"Looking good, X," I encourage the younger man as he practices the two moves I'd taught him on Saturday.
We've both worked up a sweat, and there's a class starting in about ten minutes.
"Dude, I don't know if I'm ready for a class. This shit is hard. I'm drenched after just 30 minutes," Xavier can't seem to draw in a breath. "Are you trying to kill me as revenge for something I said 9 months ago during filming?"
I laugh, clapping the younger man on the back, "You can do this. The classes are fun."
A little over an hour later, Xavier is bent over at the waist, sucking air in as though he's summiting Mt. Everest.
Me? I am laughing uproariously, pulling my protégé along to the dressing rooms.
"Come on, X. Let's get you a shower."
Later, when Xavier is pulling on his socks, I sit next to him. "So anything you want to talk about?"
Xavier looks around the room, but there's no one else near us. Glancing down at the floor, he debates, but it seems he decides to trust me. "Did Minnie tell you about Lester?" he asks quietly.
"Lester?" I'm confused, having no idea who Lester could be.
But X is nodding, "Yeah. Lester Arthur. The sound technician who...."
When Xavier's voice trails off, I finish the sentence, "Who abused you?" For awhile, I'd suspected he'd been abused, and Minnie had given me broad strokes of their interaction at the interview on Sunday.
The younger man's eyes fill up, and he agrees, "She told you?"
"Actually, Minnie didn't tell me the guy's name. Lester Arthur, you say?" Internally, I snort. The creep has two first names. How hilariously dorky is that? No wonder he has to take his frustration out on kids. He's likely trying to get revenge for his name.
"Yeah." He clears his throat, leaning towards me, "He was the sound tech on 'Family Lies', and the first time he smacked me, I thought it was an accident. I looked around, waiting for someone to stop him. Or say something. Or protect me, you know? I mean, I was like 14, Harry. Fourteen!"
Sadly, this is not the first story I've heard of young actors and musicians being physically abused or mistreated in one way or another. Trying to channel Minnie, I put my chin in my hand and keep my mouth shut. Of course, my mum does that trick too. And it usually works. Today is no exception so maybe Minnie and Anne with an "e" are onto something?
"But when it became a pattern, and no one said a word, I realized that I was just a brat in their minds. Like I didn't have rights. People on the crew felt like they could treat me how they wanted because I was the 'naughty one'. I swear, that's what I was called. Go read my press from those days. 'The naughty one' is mentioned in like half of the articles about me, mixed in with comments about how talented I am." He's getting heated thinking about it, and the thought that comes to me is simple: GOOD! He deserves to be pissed about this situation. It was unfair.
Smacking his shoes on the concrete floor, he starts to slide his feet into them, lacing them up silently. I sense there's more to the story, though, so I remain silent, waiting patiently as he angrily ties his shoes, then stands up abruptly and stalks to his locker. Grabbing his light jacket, his shoulders droop before he turns to me.
"Finally it got to the point where I just decided to give them what they expected. They wanted me to be the naughty one, so I became the wild child. The bad seed. Their worst nightmare." He shrugs, and I think he's finally done with his confession to me.
Dejected, he sinks onto the bench next to me again, "The thing is, H.....there's nobody to protect new kids in Hollywood. If you haven't grown up around the business, nobody is watching out for you. I needed a proper manager or something. But we couldn't afford it, and my mom kept saying she could do it."
He swallows and looks away, and I can tell he's disappointed in his mother while still wanting to protect her.
"Yeah. I had some issues my first few years in One Direction too. Nothing as drastic as physical abuse, but I do wish someone had been there to advocate for me," I reveal, standing up. "What are you going to do about this Lester Arthur?"
Rising from the bench, Xavier shrugs, "Minnie says I should sue him, but I don't know if that's the right play. Mostly, I suppose I should do something so he doesn't hurt other kids."
"You should listen to Minnie," I gesture towards the door, and we exit together. The conversation starts my wheels turning. He has a point about new kids who come to Hollywood and don't have money to get quality managers right away. But there really isn't anything I can do about that.
The kid should definitely sue though. Make Lester Arthur pay. Get the word out there about the sound technician. It's one way to protect other kids.
==========
Minnie wanders Harry's LA house, feeling lost. Daisy loves being able to play outdoors where she can see the sky and smell the fresh air. Something has changed about her human, as she seems sad and lost. She wonders if perhaps she has two humans now with that other one around all the time. When she had been in her bed last night, the howling she heard scared her. Her owner had sent her back to her bed, but she only went reluctantly. Those were some strange noises.
Sitting on the patio furniture, Minnie puts her feet up and her head back, soaking in the sun. Despite having her own clothes around, she's chosen to wear nothing more than a pair of Harry's briefs and another of his t-shirts. This time it's one of her favorite bands from when she was a kid: Hanson. The brothers used to make her smile with their hit "Mmmbop", and wearing their faces on her chest makes her feel nostalgic. And oddly safe.
Closing her eyes, she smiles when Daisy jumps into her lap. Petting her, Minnie talks to her friend, "Hey, girl. I'm so glad you're home with me where you belong. Even though it's Harry's house." She giggles at the unintended pun.
The dog shifts her head so that Minnie is forced to rub behind her ears. "I don't know what to do, Daisy. This job -- I'm afraid it's broken me this time. But it's all I know how to do. And it makes me enough money that I can be self-sustainable."
"I gotta tell you, though..." At this, Daisy lifts her head and licks Minnie's face. "I might be content just being Harry's woman. Cooking. Cleaning. Fucking. Having babies. I think I could make him happy."
Minnie sighs, and Daisy does too, settling back on her human's lap to get more pats. Heaven has arrived.
=============
Holding Titus' hand, Meg approaches Xavier's door just after 11:30. She doesn't know why nerves are eating at her stomach lining. She knows X, and he's a good guy. So why the anxiety?
He opens the door before she finishes knocking, sweeping his hand to invite them inside. "Hey, tiger! How are you?" He asks Titus.
"I not ti-er. I LION!" the three year old giggles, "ROAR!" He pretends to hold up his claws and gnash his teeth.
Xavier pretends to be scared, putting his hands up and then jumping in front of Meg, "Don't worry, dear maiden! I shall protect you from the scary lion! Who is probably hungry. And wants the McDonald's that's on the table."
Titus moves from trying to attack Xavier with his play creature of the Serengeti to jumping up and down clapping his hands. Xavier laughs and points the boy towards the table. Meg yells, "Wash your hands first!"
Titus screeches to a halt, his head swiveling frantically in his attempt to find a sink. Lifting him to the kitchen faucet, Xavier helps the boy add soap to his hands and wash them in the warm water before helping dry them. Titus pats his hands twice on the towel and then rubs them on his pants. Meg rolls her eyes, laughing.
"Here you go, baby boy," she says, helping him into the chair. He can't quite reach the table. Xavier watches him trying to reach his nuggets and looks around the kitchen. Not able to find anything that might serve as a booster, he decides to fix the problem in a different way. Picking Titus up, Xavier sits down in the chair, putting the child on his lap. Now both men can reach their food.
Meg smiles. How had it occurred to Xavier that Titus needed a boost? And then to become the booster for him? Her heart cannot take much more of the interactions between these two. It's just.... Even her father doesn't notice Titus' needs like Xavier just did.
Running her hand over Xavier's shoulder blades as she passes behind him is her way of telling him she's grateful. He smiles at her as she sits, digging into her salad. The fact that Xavier knew she would prefer a salad to a burger is another feather in his cap.
When Titus has finished eating, he climbs down from Xavier's lap to explore. "I hope you like dinosaurs," Xavier says, leading the boy to the game room which has been transformed into a.....playroom. There are toys everywhere. It looks like a Toys R Us threw up in Xavier's living room space, and Titus runs around, happily skipping from one toy to the next.
"Mama, look!" he exclaims with every new find.
Xavier has the silliest grin on his face, and Meg takes his hand, leading him to the one chair not covered in stuffed animals or Legos or blocks. She points to the seat, climbing on Xavier's lap and wrapping her arm around him. Her fingers play with the hairs curling at the back of his neck. Planting a kiss on his cheek, she whispers, "You didn't have to buy the whole store, X. He would have been happy with a cardboard box."
"I want him to have the world," Xavier tells her, capturing her mouth in a kiss.
"Ick," Titus says, shaking his head at them while he starts building a castle with the blocks.
Resting her head on Xavier's shoulder as she nestles into him, Meg sighs in contentment, watching her son play while Xavier traces circles on her arm. She relaxes into him, and they sit quietly in this position for several minutes, listening to and watching Titus' exploration of the toys, playing with one until he gets bored and moving onto the next one.
Meg loves the solid feel of Xavier. She feels safe.
"Meg-pie?" he asks.
"Hmmmmm?"
"I hate that you have to live in a one bedroom apartment. And you don't even get the bedroom," Xavier tells her.
"Mmmmm....it's not that bad. I'm used to the sofa, and truly, he's my whole world, so he can have anything and everything he needs.
"Don't you wish you could sleep in a bed?" he asks, the sound of his voice rumbling under her.
"Haha. All the time. For a while, I used to sleep next to him, but it was hard for me to sleep because he snores and grabs my boob," she giggles, watching Titus put away the blocks before he gets out the stuffed dinosaurs and begins having a tea party with them.
Nuzzling her cheek, Xavier whispers, "I think that's how I might be in bed too."
Meg blushes. "It's an okay setup for now, X. Really."
Pausing, Xavier swallows. "You know, I have three bedrooms here. That means two bedrooms aren't being used most of the time. You....uh, you and Titus could...."
Shocked, Meg sits up, turning to him, "Are you asking us to move in?"
With a gulp, Xavier nods, not knowing what to say, but then he tacks on, "Just platonically. I mean, I have my own room, and I wouldn't expect you to sleep with me or anything. But the rooms are just sitting here and you could have one and Titus could have one and you could both decorate them like you wanted and you wouldn't have to share a room or pay rent or anything."
He plans to continue convincing her, but Meg stands up and moves away from him. Recognizing that he must have said something wrong, Xavier looks at her quizzically.
"Luckily for you, Xavier Alexander Tarrango, I can tell that you have no idea why your suggestion is wrong, but it is. On so many levels." She kneels in front of him, resting her hands on his knees. "First of all, I have fought hard to become independent and be able to afford our apartment. It's not much, and yes. That means I have to sleep on the sofa. But it's mine."
Xavier nods, watching the passion on her face, grateful she is explaining instead of storming out.
Continuing, she tells him, "In addition, moving in together needs to be a huge deal. Like a big deal. I couldn't just be roommates with you." She blushes and looks away, but he is relieved that she knows that being roomies isn't enough for her.
"And finally," she reveals as he listens eagerly, "It would be awkward dating you if we lived together."
Leaning forward, he captures her lips in a deep kiss, his tongue restrained until she opens her own lips, inviting him in. That's all it takes before his tongue sweeps in and playfully battles with her own. They settle into the kiss for a minute or two, Xavier's hands framing her face, pulling her closer to him until she rises to her knees. He spreads his knees so she can move to kneel between them as he continues to sip at her lips.
Just then there's a patting on her cheek. "Mommy kiss Titus too?"
Laughing, the two adults pull apart, and Xavier tickles Titus, pulling the boy into his lap as they all dissolve into giggles together while Meg places butterfly kisses all over Titus' cheeks and belly, adding a few to Xavier's hands in the process.