I Can’t Make You Love Me

Jaelyn groaned and turned away from the mirror for the fourth time that afternoon. She had managed to do her hair and makeup to perfection – doing makeup was her favorite part of any day – and even picked out a sexy yet sophisticated outfit, but she was having a total blockage where her shoes were concerned.

Normally, she’d just ask Abbie what shoes to wear, but tonight she was out on a date. It was her first date in several months, so Jaelyn hadn’t told her about the plans she had with Jared. She still couldn’t believe she’d said yes, but the VMAs were just too good to pass up. That, and Jared was an incredibly smooth-talker. He’d called her just last night to repeat his offer and she hadn’t been able to refuse.

“It’s just as friends,” she told her reflection again, holding up two pairs of shoes and weighing them in her hands. She was garbed in a white dress that came to mid-thigh and a cropped leather jacket. Therein loomed her problem – should her shoes match the white dress or the black jacket?

Procrastinating the issue, Jaelyn instead took a few minutes to pick out her jewelry. It took far too little time and, after meticulously straightening the silver necklace around her neck and ensuring none of her silver bangles were overlapping, she was soon facing the shoe dilemma again. Finally, tossing aside both pairs of shoes, she walked barefoot into Abbie’s room. Abbie’s closet was, as usual, a total disaster zone. Jaelyn had to dig for several minutes before she found the pair she had in mind.

“Aha!” she said triumphantly, detangling herself from Abbie’s hanging dresses with the shoes clutched in her left hand. The shoes were white with black lace over them. They were a little tight when she tried them on, but Abbie’s favorite phrase “pain is beauty” reverberated in her head. Giving herself another look in the mirror, Jaelyn decided that she looked as good as it was gonna get and grabbed her clutch on the way out the door.

Once she hit the sidewalk outside, she pulled out her phone and found Jared’s number. It rang twice, then his melodious voice filled the line, “Jaelyn.”

“Hey, I’m ready to go,” she said. “I’m actually outside already. Which way should I walk?”

“How about toward the street?”

Before she could answer, the most outrageous car she had ever seen pulled up in front of the building. It was an SUV, but one unlike any she’d ever witnessed. It was blue with bright orange flames painted on it. Jared sprang from the driver’s seat, dressed to the nines in a black tuxedo, and she gasped.

“You cut your hair!” she exclaimed, stepping toward him.

Smiling, chuckling in a slightly embarrassed sort of way, Jared ran a hand over his newly cut hair and said, “It was time. Locks of Love was very appreciative, though.”

Jaelyn smiled and rolled her eyes. “Boy, you’ve got this celebrity thing down, don’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You name-dropped so casually and made yourself look like Joe Nice-Guy in one sweep.”

Jared put a hand on Jaelyn’s shoulder and said, “What if I just happen to be Joe Nice-Guy?” As he spoke, his hand slid down to her back and he steered her casually toward the car.

“Unlikely, since I’m fairly sure he doesn’t exist.”

“I hope to prove you wrong,” said Jared, stepping away from her and opening the passenger door.

As Jaelyn climbed into the car, being careful not to let her dress ride up, she said, “You know, this car looks like something from an eight-year-old’s wildest dream.”

“It is from an eight-year-old’s wildest dream,” replied Jared. “Mine.” He laughed and closed the door, then circled around to the driver’s side. Despite the childlike car, Jared drove very well, not like some celebrities Jaelyn had had the displeasure of riding with. In her experience, being a celebrity meant you could drive like a total maniac and people thought it was cool.

“How far is Inglewood from here?” Jaelyn asked after a brief silence.

“About twenty minutes. Probably thirty, if you include traffic and parking.”

“They don’t valet?”

“I don’t like valet. I trust very few people with my car.”

“Afraid they might scratch the beautiful paint job?” she teased.

Jared smiled. “Something like that. Are you excited?”

“Very. I’ve never been to any sort of awards show before.”

“That’s not true. You performed at one last year, didn’t you?”

“Technically, but it’s not the same as attending one.”

“Well, you won’t be able to say that after tonight. I’m going to give you the whole awards show attendee experience.”

“Is there going to be a red carpet?”

“Possibly.”

“Are we going to do the thing?”

“What thing?”

“You know, the thing where we pose and give people the idea that we’re romantically involved?”

“Oh, yes, the thing. Where I put my arm around your waist and pull you close to me and we stare at each other for just a moment before looking up and smiling for the camera?”

Jaelyn shivered slightly, goosebumps erupting on her arms and legs. She knew that the soft way he spoke and the smooth words he used were probably just the way he was with all women, that didn’t make it affect her any less strongly.

“Yeah, that.”

He chuckled and said vaguely, “We’ll see how it goes.”

When the lapsed into a comfortable silence, Jaelyn silently reminded herself that this was strictly a friend-thing. She absolutely could not get romantic with Jared. He had a reputation for being a ladies’ man and she still hadn’t recovered enough from her last relationship to get involved in a celebrity relationship. How would she be able to tell if he was being sincere and if she liked him because he was a celebrity or for who he really was?

No, Jaelyn definitely wasn’t ready for the emotional games that came with a relationship with someone like Jared Leto.


Almost exactly thirty minutes later, Jaelyn was staring up at the Forum. It was a circular building, lined with white pillars and red inside of them. A round staircase wound around the building to the entrance, but the base of it was hidden behind a massive crowd of celebrities, fans, and photographers.

Of course, Jaelyn performed in front of thousands of people all the time, but this was different. This wasn’t a show where she was separated from the audience by the height of the stage and a row of security guards. The only thing keeping her steady this time was Jared’s protective arm, which had been around her waist since he first helped her out of the car and witnessed the stunned expression on her face.

“Just stay close to my side,” he said, like he did this sort of thing every day. Jaelyn could only nod and let herself be led toward the crowd. The crowd was already buzzing excitedly as they approached, but the volume increased dramatically as people began to notice them.

“Jared! It’s Jared Leto!”

“Jared, who’s your date?”

“Oh, my God, it’s Jaelyn! Jared and Jaelyn!”

Her cheeks were instantly hot and she wanted to put some space between Jared and herself, but she was unwilling to surrender the comfort of his arm around her, keeping her from falling or getting lost. They walked through the gap in the crowd, treading the very red carpet they’d been joking about on the ride there. As they passed a big backdrop splashed with the words MTV Video Music Awards all over it, they paused.

Jaelyn was surprised when Jared, instead of pressing her to his side like they were a close couple, leaned down so his head was against hers and smiled awkwardly for the photographers. Catching on to what he was doing, Jaelyn grinning and gave the camera’s a thumbs-up. Her smile clearly said “Jared Leto is hugging me! Am I lucky or what?”

They posed like that for several seconds, then separated so they could wave to the various other fans, photographers, and reporters.

“Jaelyn, the public wants to know, are you a natural red-head?”

“A lady never tells,” answered Jaelyn vaguely.

“Jaelyn! Jaelyn! What’s are you wearing, Jaelyn?”

“Um, Herve Leger and Calvin Klein,” she said, gesturing to her dress and jacket respectively.

“Jaelyn, are you and Jared dating?”

“We should find our seats,” said Jared just then, making Jaelyn jump. She hadn’t heard him come up behind her, but allowed him to put his arm around her again and lead her toward the building. They finally reached the steps, which were blissfully free of any paparazzi, and were silent as they made their way inside and found their seats.

The inside of the building was as impressive as the outside. The stage was sunken in and the rows of seats angled down toward the stage. Jaelyn had to walk carefully in her heels to keep from stumbling, although she knew Jared would probably be able to catch her if she did fall.

Once they had sat down, Jaelyn took a deep breath and mentally calmed herself down. The hardest part was over. Now she could just relax and enjoy herself. She couldn’t imagine anything she could do to send mixed signals now that they were seated and the event about to start.