Chapter 5

Noah stared. "A muse? You? Alistair 'Artistic Integrity' Finch, smitten in LA? This I have to see."

He was genuinely concerned. Liam' s "breaks" usually involved him writing in solitude in some remote cabin, not... this.

Liam ignored him, already typing a reply to Ava.

"Malibu, you say? Sounds like a step up. I' ll need to acquire a more... beach-appropriate wardrobe."

He then turned to Noah.

"I need you to arrange a few things. Casual clothes. Nothing designer. Think... struggling actor who occasionally models for beer ads."

Noah' s jaw dropped.

"You want me, your business manager, the guy who handles multi-million dollar film financing deals, to go shopping for hobo chic?"

Liam grinned. "Precisely. And a very cheap, very old, very unreliable car. Something that screams 'I might not make it up the next hill.' "

Noah just stared. "Are you having a breakdown? Should I call someone? Helen, maybe?"

Liam' s grin faded slightly at the mention of their grandmother.

"Helen is not to be involved. This is... research."

Ava woke the next morning to the sound of waves and a message from Liam.

"Your devoted boyfriend is en route. Expect him to be fashionably late, as his chariot is a 1998 rust bucket. - L."

A small smile touched her lips. It was the first genuine smile in days.

She felt a strange flutter of anticipation.

Back at Liam' s temporary, decidedly unglamorous apartment, Noah was still trying to process the previous night' s instructions.

He' d found Liam' s phone on the counter.

A new contact was saved: "Ava – My Boss Lady."

Noah blinked. "Boss Lady?"

He scrolled through the messages, his eyes widening.

The talk of contracts, performances, devotion.

"Oh my god," Noah whispered. "He' s not just smitten. He' s... is he a gigolo now?"

The thought was so absurd it was almost funny. Almost.

Just then, Ava' s reply came through on Liam' s phone.

"Looking forward to it, 'L' . Don' t scratch the driveway with your chariot. ;)"

Liam, emerging from the bedroom in surprisingly convincing "struggling actor" attire, picked up his phone.

"Morning, Boss Lady," he said, his voice warm.

Ava, on her end, felt that flush again. "Boss Lady?"

No one had ever called her that. It was... surprisingly endearing.