Page 2 of Directing You
“Yep,” he said to Simon but didn’t stop glaring at me. “I sure do. Because I said there was no way in hell our friend wasthatdumb after all these years. I said there had to be another reason why our Tony Award-winning director friend would be taking a short hiatus from directing to teach a semester of acting for a bunch of grad students.”
I stared into my glass, unable to meet his eyes. “They’re undergrads, actually.”
Noah threw his hands in the air, letting them fall onto the table, rattling the various glasses. “Even worse.”
I looked up at Noah and narrowed my gaze. “How is that worse?”
“I don’t know. But it’s notbetter.”
“If I recall,” I said, regarding him quietly but firmly, “you didn’t go to college at all, right? And yet here you are, making a career for yourself. I had no idea you would be such an academia snob.”
“You’re right. And I remember you drunkenly scoffing when Faith and Brandon started teaching. Making some arrogant speech about ‘those who can’t do, teach’ or some shit like that.”
I cringed, remembering that night. It wasn’t long after Faith and Brandon had gotten married, and I wasn’t in a good place. Hell, I wasn’t sure I was in a good place now either. But I was certainly better than before. “Yeah. I was just jealous that they were fucking happy and I was miserable.”
“And drunk,” Noah added.
I hissed through my teeth. “Thanks for the reminder.” I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. “I believe in the power of education. By whatever means possible. Whether that’s undergrad, grad school, or even continuing studies courses.” Not all of us were so lucky to come from affluence. Not all talented kids had the resources to get grants and scholarships and, hell, even afford to come to New York for a weekend to audition for these schools. Sometimes it didn’t make sense to go into six-figure debt for a degree. Other times, it did make sense. There was nothing wrong with either path.
“I believe in education too. But you’re not teaching these kids because you want to. You’re doing it for your ex-fiancé, who fucked you over. How in the hell are you going to move on from her when you’re constantly still at her beck and call?”
I swallowed another gulp of my drink and slammed the glass down onto the table. “She’s still my friend.”
“Bullshit. She’s only your friend when she needs something.”
I could feel my ears get hot. Mostly because I knew he was right. Faith and Brandon fucked me over. And yet, when she called asking for favors, I couldn’t help but come running. I cared for her. I wanted her to be okay. And these favors were the only way to remain in her life. The second I stopped offering her something, I feared she’d be gone from my life forever, and I wasn’t sure I could handle that. “Look, kid, you’re my friend and I care about you, but back off. Maybe when you’ve been in love, you’ll understand that it’s not always that easy to just cut someone out of your life.”
“Bullshit. You’re a doormat for her, and she knows it and uses it every chance she can. Why couldn’t her husband teach in her place?”
“He’s on the tour too,” I mumbled. “It’s the first acting gig they’ve each gotten since our show closed a couple of years ago.”
Once again, the table grew silent, and the night that was meant to be celebratory soured, turning dark and gloomy. After a few minutes, I heard Noah sigh. “Okay, well, tonight is the start of something new, right?”
I hissed a breath and gestured to the waitress for another drink, rattling the ice against the edges of my glass. “Sure.”
“I mean it, Reid,” Noah said. “Tonight, you begin to move on from Faith. This is the last favor you do for her. Open your mind to maybe,maybe, dating someone else.”
Noah was right. I needed to let go of Faith. She fucking married my best friend. I was like a stray dog getting fed table scraps. It was better than nothing, so I kept coming back for more, despite the fact that I was still simply eating garbage. The more I clung to their friendships, the more I basked in the pain, unable to move on. Because I didn’twantto move on. I wanted to remain there with the pain and the sorrow… Because at least there, I still had her. Scraps of her, yeah. And I still had him—the man who was once my best friend. It was better than accepting the truth of losing them both entirely. I wasn’t sure which loss hurt more. The betrayal of my best friend of over a decade. Or the woman who was preparing to make vows to be my wife.
I squeezed my eyes shut and heard the waitress set another glass down in front of me. “Yeah,” I said, opening my eyes. “You’re right. It’s time to move on. This teaching gig is the last favor for Faith—”
“Or Brandon,” Noah interjected.
I swallowed, my throat dry, despite the drink I’d just finished. “Ever.”
Noah, Simon, and James all stared at me, shocked, eyes wide. Finally, James said, “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
A puff of air escaped from Noah’s pursed lips, and he lifted his glass in the air, the rest of us following, touching the edges together. “Well, fucking finally.”
I held his eye contact with a single nod. “To new beginnings.”
* * *
It had been three hours,and although I could see what Noah had meant—this wasn’t just a titty bar—I also didn’t necessarily see the “art form” he kept referencing. Most of the acts were some rendition of jazz dance routines with simple moves, very little technique, and a lot of skin. Not all that different from some stripper acts I’d seen. Only sans the pole and pussy.
I took a final swallow of what was left of my vodka soda—how many did that make? I’d lost count. Then, sliding my chair back, I moved to stand. “Well, boys, it’s been fun. But I’m about to turn into a pumpkin if I don’t get out of here soon.” From what I’d heard, universities meant business with their integrity clauses. While I didn’t necessarily care about this new teaching job all that much—and yes, it was my last favor for Faith—I didn’t want her to lose her job because of me. Frankly, I prided myself on being the guy who just does the right thing, on being on the right side of history. I wouldn’t want it getting out that I was out at a nudie bar the night before my first teaching gig. Even if that fact was misrepresented.
