Page 14 of The Dramatic Life of Jonah Penrose
“When you sang ‘The Melody of Achilles and Patroclus’ I cried.”
“Would it be okay to get a picture of both of you, please?”
Jonah noticed Dexter beside him, only to see him nodding enthusiastically. The girl who asked nestled between them while her friend took a photo, then they switched places so another photo could be taken.
“Thank you,” the first girl said. “And, I hope it’s okay to say, but this is my ninth time coming and tonight was my favorite. You guys as Achilles and Patroclus were absolutely perfect.”
“That’s so kind of you,” Jonah said, as Dexter allowed a blush to spread over his cheeks. “Dexter did a great job, didn’t he? Hardly any mistakes.” He felt Dexter’s eyes burning into the back of his head. “You’ll come back and see him as Hector, right?”
“We’ve got tickets for the first performance,” she replied enthusiastically before moving aside to let them sign more programs.
Other cast members were filtering through the crowd as Jonah finally reached the end of the line, and he saw Omari waiting for him. The taller man pulled Jonah into a one-armed hug, then lightly kissed his cheek.
“Fabulous tonight as always, my love,” he said. “I’m going to a dance workshop tomorrow morning if you fancy it?”
“Where do you get the energy?” Jonah smiled at him.
“If you took the vitamins I told you about and ate the food from that list I sent you, you would have more energy to be like me,” he replied seriously.
“I wasn’t expecting you to actually have an answer for that, you know.”
“I have an answer for everything.”
“I know.”
Omari smirked at him. “See you tomorrow. Don’t stay up late eating ice cream and crying, okay?”
Jonah narrowed his eyes at him. “I don’t stay up late eating ice cream and crying.”
Omari cocked his head to the side then patted Jonah condescendingly on the head. “Good. Ice cream gives you mucus.”
Jonah watched as Omari lost himself in the crowd, and when Jonah could no longer see him, he pulled his headphones out of his bag and placed them over his head. Usually fans, if he could call them that without sounding terribly pretentious, respected their space when it came to the stage door. If an actor skirted away quickly, they left them alone, and the unspoken rule of someone wearing headphones meant they no longer wanted to be disturbed. That night, however, a man grabbedJonah’s shoulder as he tried to walk away, the soothing sounds of Efterklang already floating in his ears, and pulled him back hard enough for Jonah to stumble slightly. The man’s fingers dug into his shoulder blade, possessive, righteous, as if Jonah owed him something.
“Hey!” the man said, voice so loud Jonah could hear it over his music. “Let’s have a photo, mate!” He wrapped his arm around Jonah’s shoulder and held his phone out to take a selfie as Jonah blinked in confusion. He didn’t smile; he didn’t have a chance to even register what was happening, let alone slap on a look of happiness.
“Thanks, man,” the stranger said, clapping him on the shoulder as he let him go then lost himself in the crowds of Shaftesbury Avenue. Jonah watched after him, unsure of what exactly just happened and why he couldn’t help but feel slightly taken for granted in the situation. He stood dumbfounded, his heart racing at being caught off guard. Sherrie made her way toward him, pushing through the crowd by the theatre, pink crimped hair bouncing as she walked.
“You okay?” she asked as he took his headphones off. “I saw that, what a dick. Some people have no respect for others, huh?”
“I’m fine,” he said, but the way his knuckles were turning white from how tightly he gripped the headphones told another story.
“You sure?” Her eyes scanned his face, looking for signs of distress, but she found none. When Jonah nodded, she cleared her throat and her lips stretched into a smile. “Um, while I’ve caught you, it’s my birthday Sunday, so I’m arranging drinks for after the show Saturday. You in?”
“Oh, yeah, of course, sounds good.”
“I’ve invited the new cast.” A shy smile tugged at her lips. “Including Romana.”
“Oh?” Jonah thought back to the day he met the cast for the new photos and recalled the woman with the long hair Sherrie was blushing at while adjusting her hemline.
“I might have... you know... been slowly seducing her.”
“Of course you have.”
“You know me, babe, can’t be waiting around for love to come my way.” She paused. “I’ve also invited Dexter,” she said. “I hope that’s okay.I’m getting the impression you two aren’t fond of each other despite the rather hot making out onstage tonight.”
Jonah shrugged. “No, it’s fine. I mean, he’s fine, we’re fine. Um, yeah, Saturday night, sounds good.” He forced a smile. “See you later, yeah?”
Sherrie leaned forward and pressed a cotton candy pink kiss to his cheek. “Love you, darling, get home safe!”
