After I took a quick shower and got comfortable on my bed, we went straight into our girl talk. We started with the basics, such as discussing our favorite color, and for giggles, asked each other what our favorite flowers were.
As the clock ticked closer to midnight, our conversation hit a pivotal point. I felt safe to tell her about what was once my life, and she told me about hers.
She told me about her parents' divorce and how it affected the trajectory of her career. Her mom was an abusive addict, and her father became a single parent to two daughters, her and her younger sister, Maya.
"We lived in a car during those times. My father had been laid off and worked part-time at a diner as a busboy. When my sister and I didn't have school, we'd drive straight to the next audition." She says, staring up at the ceiling with her curly hair in a tight silk bonnet against the headboard, reminiscing.
To make ends meet, Delaware took anything from commercials to background characters until she eventually landed a major role in a show called "Become a Beauty or a Beast". From there, her entire life changed.
She promised herself that should she make it this far, she wouldn't let fame forget how she started. It's why she spent her free time advocating for social justice and volunteering at homeless shelters.
Hearing this directly from her, I couldn't help but admire how great she was. It made me feel terrible for assuming that she was possibly another celebrity with a princess complex that only did it for show when she was the exact opposite. When I told her this, Delaware laughed, kicking her feet in the air. She arguably thought I was going to be another money-hungry clout-chasing girlfriend, but was happily surprised when Leo introduced me to her.
"Well, I am glad you can see me outside of the tabloids." I half-joked, recollecting all the terrible death threats and names that had flooded my phone. I tried not to let them bother me, but they do. They made me cautious of flaws I didn't know I had.
"I'm sorry you had to experience that." Delaware solemnly says.
"It is what it is."
The room grows heavy, and in the silence, I slowly start to drift. Had Delaware not whispered my name, I would've been completely knocked out. Flying has a way of sucking the energy out of you.
"Stephanie?"
"Hmmm?"
"Can offer you some advice. As someone who has been in your shoes?"
"Yes." I turn my body to the side, facing Delaware. "I'll take anything."
"Be careful," she heavily emphasizes. "And I don't mean it as a be-careful-that-Georgia-will-put-glue-in-your-hair kind of way. Though I would expect her to try, considering she attempted to do that to me last week while I was taking a nap in my dressing room."
"Noted," I respond, and she continues.
"Hollywood is its own heaven disguised as hell. It's easy to get lost in this industry, especially when you're surrounded by the wrong people. You don't know who will stab you in the back or who will use you," she says, holding back a tale that wouldn't leave her lips. "If you're not careful enough, it will ruin you. Fame is a game, and if you don't play it well, it will get ugly."
I can only imagine what monster had hurt her enough to make someone as bright as Delaware go into gloom. I didn't really keep up with celebrity gossip, but I do recall a time when a handful of tabloids came out, accusing her of a potential scandal associated with an organization she had been working with. She won her case in court and sued the company for defamation. Rumor has it that the reason she hasn't been in any roles over the last two years is that she had been blacklisted.
"Then how do you know who you can trust?" I ask, becoming more vigilant of her advice.
"You don't." Delaware sleepily sighs. "You just hope you pick the right people at the right time."
"Is that why you wanted to room with me?"
"Yes," she heartily smiles. "I see it in you, and from the way Leo talks about you."
"What does he say?"
"Nothing bad if that's what you're concerned about," she lightly chuckles. "But he did tell me that there's a reason why he picked you and not Georgia."
"So I'm assuming you know about our relationship?" I inquire, snapping out of my sleepy state.
"Yes and no. The arrangement between him and Georgia was initially discussed with the marketing team, along with mine and Noah's," she explains. "It's how we gain publicity aside from promoting the actual show. All of us have done a fake relationship at some point in our careers, but of course, per our contract, there are things we cannot disclose."
"Well, that sounds awful," I comment. "Being stuck with someone you might not actually like." It wasn't until the words left my mouth that I realized how hypocritical I was being.
"Depends on who you match with. Other times, it can be fun. But, getting back to your question. While it's not necessarily discussed with everyone, it was pretty obvious when you came into the picture, instead of Georgia. It's more or less those types of situations where people watch and assume, but in this case, I only know what Leo disclosed to me about your relationship. Nothing else, as I can imagine it would break a contract, should there be one in place. Everything else is based on assumption."
"Huh. Is that why Mitchell keeps flirting with me? Because he assumes my relationship with Leo is a farce publicity stunt?"
Delaware rolls her eyes, or at least I think she is, based on her previous expressions. "He'll do that regardless of whether you're relationship with Leo is real or not."
We both simultaneously yawn, a signal from our bodies to go to bed. I check my phone to spot the time and see a text message Leo sent when he was in the elevator. It was a GIF spelling out good night with a shooting star. I replied with another GIF of a sleeping turtle.
"Good night, Delaware."
"Good night, Stephanie."