Page 36 of The Dramatic Life of Jonah Penrose
Jonah stood from the chair in front of the mirror and went to the rack with his costumes. “No. Not really. He left me for the guy he was cheating on me with, and now it seems he wants to see me again while also seeing him.” His words came out as bitter as he intended. “I swear to God, I’m done with men. All the good ones are gone.”
Sherrie stepped by his side and rested her head on his shoulder. “Maybe we should just marry each other. We could get a dog and a hamster and live happily ever after? A sexless marriage, of course, but sometimes I think sex is overrated.”
“I don’t.” He pulled his first costume from the hanger. “I think that’s the problem.”
“You need some hanky-panky.”
Jonah laughed and moved from her so he could take his top off and drape it over the back of his chair. “Has the old woman who sometimes possesses Bastien moved onto you?”
“Oh, shut up.” She smiled. “Let me set you up with someone. Please? I have a friend who is also recently single, and he’s cute as fuck and would totally be up for a date.”
“Maybe,” he said, despite the little voice in his head screaming at him, telling him it was a bad idea, and the even smaller voice whispering Dexter’s name that he did his best to stamp out. “Let me think about it.”
Edward stood by the wall opposite the stage door. Jonah saw him as soon as he stepped outside, his body tensing, breath staggering in his throat. He looked... rugged, a vibe he never really went for before; he needed a shave, the stubble he sometimes had now a full-on beard. It didn’t suit him. He locked eyes with Jonah, and Jonah, much to his surprise, didn’t feel weak at the knees like he used to whenever Edward’s eyes found his. Instead, he gave his undivided attention to the people waiting forautographs and photos, taking longer than he usually would with them, talking with them, listening to them speak about the show and how much it meant to them. The interactions were humbling, and he decided he would try to stay as long as possible in the future; they loved the show as much as he did. Eventually he ran out of programs to sign and he ended up face-to-face with Edward, who smiled at him then pulled out a program from inside his jacket.
“Can I get a signature?” he asked, voice low and quiet. It used to be seductive. “You were amazing tonight.”
Jonah gently placed his hand on Edward’s arm and guided him away from the line by the door, not wanting to be overheard. “You came to the show?”
“You’ve been ignoring my texts. I was worried you were sick or something.”
“Why are you worrying about me? We aren’t anything to each other anymore,” Jonah said, looking over his shoulder to see Bastien watching them with a grim expression. “You need to leave me alone.”
“I love you, Jonah,” Edward said. “I love you. I was an idiot. I didn’t know what I had till I messed everything up, and I’m regretting it. Please forgive me? We can make this work. We were good together, weren’t we?”
If Edward presented him with this speech a week after their breakup, Jonah would have probably believed every word and gone home with him. Now, though, he saw a man who wanted the world despite not deserving it. The definition of having his cake and eating it too. Whatever that meant.
“We weren’t good together, or you wouldn’t have cheated on me,” Jonah spoke under his breath, knowing a few wandering eyes were caught on the two of them. “I can’t believe you thought me ignoring your messages meant you could come to my work. It’s out of order, Edward.”
“Have you met someone else, is that it?” Edward asked, his voice rising as Jonah’s fell.
“You know what, Edward?” Jonah took a step back from him. “If I had met someone else, it’s none of your business. You need to stop contacting me, and you can’t come here again.”
Edward opened his mouth to say something else, but Bastien stepped forward with a member of the security team, Matt, beside him. “Everything all right here?” Matt asked, sounding like he belonged on a long-running daytime TV police drama. “Jonah?”
“Yeah. Thanks, Matt. He’s now going.” Jonah gave Edward a pointed look, his lips pressed in a firm line.
Edward scoffed and shook his head. “Wow. Security? Really? Don’t be like this, Jonah, come with me and get a drink and let’s talk about this.”
“Actually,” Bastien said, stepping between them. “I think I heard him tell you to leave him alone. In what universe does that translate to going to get a drink?”
Edward looked between them and raised an eyebrow before a strange look of recognition passed across his features. “Oh. So, it’s him, is it?”
“What?” Jonah asked.
“You’re with him?” Edward waved a nonchalant hand toward Bastien. “Well, I hope you’re happy. But it’s fucking hypocritical of you to get angry with me when clearly something’s been going on with you two for months.”
Jonah opened his mouth and closed it again several times, doing his best impression of a goldfish before answering. “Fuck off, Edward.”
Bastien raised his middle finger as Edward looked at him. His bravery was something Jonah could only marvel at, though it might have come from having the six-foot-five Matt standing behind him. Edward seemed pensive, as if he wanted to say more but thought against it. Jonah watched as he walked away, a churning feeling in the pit of his stomach. Matt placed a sturdy hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, mate, you okay?” he asked.
“Fine,” Jonah whispered.
“Come on,” Bastien said. “Come stay at mine tonight. Don’t go home alone, in case that creep decides to haunt your house or something.” He winked at Matt. “My hero,” he cooed. “Thanks, babe.” Matt shot him a grin then went back over to the stage door.
“You don’t have to take me back to yours,” Jonah said.
