The Blind Date Series (Three Romance Stories: Blind Date, Role Play, Pure Fate)

by Violette Paradis

  “It’s going to suck knowing you’re so far away.”

  “I won’t be gone for long. We’ve only got four weeks of shooting in Hong Kong. Also, I’ll be back in LA next week for a couple of interviews to promote a film we shot last year.”

  “But then you’re going back to China?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  She laughed. “Unfortunately? I’d love to be there.”

  “Yeah, well I’d love to be with you.”

  There was silence on the other line. She was doing that blushing thing again, I could tell.

  “A week isn’t so far away,” she said.

  “It seems like a lifetime.”

  There was some giggling and hushed whispering in the background.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Oh, it’s just my friend Whitney.” She shushed someone who was giggling in the background.

  “You girls having fun?”

  “Of course.”

  “What are you two up to?”

  “We just finished our first class — acting.”

  “Oh yeah? How was it.”

  “It was fun. Oh! I just had an idea!”

  “What is it?”

  “My acting class requires everyone to do a piece in front of everyone next week. It can be a solo or group thing. Why don’t you join me and we can do something together? The class would freak out!”

  I thought about it. It did seem like something I would do. It would make Madison happy, and the exposure would travel through social media. It’d be good for both of us. “Okay, let’s do it. As long as I’m not too immersed in my James Pierce character by then.”

  She sighed. “Johnny.” Her voice was soft. “You don’t have to get lost in a character. How can you interview as yourself next week if you get lost in your character?”

  I nodded. “I’ll work on it. Listen, I have to go, I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “Okay. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  I hung up.

  She was right. I couldn’t work this way forever. I needed to slow down and learn how to get into and out of character, just like the other actors did. I needed to re-learn who Johnny Logan was. It wouldn’t be an easy task considering I had been playing different characters for over half my life.

  I sighed and looked out the window at the mountains passing by below. My phone rang again.

  “Hello?”

  “Johnny, you almost in Hong Kong?”

  It was my agent, Rob.

  “Hi Rob. Almost.”

  “Listen, I booked you some extra interviews for next week.”

  “How many?”

  “You’ve got one morning interview, two daytime ones, and two late night ones. In addition to those, you have four print interviews.”

  “Nine interviews in three days?”

  “Your new film is going to need some help if we want to compete against all those new superhero films.”

  “Alright, just send me the itinerary.”

  “I already did, it’s in your e-mail. You’ll be able to pull this off, right?”

  I pulled up my email on my tablet and looked at the jam-packed schedule. I thought about Madison and whether I’d get a chance to join her in class, let alone even get to see her.

  “Yeah I can do it.”

  “And Johnny, remember to be yourself.”

  I chuckled at the absurdity of it all. “I’ll try.”

  “Oh! And one last thing. It’ll really help the film if you let on that you’re dating Lucy.”

  “Lucy?”

  “Lucy Noble.”

  Lucy Noble was my co-star in the film we were advertising.

  “But I haven’t seen her since filming wrapped over six months ago!”

  “That’s fine, nobody will know. I just need you guys to have lunch together and be seen holding hands. Hell, you don’t even have to have lunch together, just walk out of a restaurant together.”

  “But we’re not dating.”

  “Don’t you think I know that? Just do it for the film. Interest will go up at least ten percent if the public thinks you two have something going on.”

  I rolled my eyes. Usually I was down for anything, but now that Madison and I were dating, this all seemed very bizarre.

  “Do I have to?”

  “Listen Johnny, advice like this is the reason you hired me. You don’t have to, but that money you’re wiring into my account won’t be buying you anything if you don’t. If you want this movie to take off…”

  “Okay, okay, I’ll do it.”

  The seatbelt sign lit up and I ended the call. Letting out a sigh, I turned off my tablet and looked out the window at the tall buildings of Hong Kong which grew taller as the plane got closer to the city. Leaning up against the window, I pulled up my phone and took another selfie.

  I hung up my phone excitedly.

  “He said he’d come!” I was sitting in the passenger seat of Whitney’s old van.

  “So I’ll be able to meet him again?” Whitney gripped my arm.

  “I hope so!”

  “This is so exciting. Johnny Logan will be in our acting class. People are gonna go insane!”

  “It’ll be fun.” I looked out the window, thinking about seeing Johnny again. I wondered which characters we’d become this time.

  “I’m so glad you’re in my acting class this semester. It’s a nice change from the chemistry and all that other crap.”

  I looked at my friend. “You know what? Me too. I never thought I’d enjoy acting, but here I am.”

  “Didn’t you like working on the special effects on Johnny’s movie?”

  “Of course! I learned a lot during my internship, but just because I’m taking a few acting classes doesn’t mean I’m not focusing on special effects either.”

  Whitney laughed. “Madi, you’re only taking two effects classes this semester.”

  “So? It’s not a bad thing if I want to try acting, is it?”

  She sighed. “I guess not. Just don’t steal my thunder, alright?”

  I laughed. “Never, I promise!”

  As Whitney focused on the road, she smiled wickedly. “It seems like this guy has really changed you.”

  “No he hasn’t.”

  Whitney raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Madi.”

  That look of hers and the way she said my name always got me. She always knew when I was hiding something.

  “There’s just something about him, Whit. He draws me in. He makes me want to invent other worlds and live in them for a while.” I sighed. “He’s so seductive and charming, it’s unfair.”

  “Just don’t get yourself into trouble, girl. I don’t want you taking this too far.”

  “Me neither,” I said. “I’ve been trying to keep things normal, but he just pulls you in with those plump lips and dark brown eyes.” I sighed. “Why me, Whitney?”

  “I’ve been asking myself that all summer,” Whitney mumbled.

  “Only one week,” I sang. “One week, one week.”

  Whitney looked over at me with a tired, annoyed look. “Yeah, yeah, you don’t have to rub it in.”

  The next week was a whirlwind as production moved me from scene to scene around downtown Hong Kong. At the end of each day I sat in my hotel room wondering how to shake off this shady character I was portraying day in, day out. I read a book about meditating as a way to distance myself from the day’s events, and it seemed to work…sometimes. I found winding down was easier with a glass of rum — James Pierce’s drink of choice.

  Making my way through the hotel, I went to the hotel bar. Jazz music played softly in the background. Sheila Shiner, my red-headed co-star, was already there having a drink.

  “Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Logan. Or should I say… Mr. Pierce?” There was a twinkle in her eye. She was one of those beautiful actresses who always seemed to be the most beautiful or influential person of the year.

  “Not today. I’m just Mr. Logan.”

 
“You know, Johnny, you surprise me.” She swiveled around on the bar stool to face me.

  “How so?”

  “I’ve just heard so much about you and I really thought you’d be one of those weird method actors who refused to talk to anyone on set, but you seem just as normal as the rest of them.”

  I laughed. “Do I?” The meditation must have been working. Any other time I would have been knee deep in the same shit my character’s got into. I took a swig of rum. The alcohol prickled my lips and burned as the spicy fluid trickled down my throat.

  “You know, the fact that you’re such a dynamic actor, it’s kind of a turn on.” She touched my knee. I raised my eyebrow and looked into her blue eyes. Sheila was someone I always respected, and she was gorgeous to boot.

  “I’m not as dynamic as you think I am.”

  “That’s not true. I’ve heard stories and I’ve been watching you on set.” She smiled lazily at me. The lights in the bar dimmed. Her hand slipped further up my thigh. “What do you say we see where this can go?” Her voice was low and seductive. I could smell the wine on her breath.

  I swallowed hard.

  James Pierce would have allowed her hand to move all the way up. James Pierce would have asked her what room number she was in. But I wasn’t James Pierce, not now. I couldn’t go through with this just for the sake of getting into character. The only character I had to build right now was my own — Johnny’s. And as Johnny, I was committed to Madison. I couldn’t get her off my mind. I looked at my watch. It was eleven at night here in Hong Kong, which meant it was eight in the morning in Los Angeles.

  I got up from my seat and took the last swig of my drink.

  “I have to go.”

  “So soon?” Sheila furrowed her brow and pouted her lip. In another lifetime, that might have been enough to tempt me, but tonight it was just a reminder of who I was…who Johnny was.

  I touched her chin.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I made my way towards the elevators. I felt her eyes on me the whole time.

  ***

  Once I was back in my hotel room, I turned on my laptop and sent a request to video chat with Madison. She answered after a few seconds. Her beautiful face popped up on my screen.

  “Hey there handsome,” she said. Hearing her voice was like a breath of fresh air. All the tension in my chest seemed to melt away.

  “Hey beautiful,” I said, smiling. The California sun lit up her gorgeous face.

  “Did you have a good day?”

  “It was a long one,” I said. “We shot three scenes today.”

  “That’s not bad.”

  “No, but one of them took six hours to get right.”

  “Ouch.”

  “This director likes things to be perfect. It’s tiring.”

  “At least you know the movie will be good.”

  “I just hope we get everything done in time for me to get back to LA for your class.”

  “You will.” She smiled. I didn’t know what it was, but everything she said and did put me at ease. There was no pressure to live up to a certain expectation. There was no hiding myself or tiptoeing around what she thought I should be.

  “I miss you,” I said. My own words surprised me. I never admitted something like that to anybody, especially a woman. Admitting feelings wasn’t a part of who I was, or at least, it never used to be.

  She laughed. “It’s only been a few days since I’ve seen you.”

  I stared at her. “Still, life is better when you’re around.”

  She smiled. “Well, it won’t be long.”

  “No, it won’t.”

  “Do you want to go over the scene for my class?”

  I pulled up the short script she sent me. It was no longer than a page.

  “This is very…”

  “Corny?” She added.

  I chuckled. “I wasn’t going to put it so bluntly, but, yes, corny.”

  The scene was a romantic one written in the 1800s. A man professes his love for the woman, who resists. The tension in the scene ramps up until the very end when the man proposes.

  “Are you sure you want to do this one in front of your classmates?” I asked.

  “I have no choice. We were given the scenes by the professor.”

  “Alright, let’s make some magic.” I fell into my lines, acting dramatically and over the top causing Madison to laugh.

  “Don’t do that! You’re making my stomach hurt.” The sound of her laughter was refreshing.

  “Fine, fine.” I re-read the lines, more seriously this time.

  “That’s perfect,” she said. Even though she was seven thousand miles away, she looked into my eyes like I was right in front of her. “Thank you for doing this with me.”

  I smiled. “It’s my pleasure.” I let out a strained yawn.

  “I’ll let you get to sleep.” She giggled. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “It’s a date.”

  “Dream about me, okay?” She kissed the screen before saying goodbye and logging out. The feed cut off and the screen went blank. I touched the screen where her lips kissed me before shutting off the laptop. I had to be awake in six hours to start another day of shooting.

  ***

  Apparently going against who I was turned out to be a huge turn on for most of the women on set. Normally, I scared women away with my method acting, but now that I was trying to stay more grounded, more like myself, strange things were happening. Women were taking an interest in me, even women I had scared off in the past. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. For the most part, I kept my head down and stayed out of trouble. It was easy when I had Madison to look forward to each night.

  Working sixteen hour days made the week go by quickly and soon I found myself on a plane back to California.

  “Remember,” Rob said as I called him to check in, “you’re dating Lucy.”

  “Oh, right.” I tried not to remember as I sat in first class and stared out the window, waiting to see the California coast.

  As I walked through the hallways to my acting class, I couldn’t help but feel anxious. Johnny hadn’t called me since he got off the plane. He said he’d be busy, but I wished he told me when he’d show up.

  I didn’t think I’d miss him as much as I did. Seeing him on our video chats was a nice way to pass the time, but it wasn’t the same. I wanted to smell his laundry fresh scent and lie in his strong arms. The deliciousness of his voice was lost in the transmission through cyberspace. For the past several days I had been counting down the minutes until I saw him.

  “Madison!” A male voice called out.

  Excited, I turned around, expecting to see Johnny, but instead I saw Carl, one of the guys from my special effects class last semester.

  “Oh, hi Carl.”

  “How are you?”

  “Good.” I kept walking towards my acting class.

  “I was wondering why you weren’t in Explosions 215 this semester.”

  “I decided to take a break from special effects and take a few acting classes instead.”

  He screwed up his face. “Why?”

  I shrugged. “That’s just what I’m interested in.”

  “But you’re so good at effects. Didn’t you have a big internship recently, working on the new Mike Shadow movie? You must have worked with the professionals!”

  I shifted my gaze towards him. “Yes…”

  “You should be in this class then! They’re not teaching it next year. You were the smartest person in Explosions 101. It would suck if you missed out this time around.”

  “You just want a smart partner who you can work on group projects with,” I joked, hoping to shift the focus off me and my decisions.

  He laughed. “You got me. But seriously, you should think about it. What are you taking instead?”

  I looked around, hoping for an excuse to end the conversation but I found none. “Acting,” I said. I cringed knowing I sounded like one of those star
struck girls in Hollywood who think they have a chance of being the next Lucy Noble or Sheila Shiner. Honestly, I had a better chance of winning the lottery.

  “Acting?” Carl screwed up his face. “But you’re an explosions girl!”

  “Am I?” I asked, a little too aggressively because Carl jumped back. He put up his hands in defense.

  “I’m just saying, you got the internship of a lifetime! It’d be a shame to let your knowledge go to waste.” The bell rang. “I’m just saying, you should think about it. Hopefully I’ll see you later.” He pulled away into a classroom where I recognized other students from previous special effects classes.

  My jaw was tense from Carl’s reaction. How could he be so rude? How dare he tell me what he thought was right for me! I’m pretty sure I knew myself enough to know what I wanted.

  I looked into the effects class one last time. A part of me wished I was in there, especially after all I learned during the summer, but I was happy with my decision. I sighed in frustration.

  Johnny, I thought. I balled my fingers into fists as I ran to acting class. Where was he?

  I sat in interview after interview, with different people asking me the same mundane questions.

  “Was it fun filming in Egypt?”

  “How did you get involved in this project?”

  “What’s it like being a method actor?”

  That was probably the hardest question to answer since I was trying to distance myself from the method.

  “It can get lonely,” I admitted. “Nobody around you understands what it’s like to become a character and stay in that world for days, weeks, even months on end.” Nobody but Madison, I thought. “And when you become yourself again, it’s like you’ve gone on a long vacation and everyone around you has moved on without you.”

  “And what if you’re like, filming a historical movie?” One interviewer asked. “Do you still use modern toilets? Or like, microwaves?”

  I let out a sigh. “If you’ve ever looked over my filmography you’ll notice that I’ve never actually filmed a historical movie.” As I said it, I realized I had been avoiding them for that exact reason. Maybe now that I was trying to stop method acting, I could take on a historical film.

  I kept looking at my watch, wondering when all the questions would be over, but every time one interviewer was done, another popped up in his place. Madison’s acting class was coming up soon and I had no way to tell her if I’d make it on time or not.