Page 224 of The Hopelessly Bromantic Duet

Liam hands a sketch pad to Jackson.

LIAM: And here’s the one you’re looking for.

JACKSON: Thanks. (A PAUSE) There was something else I wanted, though.

LIAM: Ah, I had a feeling. I’m Liam.

JACKSON: You knew I wanted your name?

LIAM: I’m a bit of an amateur detective.

JACKSON: Evidently, but I have to ask the obvious. Is your name really Liam?

LIAM: You doubt my name?

JACKSON: It’s just that Liam is such a classic... cute guy’s name.

LIAM: Do you think I made it up to impress you?

JACKSON: Maybe I was hoping you did.

LIAM: In that case, I’m Definitely Liam.

JACKSON: Definitely Liam has a nice ring to it.

LIAM: Then you can call me Definitely Liam.

I stop, release a big breath. That felt good to me. I hope it worked for Hazel. “What did you think?”

“It’s soooo good. And you know why? Those are—gasp—the lines in the novel. The lines readers love. That wholedefinitely Liambit hooked me the very first time I read your prologue.”

“Thanks. I like it too,” I say.

But it’s not quite there. It’s still missing something. Hmm.

Wait.

Couldthatbe it?

“What are you grinning over?” Hazel asks. “Because you sure as heck look like you just discovered calorie-free cake.”

I think I know what the adaptation needs most.

I ask Hazel for another reading but with a slight tweak.

With a roll of her eyes, she drops into a stage whisper. “I had a hunch you were going to ask me for that.”

Still smiling, I shrug. I’ve been busted and just don’t care. “Write what you know.”

“And you did,” she says. “A story rich with longing.”

We redo the scene with the tweak, and wow. Holy shit. Yes. That’s it.

All my story uncertainty vanishes. I’ve cracked the final code on the rewrite. I just need to pitch Webflix on the changes when I go into the meeting.

Where the adaptation is concerned, I know I’ve nailed it.

But have I done enough for my own love story?