A Novel Romance Page #2

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And then he ended up

Giving me a ride.

In a limo.

I can't believe

You rode in a car

With a guy You just met.

He was in first class.

How dangerous could he be?

So when are you

Gonna see him again?

It wasn't like that.

I don't even Have his number.

Why not?

Are you not into

Hot guys anymore?

Okay.

It's nice if a guy

Isn't too hard on the eyes,

But that kind of thing

Being really important?

Never again.

I wonder why Was he in a limo.

You think he's famous,

Or just rich?

Neither.

He was some kind Of consultant.

He's... he's just

A regular guy.

Hey, man.

You want to play Man

coverage on the Outside?

Fine by me!

Just don't be surprised

If I shred the secondary.

Harris?

You mind changing That channel?

Heads up, St. Louis!

You're next!

Come next Sunday, We own you.

There we go, eh, baby?

Good riddance.

You were too good

For that low-life anyway.

You okay?

Sure.

I love seeing my ex

On TV screens

Everywhere I go.

I also love

Having the whole world know

That he cheated on me.

But the thing That's so annoying

Is that I had no idea.

I mean,

How could I have had no Clue?

He was a sneaky rat, That's why.

So what am I supposed to do?

Just assume that every guy

I meet is lying to me?

Not every guy,

Just most of them.

You just gotta wait till

The right one comes along.

Trust me, you'll meet

Someone much better.

Maybe She already has.

"Limo guy" Sounds interesting.

Honey, that...

That's a terrible idea.

She's just been

Through a big break-up,

A public break-up.

She should just Take her time.

No! No way.

Sophie needs to get

Right back out there

And start dating.

- No, she doesn't.

- Yes, she does.

Okay. Will you two stop?

I will be fine.

I would've preferred Not to have

The whole world read

About my love life

On practically every

Gossip website, but...

That's what you get When

you date a famous Person.

I promise you, though,

I'm totally fine.

"Totally fine"?

Well...

I'm getting there.

It's only been a few days.

I'm really starting

To get into it, though,

Get that old

"Gabriel august" engine

Revved up And racing again.

So it's going well?

Absolutely. Portland

Was a great idea.

Good.

I was starting

To worry about you.

You haven't written a thing,

Have you?

Why do you think that?

Because you sound

Way too relaxed.

Maybe you should

Shake things up a little,

Go out with friends,

Or on a date or something.

Well,

I did meet a nice Woman On the plane.

Perfect!

Call her up.

I don't know her last name,

And I have no idea

Where to find her.

Can't ever just do anything

The easy way, can you?

Oh!

I changed

The Gabriel august reveal

To jasper's bookloft

Out there in Portland,

So you won't have to fly

Back to new York for it.

So this is really happening?

It'll be Liam and Jackie,

Just like always.

But I'll be the one up there

In front of all those People.

I know It's gonna be hard

For you to let go of

This Gabriel august Mystique,

But you can't keep

Leading two lives like this.

This is a good thing.

Have I ever steered

You wrong before?

Is that a trick question?

I'll call you

When I get out there,

And you can show me

Your town, Mr. Portland.

Is it a date?

Yeah. It's a date.

- Bye.

- Bye.

Well,

As you've probably guessed,

We got our new numbers back,

And they're not pretty.

Circulation is down 23% From

the same time last Year.

So, going forward,

I have it from on high

That we need to spice things Up.

I need your pieces

To jump off the page.

Get noticed.

If you want to do

A feel-good fluff piece

On a pee-wee baseball team,

Scrap it and find out

When the trail blazers

Are firing their coach.

They want us to make noise,

Get retweeted or facebooked,

Or whatever The kids

are doing these Days.

Books, movies,

Restaurant reviews...

Nothing's just "okay" Anymore.

They're either fantastic

Or the worst thing

You've ever seen.

I'm talking extreme Opinions.

But you don't want us

To write reviews

We don't believe in, do you?

Well, if that's what it Takes,

Then yeah.

It's how we generate

Web hits and subscriptions.

Look, I don't love it,

But it's the hand we're Dealt.

All right, I'll have

New assignments

For all of you in a few.

Make me proud.

Sophie.

Got something for you

That might be interesting.

After your little speech,

I'm almost afraid to ask.

That review you're doing

On Gabriel August's New book?

I'm not gonna turn it

Into a hatchet piece

Just to get more tweets.

I've got something Even better.

I just found out that

Jasper's is hosting

Gabriel August's

Little coming-out party

Tomorrow night,

Right here in Portland.

I want you to cover it.

We'll run it with the Review.

Wait. He's revealing

His true identity here?

Why Portland?

It's your job to find out.

Deep breaths.

This is a good thing.

Once this is over,

You can stop Leading two lives.

I'll never just Be Liam Bradley.

All everyone Will care about

Is Gabriel august.

That's who I'll be from now On.

It's going to be okay.

I promise.

And it's gonna feel so good

To finally get this

Off your chest.

Okay, I think it's time.

We don't want to

Keep them waiting.

I'm gonna go

And make the introduction.

You wait here, I point to you,

And that's it...

And the world

Meets Gabriel august

For the first time.

Okay. I'm as ready as I can

Be.

You're gonna be great.

They're gonna love you.

You should take

That seat in the front.

Got it.

If I can have your Attention?

I think you're all

About as excited

To be here tonight As I am.

With millions of books

Sold worldwide

Over the last three years,

Gabriel august has touched

All our hearts.

He has made us fall in love,

And he has made us cry.

It's my pleasure

To introduce to you

The man behind

These incredible stories.

Ladies and gentlemen...

Please allow me to introduce

You all

To the writer

You've come to know

As Gabriel august.

I had a feeling

I might find you here.

This was always

Your favorite spot to write.

I can't fool you, can I?

No.

And you'd best remember That.

Liam, what Were you thinking?

I was standing there

Like an idiot,

Pointing at no one.

I'm really sorry.

I just... I panicked.

Your publisher Is furious.

They're threatening

To release your name and

Information themselves.

Well, they can't Do that!

Well, they won't, not yet.

I told them if they did,

We'd sue them,

And we'd make A big,

ugly public Spectacle.

You must not be

Very popular over there.

It's not my job To be popular.

It's my job to look

After my clients,

Even the ones

That make me crazy.

More bad news.

Mm.

One of the first reviews

For by the lighthouse.

It's pretty Disappointing.

"Tepid attempts At

conveying human Emotion..."

- it's her!

- Who?

Sophie. The girl from

The plane and limo ride.

That's why she was

At the bookstore!

To write about Gabriel august.

This is incredible.

Incredible?

I'd hate to hear

What you think a bad

Review looks like.

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