Page 28 of The Sitcom Star
“Hey,” he said.“I might not know exactly what it’s like—my parents never played favorites—”
“Not at all?”
He shook his head.“At some point, I started wondering if that meantIwas the favorite and just couldn’t see it, but Colleen said she never felt like they had favorites, either.”
“It can really fuck up sibling relationships.”
“I can imagine.I’m lucky that Colleen and I get along.We all lived together at my parents’ house for a good part of 2020 and the first half of 2021.”
Maddie shuddered.“That much time with my family?It would be my worst nightmare.”
“It was fine for us.We were all able to work from home, fortunately.I did the shopping, and we helped Colleen look after Ryder.Even though there were occasional issues, it was for the best.I know we were lucky.I’m sorry your family isn’t like mine.”
Maddie might be a sitcom star, but she had the same kind of problems that other people did.A little different, in some ways, but fundamentally the same.This conversation, for example, was awfully similar to some of the things that Devon had said over the years.
As Adrian sat with Maddie in the park, after a few beers with his friends, he couldn’t help thinking that maybe he could fit into her life.He hadn’t seen it as possible, had imagined she was too good for him, but when it came down to it, they were two people who got along and—
“So, you had a crush on me?”Maddie asked with a crooked smile.
Embarrassment took over his thoughts once more, but he tried not to let it show.The darkness worked to his advantage.
But he didn’t need to be embarrassed, right?It was a crush he’d had back in the day—she didn’t know any more than that.
Maybe he’d tell her, though.
He was just a guy, with a job that didn’t mean much to him and a family that did.Just a guy with an Instagram account dedicated to fried chicken.
But he was someone she could talk to, someone who could make her smile.In the park at night, with people laughing and chatting in the distance, it all seemed possible.
“I did,” he said.
Before he could add anything else, she asked, quietly, “What about now?”
It wasn’t like he’d never gotten over his childhood crush; he’d had modestly successful relationships in the intervening years, even if the last one had ended on a sour note.He’d occasionally wondered what Maddie was up to, but that was all.
Though he was spending time with her again, and…
“I want you now, too,” he said.
Chapter 8
I ask Maddie Ng a question that I’m sure has been on many people’s minds.“What was it like to kiss Ethan Park?”
She laughs.“No complaints, that’s all I’ll say.”
—Rosalind O,YYZist
Amonthago,Maddiehad sat across from Stephen freaking Colbert.It was still hard to believe, after all the time she’d spent watchingThe Colbert Reportin university.Naturally, she’d been nervous, especially since she knew tons of people would watch that interview, but she was used to dealing with nerves.
She’d kicked ass.
Yet as nervous as she’d been then, it hadn’t been as bad as when she’d asked Adrian that question, her voice shaking slightly.What about now?
When he confirmed what she’d secretly suspected, her heart bloomed with joy.
She shifted closer to him and leaned in, ever so slowly, savoring the anticipation.She slid her hand up the side of his face, her fingers in his hair, her thumb stroking his earlobe.
“Adrian,” she whispered.
