if he knew something wasn’t right. Cole’s not really a talker, though, unlike the rest of us. He’ll never admit to being heartbroken, even if we can all see it.
“We’re here to celebrate Derek tonight,” he says, squeezing my hand.
“And apparently the end of your relationship,” Liam throws in, flopping back to Kasey’s side and pulling her into his arms. “Tough beat, Bon.”
I look up at Derek, who frowns as he joins Freya on the third couch. “Guess we didn’t sell it tonight?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Liam says. “Clearly you two have chemistry, and I will be taking notes from that kiss you did for Hot Scoop tonight.”
Kasey smacks him.
Though my face lights on fire, Derek chuckles. “It was just a kiss.”
“That was not just a kiss,” Liam counters. “If that was just a kiss, Bonnie wouldn’t be looking like a tomato right now.”
I press my hands to my cheeks, but I’ve never been able to hide my blush. It’s kind of a problem when I’m in the middle of a romantic scene and not supposed to be reacting to the man across from me. “You know that’s called acting, right?” I say to cover my tracks anyway.
But Derek has a frown now, like he knows exactly why I’ve turned so red. He probably does. We’ve known each other long enough that he can probably read my face like a book, and he doesn’t like the idea that I might have felt something on the red carpet tonight.
It wasn’t real, he seems to be saying, though I hardly need the reminder.
I shoot a look back at him that says, Let’s talk later, and then I throw a pillow at Liam. “Apparently I’ll be dating you next, Liam. You or Cole, according to Hot Scoop.”
Liam groans. “I’m sort of taken, Bon.”
“Sort of?” Kasey asks, giving him a look that makes him grimace.
“Completely,” he amends. “And happily so. Man, I hate that site. How has no one taken it down yet?”
“Because your country believes in the freedom of the press,” Freya says with a haughty little sniff that sounds ridiculous coming from her. She’s never been haughty in her life, probably because her country is tiny. Just a little island in between England and Denmark with more sheep than people.
Cole rolls his eyes. “Candora is no different,” he reminds her, as if she might have forgotten the laws of her own country.
“Maybe, but we do not have gossip sites wasting their resources on silly celebrity stories.”
“We’re getting off topic,” Liam says, tossing the pillow back to me. “Are the two of you officially over, or what?”
I don’t need to check my phone for messages from Fran to know the answer to that question. I think she knew what she was saying when she suggested Derek propose tonight. “I think we’re done,” I admit, and Derek nods to confirm it. “It was fun while it lasted, right?”
“You are the only two people I know who would be okay with being in a fake relationship for eighteen months,” Liam says, shaking his head. “And even if I wasn’t madly in love with a perfect woman, I still don’t think I could date you, Bon. It would feel like dating my sister. I don’t know how you did it, Derek.”
Cole clears his throat, squeezing my hand again. “If you need…”
I shake my head, though I love that he’s offering. “No, it might be time for me to take a break. I’m filming that mystery romance in Colorado next week anyway, so there’s no point in setting up a new relationship until I’m no longer on location.” Especially because I want to do well on this movie. It’s different from my usual, which will hopefully get me taken more seriously. I’ve gotten some prominent roles, but never anything that showcases my actual skills.
Plus, the movie is based on a book written by one of my all-time favorite authors, and I’m really hoping for a chance to meet him while we’re filming. At least that way one of my dreams would come true.
We go quiet after that, and Liam eventually turns on an episode of Jeopardy. Game shows and HGTV are the only things we can watch together because movies and sports are too close to home.
After everyone goes to bed—they all have rooms here whenever they want—Derek and I stay up and talk, like we’ve done a million times. Since the day we met, we’ve been great friends, and yes, I love kissing him. He’s exceptionally good at it, just like he is with everything else he does. But even if I might have felt something tonight, I know it isn’t anything real. It’s just the anxiety of something ending and the reality of being on my own again, without a guaranteed person to be at my side.
I’ve never allowed myself to have a deep connection that would come from a real relationship, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. That’s not something I need. But I really don’t like being alone.
“I’m sorry things are ending this way,” Derek tells me as we sit side-by-side next to the firepit on the back patio and watch the world slowly wake up around us. We’ve done this a lot over the last couple of years, when our jobs and our fame get overwhelming. There’s something peaceful about being awake when the rest of the world is still and quiet. Mostly we’ve been talking about inconsequential things tonight, but I knew we would inevitably get here. “You’ll be okay, right?”
I’m exhausted, and not just from putting on a show at the Oscars. Sometimes I feel like my whole life is a show, and I never get a chance to exist without performing. But I chose this life, and I can’t imagine doing anything else. “I’ll be fine,” I tell Derek and smile at him.
Though he frowns, clearly not believing me, he kisses my forehead and then rests his cheek against my hair. He’s tired and should get some rest before Fran starts planning our breakup. It’ll be public, most likely—Fran loves generating good buzz—and Derek is already getting started on his next project, so he needs all the rest he can get.
Sighing, I settle in against him and close my eyes, feeling sleep tugging at me. This is for the best, no matter how much I don’t like it. Derek will always be one of my closest friends, but it’s time we start living our own stories.