by Alexa Land
Riley exclaimed, “Well, you have to make him listen!”
“I know, so I need to catch him before he flies back home. Do either of you know if there’s an airport nearby? Not the one in Santa Rosa, but a small one for private planes?”
Harper pulled out his phone and did a quick search, then said, “There’s an airport like that about two miles south of Mendocino, in a town called Little River.”
I asked Riley, “Can you drive me? We need to get there as fast as we can.”
The three of us began running toward the parking lot, and Riley said, “I’m happy to drive you, but my rusty old VW Bug barely goes above sixty.”
“Screw that,” Harper said. “I’m driving.” When he pulled a key fob from his pocket and pressed a button, a sleek, metallic blue convertible lit up, and the roof started to retract automatically.
I asked him, “Are you sure? You barely know me, and this isn’t your problem.”
He grinned at me as he got behind the wheel and started the ignition. “I live for romantic shit like this. Get in, both of you.”
The car was a two-seater, so Riley and I crammed ourselves into the passenger seat and I stretched the seatbelt around both of us. I’d barely clicked it shut before Harper took off like a shot, kicking up a cloud of dust behind us as we left the dirt lot. Riley yelled over the rushing wind, “Just wait until I tell my friends I went on a high-speed chase with Harper Royce in his Tesla Roadster!”
The car was alarmingly fast. Fortunately, Harper slowed down when we drove through town, but then he opened it up again when we were back on the highway. It felt like we reached the airport in about two minutes.
The tiny airport was deserted. Several planes were parked in two rows under a yellowish security light, and as we walked onto the tarmac, Harper asked, “Are any of those his?”
I stared at the planes for a long moment before admitting, “I have no idea. He flies a Cessna, and they all look alike to me. If he beat us here by ten or fifteen minutes, he’d still be doing his preflight check, so I guess we got here first. I’m going to wait and see if he shows up, so you two can take off if you want.”
“No chance,” Harper said, as he sat down on a bench behind a small lobby. “I need to know what happens.”
“So do I,” Riley said, and we sat down, too. After a moment, he asked, “Do you want to try calling him?”
“No. This needs to be face-to-face.”
Riley bumped my arm with his and told me, “It’s going to be alright, Will. I’m sure you can make him listen to you.” I hoped he was right.
Harper asked, “Did you know he was coming to see you?”
“No. I spoke to him on the phone this morning, right after Lang told us to take that twenty-minute break, and I was so upset. I told Lorenzo I wished he was here, and I guess that was enough for him to drop everything and fly five hundred miles to make sure I was okay.”
“He sounds like an amazing man,” Harper said.
“He is. He’s also one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I always wanted it to be more than a friendship, and that was just starting to happen. If I blew it, I’ll never forgive myself.”
“You didn’t,” Harper insisted. “I’ll vouch for you. It wasn’t like you just randomly decided to start making out with me. This guy has to understand that.”
I wrapped my arms around myself and stared out at the planes. “It’s already a stretch to think someone like him would even want to be with someone like me. Maybe that’s why I feel like it wouldn’t take much for him to change his mind about us.”
Riley frowned at me. “Someone like you? You’re a total catch, Will.”
I muttered, “I bet you wouldn’t say that if you knew about my past.”
Riley’s frown deepened. “I made so many horrible mistakes in the past that I don’t even know how I’m still alive. But we grow and learn, and we move on. I know you’ve done that too, because look where you are in life! I say fuck the past, and fuck anyone who’d hold it against you.”
Harper chimed in, “If this Lorenzo person really is your friend, and if he’s a great guy like you say he is, then maybe none of this is even an issue. Maybe it’s just about believing you’re worthy of this man and forgiving yourself for past mistakes.”
Riley leaned forward so he could look around me and told Harper, “That’s really insightful.”
“Thank you.”
After a minute, I said, “Maybe I should call Phoenix, in case he knows where Lorenzo went. Can I borrow someone’s phone? I misplaced mine.”
“You should use Riley’s,” Harper said. “If Phoenix sees my name on his caller I.D., he’ll never pick up.”
Riley dialed Phoenix’s number for me and handed over the phone, and Phoenix answered on the second ring. “Hey, this is Will,” I said. “I heard Lorenzo came to the set this afternoon, and I’m worried he saw Harper and me together and got the wrong impression. Do you happen to know where he went?”
Instead of answering, he said, “Come home, Will. To the rental, I mean.”
“Does that mean you know where he is?”
“Just come home. You’ll be happy when you do.”
“Alright. I’ll be there soon.”
After I disconnected, I told my companions, “I’ve been told to go to my rental. I hope that means Lorenzo’s there.” I gave back the phone, then turned to Harper and said, “I’m sorry about our plans. Maybe we can meet on set early tomorrow and run our lines.”
“Sure, let’s do that,” he said, as he got to his feet. “I’ll meet you in hair and makeup half an hour before our call time, and no worries about tonight. I hope you get things straightened out with this guy.”
Chapter 9
Harper was nice enough to drive us to the beach house, and after Riley and I got out of the convertible I asked him, “Would you like to come inside?”
He gestured past me and said, “Since that’s Phoenix’s SUV, I think it’s best if I don’t. See you both tomorrow.”
After he drove off, Riley and I started walking up to the house. But we were intercepted by Phoenix, who smiled at me before grasping Riley’s shoulders and spinning him around again. As he ushered Riley to the Bronco, my assistant told me, “Your cat’s been brushed, walked, and fed. Last time I saw her, which was five minutes ago, she was getting comfortable on the center of my bed. Riley and I will be back late. Have a good night, Will.”
“You’re acting very strange.”
“I know. All will be revealed as soon as you walk into the kitchen, though.” He turned back to me and asked, “By the way, did you lose your phone? I left you a bunch of messages.”
“It’s in the trailer, but I’m not sure where exactly.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find it,” he said, as he pushed his friend toward the passenger door.
Riley waved and called, “I’ll see you later. I hope it all works out,” before climbing into the Ford. The two of them drove off moments later.
As soon as I went inside, a smile spread across my face. There was only one person I knew who enjoyed the upbeat old-school hip-hop that was currently playing on the built-in sound system. I cut through the living room, and my smile got even wider when I spotted Lorenzo chopping vegetables at the kitchen counter.
He smiled too when he saw me and poured two glasses of red wine as he said, “Welcome home. I’ve started making dinner, but it’s going to take some time. Phoenix volunteered to pick up some groceries for me when I told him I was coming to see you, which I thought was awfully nice of him.”
“I heard you were on set. When I couldn’t find you, I thought you might have seen Harper Royce and me trying to get comfortable with each other before tomorrow’s love scene and reached the wrong conclusion.”
“I saw the two of you together, but I absolutely knew for a fact you weren’t cheating on me, if that’s what you mean. You just wouldn’t do that.”
“You’re right, I never would. But given what you’d told me abo
ut your last relationship, I thought you might be quick to assume the worst.”
“Seeing you with Royce actually reminded me just how much I trust you. It’s pretty remarkable, because like I said before, I’ve always had a hard time trusting people.”
I couldn’t keep the emotion out of my voice when I said, “I was so scared. I thought I might have lost you.”
He stepped around the kitchen island and took me in his arms as he asked, “Why would you think that?”
“Because you left without saying anything, and I knew how that must have looked.”
“I was jealous, so I decided to leave before I picked a fight and punched that guy in the face.”
“But if you trust me, why were you jealous?”
“Just because I trust you doesn’t mean I trust Royce. And I know I’m not being rational, but sometimes there’s no reasoning with my inner caveman,” he said. “By the way, I sent you a text letting you know Phoenix was driving me here, but you didn’t respond.”
“My phone’s missing. It’s probably in the trailer’s couch, now that I think about it. That’s where I was when I called you this morning.”
Lorenzo brushed my hair from my eyes and said, “You sounded so upset.”
“My day got off to a rough start.” I looked up at him and traced his jawline as I asked, “Did you fly five hundred miles just because I said I wished you were here?”
“In part, but I also did it because I missed you. I know you’re really busy and this is the most important job of your career, but I had to come see you, even if it was just for a couple of hours.”
“Please don’t turn around and leave again. I want you to stay as long as you can.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a distraction, and I really don’t want you to feel obligated to spend time with me when you need to give this film your undivided attention.”
“The job doesn’t take twenty-four hours a day, and I should have asked you to come with me in the first place,” I said, as I ran my hands over his shoulders. “I’ve been enjoying our nightly video dates, but not being able to touch you has been torture.”
He kissed me tenderly, and then he rested his forehead against mine and murmured, “All I’ve done over the past few days is think about you. There’s been a huge void in my life since you took off.”
He kissed me again, but then I pulled back and asked, “Is something burning?”
Lorenzo dashed around the island and used a towel to pull a sheet pan from the oven. After he gingerly unwrapped a foil packet, he said, “The burning smell was just a little olive oil that had leaked out. I’m roasting garlic.”
I joined him at the stove as he turned his attention to an enormous stock pot. “Is that going to be homemade marinara sauce?” He nodded, and I asked, “How many people are you planning to feed, exactly?”
“It’ll cook down a lot, but my plan was to feed you a nice dinner and then stuff your freezer with lots of good food before going back to Catalina. Now it looks like I’ll be staying and helping you eat it.”
After he fussed with the sauce and threw in a few dried herbs, we took our wine to the living room. He sat down on the sofa, and I hesitated before asking, “Would you hold me? Just for a few minutes.” I hated how needy that sounded, but at the same time I wanted it more than anything.
“You don’t even have to ask.”
I slipped off my shoes and jacket, and then I climbed onto his lap and put my arms around him. As I buried my face in his shoulder, I whispered, “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
He kissed the top of my head and held me securely. After a while, I grinned and said, “I don’t understand your taste in music. It seems entirely unlike you.”
“That’s because you’ve only known me for the past year. I used to be a much different person.” Before losing Javier. He didn’t say it, but I knew that was what he meant.
“What were you like?”
“I guess I was just…lighter. I didn’t take things so seriously, and life seemed uncomplicated.”
I said, “So, that’s how you were able to tolerate the party-boy roommate in West Hollywood.”
“Mostly. He’d bring home a different guy literally every night, and that got on my nerves. In retrospect though, I think I was just jealous that he was so free and open with his sexuality.”
“And you weren’t?”
He shook his head. “Not even a little. It took a crush on my best friend Ren to finally admit to myself I was bisexual. Even then, I didn’t act on it until much later, when I met Javier.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“In part, it was a question of self-acceptance. I thought I knew who I was, and changing that definition wasn’t easy. But there was also the fear of losing the love of my big Catholic family.”
I asked, “What happened when you finally came out?”
“My aunts and uncles and both of my brothers stopped speaking to me, but several of my cousins were okay with it. My mother was somewhere in the middle.”
“You never talk about her.”
“It’s a sore subject,” he said. “We used to be close, but our relationship changed after I came out. She didn’t disown me, but she also couldn’t quite accept the idea of me dating men, so things have been awkward between us ever since.”
“Did she ever meet Javier?”
He shook his head. “I asked her repeatedly to come visit us in Mexico City. I even offered to buy her a plane ticket and put her up in a nice hotel if she didn’t want to stay with us, but she always made excuses. I also asked Javier to come with me to Florida so we could visit her, but he totally refused. He was so stubborn. He said he wasn’t going to travel all that way to meet someone who didn’t wholeheartedly accept him.”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
“It’s been three years, and I feel guilty about that. At first, it was because Javier was sick and I had to take care of him. Then when he died, I just couldn’t face seeing her. It was already too much to process without adding her disapproval to the mix. We do talk on the phone once a month or so, but it’s very superficial.”
“What part of Florida is she in?”
“Tallahassee. She remarried six months after my dad died and left L.A. with her new husband. He owns a regional chain of restaurants on the panhandle.”
“You know, Tallahassee’s only a day’s drive from northern Louisiana. When I go to visit my parents next month, you should come along, and we can do a side trip to see your mom.”
“Would you really want me to tag along when you visit your parents?”
“I was going to invite you anyway,” I said. “I’d love to show you where I grew up, and it’d be great to have a friend along. As much as I love my mom and dad, they make me crazy sometimes.”
He grinned at me. “So, you want me along as a buffer.”
“Yup.”
“I’d love to see where you grew up, so count me in.”
“Great! I’ll buy us plane tickets, since I’m assuming you wouldn’t want to fly your Cessna all the way across the country.”
“Yeah, that’s a bit far. We’ll get there in a fraction of the time on a commercial jet.” I nodded at that and climbed off his lap, and he asked, “Where are you going?”
“You’ve probably lost all feeling in your legs, so I’m getting off you. Plus, I’m hungry and want a snack.”
He jumped up too and took my hand, and as he led me to the kitchen he said, “You weren’t heavy at all, but it’s great that you want to eat. I’m planning to put together a nice antipasto tray with a lot of your favorite things.”
As I helped Lorenzo load up a platter with cheeses, pickled vegetables, crunchy breadsticks, and olives, I said, “You know, you have a weird thing about wanting to feed me.”
He glanced at me and asked, “Is it obnoxious? I don’t mean it to be.”
“Actually, it’s sweet. I just have to wonder what’s behind it.”
He stopped what he was doing and turned to me. “I get that dieting is part of your job—you feel you have to look a certain way to land roles. But I think sometimes you deny yourself things you really want to eat as a way of punishing yourself.”
I said, “You’re right. I definitely do that.”
“Am I doing the wrong thing when I try to get you to eat?”
“That’s not what you do. You just make sure I have options available, in case I want them. If you were actually trying to make me eat or making me feel bad about it, it would be obnoxious. I’ve had first-hand experience with that.”
“Do your parents do that to you?”
I nodded. “They mean well, but they just don’t understand that it goes deeper than wanting to be thin. But then, why would they? I barely understand it myself.”
When we finished assembling the platter, we took it to the living room and grazed on it for a while. Then Lorenzo gestured at some papers on the table and asked, “Is that the script?”
“Part of it. Technically, those are the sides for this week.”
“What’s that?”
“A production assistant assembles a packet for each actor of our upcoming scenes, so we can prepare without wading through the entire script.”
“Can I take a look?”
“Sure. The second packet is the love scene I’m shooting tomorrow.”
He picked it up and flipped through it, and then he asked, “Would you like to run your lines?”
“That’d be great, if you don’t think it’d be boring for you.”
“Actually, it sounds like fun.”
We both stood up, and he read Liam’s lines while I recited Alex’s. When we reached the part where the characters kissed, he said, “I know acting is hardly my area of expertise, but can I give you a piece of advice?”
“Go right ahead.”
“I saw you and Royce rehearsing your kiss, and you really shouldn’t do it that way. You should do it like this.”
He dropped the pages onto the coffee table, and then he pulled me to him and kissed me with so much fire and intensity that it made my head spin. He flashed me a mischievous grin when he broke the kiss, and I smiled at him and murmured, “Good advice.”
