Page 14 of The Sitcom Star
“She’s more competitive than me, and the possibility of losing to her younger brother made her up her game.Her loaf was really good, and it had great crumb structure or whatever you call it.My parents were the official judges, but even I admitted she won.”He looked behind them.“How do you feel about renting a tandem bicycle?”
“I haven’t ridden a bike in years.”
“We don’t—”
“No, let’s do it.”She’d go with the flow.If she struggled, like they both had with baking bread, it wasn’t a big deal, right?She could be easygoing about things, like Adrian.
He took the front of the bike and she took the rear.It was a few minutes before they got the hang of it, but then they were off, going…she had no idea where.
And that was okay.She didn’t have to know.That was a weird feeling for her—not having plans and contingencies, not having anything to worry about—but it was the truth.She could simply be in the present, which was another principle of improv.Besides, there was only so far they could go; it wasn’t like the islands were huge.She’d try her best to relax and observe her surroundings.
They crossed bridges and visited a few different islands, some with houses.She wondered what it would be like to live here, separate from downtown, yet so close.They passed a playground that was meant to look like a little pirate ship, complete with a skull-and-crossbones flag.And as they cycled on, Maddie had the thought that a tandem bicycle was rather…romantic.
But this wasn’t a romantic trip.They were simply friends.
Friendships had been a bit of a sore spot for her lately.She got along with everyone onChu’s Restaurant, and she and Jen were pretty close.But an actress she’d considered a good friend hadn’t been able to cope when Maddie had gotten her big break.Given the racist comments her so-called friend had later made online, Maddie was horrified that she’d ever told this person anything.
It was hard to make new friends when you were so damn busy, and now that she wasn’t spending time with other people through work, she’d been feeling rather lonely.
“We’ll stop just up ahead,” Adrian said.
They managed to bring the bike to a stop without any disasters, and he opened his knapsack and set up a picnic blanket on a grassy area under a tree, a safe distance from a gaggle of Canada geese.
Picnic.Also romantic.Neither of them had made any mention of it being a date, though, and the picnic blanket had dinosaurs on it, so…
“I let my nephew pick it out,” Adrian said.“Let’s lie back and stare up at the sky.”
She thought he was joking.Lie on your back and watch the clouds?Wasn’t that something people only did in books?
But then she realized he was serious.
“Or we could play Frisbee,” he said, “and I’ve got food, if you’re hungry.”He rummaged through the knapsack and took out a container of grapes and… “Oops.”
“What’s the matter?”she asked.
“I made some wraps with cream cheese, turkey, tomato, and spinach, but they’re squished.They should taste fine, though.”He held up a clear plastic bag.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t romantic if the food looked like it had been run over by a truck, but as promised, they did taste good.He’d also brought grapes and egg tarts.
Her phone buzzed.Jen had sent her an article about Asian himbos that focused on Ethan Park and the character, Maxwell Kim, he played onChu’s Restaurant.She could read that later.
What are you doing today?Jen asked.
Having a picnic on the island.
With who??
Maddie didn’t want to get into that now.When she turned toward Adrian, he was smiling as he nibbled his egg tart, and it was like… Season 2, Episode 11.When Max had invited Waverly on a hike to see a “cool tree” just outside of town, and Waverly, smitten, had accepted the invite.She’d worn “practical heels,” aka heels that were less than two inches.
She shook her head.Why was she thinking about that episode?
Adrian didn’t have much resemblance to Ethan Park, other than being an Asian guy of roughly the same age, but…
He turned toward her, and her pulse sped up.
“Anything important?”he asked, gesturing at her phone.
“Nope, just an article about Ethan.”
