Devora looked up from adjusting Anna’s dress.

“Was there something you needed?”

Was there something he needed? He looked at her blankly before he realized.

“Shoes! I need shoes.”

Devora looked at Anna, and they both smiled. Devora took a box off the top of the clothing rack and handed it to Anna, who walked over to Ben and gave it to him.

“I hope you like them,” she said.

Why did they both look like that about some shoes to wear with his tux? Whatever they were, he’d act excited about them.

He opened the box, pushed the tissue aside, and froze.

“How did you do this? How did you know?”

He’d coveted these sneakers for months. They wouldn’t even be out for weeks.

Anna had a huge grin on her face.

“I checked in with Maddie. And then Devora pulled a few strings.”

He shook his head. He couldn’t believe this.

“Wow. I’m . . . Wow.”

She laughed and kissed him on the cheek before she went back to Devora.

He sat down to put the sneakers on. And he went back to watching Anna. They’d done something complicated to her hair that made it all flow in waves over one shoulder, and she had very long, very expensive-looking earrings on. Ben couldn’t believe he was here, tonight, with her. He couldn’t believe any of this had happened. He’d always been pretty sure of himself—with life, with work, with women, all of that. But Anna suddenly felt otherworldly.

Devora and the makeup artist and the hair person all finished their last circles around Anna. She slid her phone into her tiny purse.

“Are you ready for this?” she asked Ben.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he said.

They walked through the hotel, and he realized that Anna’s shoes made her much taller than she usually was, even when she was wearing heels.

“I’m sure people always say this to you,” he said as they followed Florence to the freight elevator, “but I’m impressed that you can walk so easily in those things.”

She relaxed against him as they rode down the elevator.

“Many years of practice,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll pay dearly for it later in life, and I already have to do all sorts of exercises to strengthen my ankles, but these fabulous shoes are worth it. I’m glad I get to keep them.”

He touched her earlobe, and the strings of diamonds swung back and forth.

“Do you get to keep these?” he asked.

Her eyes sparkled at him.

“Wouldn’t that be incredible, but no.”

They got in the limo in the garage; there were a bunch of other limos there, he assumed waiting for other people also going to the premiere. Anna waved at someone getting into the one next to theirs.

Once they were in the car alone, Ben turned to Anna.

“I can’t believe we haven’t gone over this, but is there anything I should know for tonight? Not, like, the logistics, but the people—is there anyone you can’t stand who you want me to spill a drink on? Anyone who is actually your friend and I don’t have to be suspicious of?”

Anna giggled. He’d said all of that partly to relax her, if she needed it. After all, this was the movie that she’d been filming when her anxiety had gotten so bad, so he’d worried that tonight would be hard for her. But she seemed fine.

“This is the rare movie where when I say all of that bullshit in interviews about how we all got along great, it’s actually true. But maybe that’s because we all filmed so separately that I really only worked closely with a handful of people. And plus, I only filmed, like, seven or so scenes, so I barely know anything that happens in this thing. I still don’t even know if I live or die. The plot tonight will be as much of a surprise to me as it will be to you.”

She touched his hand.

“Oh, speaking of logistics—on the red carpet tonight, you and I will take a few pictures together, and then someone with a headset on will pull you aside, and you’ll step back and I’ll do the whole song and dance for the photographers. Just wait for me, and then we can go inside.”

He thought about that.

“What if I want to do my own song and dance for the photographers? I look pretty good in this tux, you know.”

She adjusted his bow tie.

“You do indeed.” She touched a finger to her lips, and then to his. “I can’t kiss you and mess up my makeup, but don’t worry. Later I’ll show you exactly how great you look in that tux.”

Ben let his eyes move slowly up and down her body.

“I can’t even tell you how much I’m looking forward to that,” he said.

A few moments later, the noise around the limo increased dramatically. They’d been barely moving once they left the hotel, but they slowed down even more.

“Holy shit.” Ben looked out the window at the wall of people lining the streets. “Is it always like this?”

Anna shook her head.

“Just for the big ones. And awards shows, obviously.” She grinned. “It’s kind of fun to be in a movie that gets all of this. I’ve done some pretty big stuff, but usually not on this level. They stagger the red carpet arrivals, from least to greatest—I’m in the B+ zone, from what I can tell about the timing. I think that’s a good sign? Anyway, none of these people are here for me—well, very few of them, anyway—but it’s fun to be a part of it.”

A few minutes later, the limo slowed even more, and then stopped. Anna squeezed Ben’s hand.

“Glad you’re here with me tonight,” she said.

Before he could respond, her car door opened, and she stepped out of the car.

He got out on his side, and the cheers almost deafened him. He hoped people from that asshole studio who thought Anna wasn’t marketable enough were paying attention.

He joined her at the edge of the walkway and took her hand. It felt natural to do that after the past few weeks.

“Very few people are here for you, huh?” he said to her under his breath as she smiled and waved and blew kisses at the crowd yelling her name.

“That’s what I thought,” she said when they finally started walking toward the theater. “I guess there are more here for me than I thought.”

They walked and waved, walked and waved. A few people even shouted Ben’s name, which amused both him and Anna.

Finally, they got to what Florence had informed him was called the “step and repeat,” where there were the big movie posters for background, and rows of photographers there to take pictures of them. They held hands as they waited their turn, and Ben looked around at the wild scene that surrounded them.