Page 26 of Take It Till You Make It
My heart expands like her words are nourishment. “I miss you too. I’ve been second-guessing why I ever thought this was a good idea.”
“Because you’re going to be a movie star, stupid! That’s why it was agreatidea.”
I want to tell her how lonely I feel, but it’s so good to talk to her, I don’t want to scare her away and bring her down by complaining.
“How’s Crispin Moore?” She makes his last name sound like there are twice as many “o’s” than there are.
“That’s why I called, actually. Something happened on set yesterday, and now I’m confused and nervous about seeing him.”
“Ooo, what happened?”
I tell her about how he was suddenly treating me nice instead of being a jerk. Then I explain the photoshoot, finishing with the details of his and my spontaneous shoot.
“People were actually standing around watching?” she asks when I’m done.
“Yeah. And they were making noises like we were a fireworks show. Ooo, aah, wow.”
“That sounds hot. I don’t understand the problem.”
“Well, now I have to go back to the film where I’m playing a thirteen-year-old kid who doesn’t necessarily like him. I mean, how do I not look at him like the hot piece of man meat he is?”
Glory snorts. “Um, first of all, ew. Man meat, Ari? That is so not sexy. Second, you are an actor. You can ogle him all you want when the cameras aren’t on, and just switch to non-ogle mode when they call action.”
“Oh, you’re so right.” Tension seeps away, leaving my shoulders relaxed. “Wow, I’m so glad I called you.”
“You should call me on your way to work every day. I’m always home at this gross hour of the morning. I got a job at the movie theater, but I mostly work at night. They aren’t even open this early.”
“You’re a working girl now? My little Glory is growing up. Do you like it?”
“I totally hate it. I come home smelling like butter and failure, but it keeps my mind off missing you.”
“I hate being away from you, Glory. You have no idea.”
“I think I do.”
But I know she doesn’t. She’s still surrounded by the people she knows. She still goes to our favorite places. How can she possibly understand what it’s like to be two thousand miles from everything you’re familiar and comfortable with? But that’s a conversation for another day.
“Tell me who you work with,” I say.
We spend the rest of my commute catching up, only saying goodbye as I wave to the gate guard when I pull into the lot.
I walk into makeup feeling lighter than I have since I got to California.
“I know what that smile’s all about,” Remi says, as she twirls the chair around and invites me to sit.
“You do?” It’s literally impossible for her to know.
“I heard about the sparks flying at the photoshoot yesterday.”
Surprised, I push back in my chair like she literally shocked me. “What did you hear?”
“That there were sparks. Lots and lots of them. Between you and a certain young man.”
Interesting. But I have no idea how to respond, so I shrug.
She twirls me to face the mirror and shakes out the hairdresser’s cape. It floats down over me, the featherlight material brushing my skin as it settles.
Her deep chuckle sounds conspiratorial. “No comment?”
