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attraction was closed the last three weeks in December, and how it was a perfect time for filming. I accepted on your behalf.”
    “Of course,” I said automatically. Even though it was just eight days to go until Christmas, my agent would have been crazy not to accept the role.  
    “I’ve checked online; there’s a flight in about four hours that flies into Shannon. I took the liberty of booking you on it. You’ll need to hustle to catch it.”
    Giorgio was really going above and beyond the call of duty for me. “I’m hustling,” I promised him. “And Giorgio? Thanks a billion.”
    I could hear the smile in his voice. “That’s what I do, Tatiana,” he said. “That’s why you are paying me the big bucks.” He even sounded smug.
    ***
    There was a part of me that was relieved, and a part that was disappointed. But the truth was, I needed space. When I got back from filming, I could pretend that last night with Liam was a one-time thing. I was an actress. I would act my guts out, and I’d tell Liam our night together was a mistake. Then, things could return to normal.
    And you’ll never have sex like that again, my inner voice reminded me. You’ll never feel Liam’s body on top of yours, his hands holding you, a sense of togetherness permeating the two of you. Perhaps he felt that same connection, perhaps things can work out.
    I shut down that hopeful voice ruthlessly. Hope wasn’t an emotion I could allow myself to feel, not since that fateful day, twelve years ago.
    From the airport, I sent out an email. With the amount of travelling I did, it was the only way I could stay connected with Antonio and Enzo, Lucia and Alice. I wrote to let them know where I was, and when I’d be back. As I wrote the email, I was perfectly aware that Liam was part of this email group. I’d kept him abreast of my comings and goings for close to nine months now. Would he get the message that I just wanted things to go back to the way they were before I let myself succumb to him? Would he be angry at me, or secretly relieved that I wasn’t in his bed when he woke up?
    Subject: Off to Dingle!
    Hey everyone,
    Got a call this morning from my agent – the Killers of County Kerry wants me for a full season! I’m at the airport now, catching a last-minute flight to Shannon. Should be back in Venice for Christmas!
    Tia
    I hit Send , then turned off my phone and boarded my flight. For the next week, I was going to need to stay focused on work, and bring my A-game to this role.
    ***
    Liam:
    I felt empty when I woke up and she wasn’t next to me, but at the same time, I wasn’t entirely surprised she ran.
    In Tia’s world, good guys didn’t exist. Apart from Antonio and Enzo, every guy she met saw her as only a sexual object. She was a pussy and an ass and a mouth to them, nothing else. I’d heard her tell stories about the way she got constantly solicited for sex, the way it was subtly suggested that she’d do a lot better in her career if she were willing to suck dick. She always told the stories as if they were a joke, but her eyes were always bleak when she spoke. In that light, it wasn’t surprising that she had left.
    It was six in the morning, and I fell into my usual daily routine. I wrote in the quiet of the morning for two and a half hours. At eight thirty, I fell back into bed. I wanted to call Tia, but my rabbit preferred to wake up late when she didn’t have to be at work. She would still be asleep. I resolved to call her at eleven, when I knew she would be up.
    ***
    That was a mistake. I read at the email she’d sent out. She was out of town and I could tell she wanted to retreat from the situation.
    I wasn’t a jerk. I was a grown man, and though I didn’t get rejected very often, I was adult enough to be able to take it with grace. If she genuinely didn’t want to be with me, as much as it would break my heart, I could accept that. But if this retreat was because she was afraid of ruining our friendship, I