It's an hour into the movie and I haven't been able to enjoy a single second of it. Sitting between Dan and Max was a terrible idea. I'm not worried about Max, but every time he accidentally touches me, I feel a zap of electricity surging through me, and I can't make sense of it. As for Dan, he's got his legs spread and if I move the slightest our legs will touch. That and he keeps on trying to reach for my hand. And not to mention the death glares from Maya.
An idea strikes me. I groan like I'm in pain and grab a hold of my stomach. Max and Dan are the first to turn towards me. I lean back in my seat. Dan's hand comes close to mine, and I pull it away, settling it over my stomach.
"You, okay?"
I shake my head. "I think I ate too much, my stomach hurts so bad," I moan. "I'm going to call my dad and have him—"
"Don't be silly," Max says, leaning into the conversation. "I'll drive you."
My head jerks to him and his face pales. For a second uncertainty swims in his ocean blue eyes. He swallows hard and I watch his Adam's apple bob at the center of his throat. I'm as shocked as he is that he offered. It takes me a second, as I'm too stunned to speak.
"Are you — are you sure? I could ask Alexa."
Dan sits up. In the corner of my eye, I catch him glaring at Max. Not only am I getting between two people in love, but friends too. I can't take it anymore. I'm no longer faking a stomachache, it's real.
"Yeah. It's not a problem."
We lock eyes and I'm stuck there. I think he is too. I wait for him to take it back, to tell me nevermind, only he doesn't. His kindness never ceases to amaze me.
"Sorry." I turn to Dan, only to find Maya staring at me too. "We'll plan another outing soon. I'll see you guys later."
Maya relaxes in her chair, but Dan is so tense the vein in his forehead pops. Max gets to his feet and moves in so that I can go first. I slide over, passing Patty, then Alexa. Alexa glances up narrowing her eyes. I kneel in the aisle and hold onto her arm rest.
"I'm not feeling so good. I'm heading home."
"Do you need a ride?"
"I've got it." Max's deep voice startles me.
Alexa's eyes go wide as they stare up at Max. Of course, she knows I'm lying. She's my best friend. In her mind, Max and I are leaving together because we like each other.
He puts his hand out for me to take. Without questioning his kindness, I reach for it and stand. Alexa's glare is enough to burn a hole right through my skin.
Max touches the small of my back to lead me out of the theater. Over my shoulder I find Alexa grinning like a mad man. She's not letting this one go, and I'm positive I'll be getting a phone call later.
Max and I step out of the theater and into the dim lighting of the lobby, it's then that I release my hand from my stomach and stand a little straighter.
"You knew they liked each other, didn't you?"
He steps in front of me so I can't go anywhere.
"It's not rocket science," I snap. "I see the way Maya glares at me when Dan gives me attention. You act like I'm oblivious to other people's feelings. Newsflash Romeo, I'm not. You think you know me, but I'm not one of those girls that will swoop in on a guy if another girl likes him!"
I rub my temples, angry with myself for going off on him for no reason. I'm tense from the situation with Dan and I honestly didn't mean it this time. I'm still reeling over my conversation with Dad too, but it's no excuse for my behavior.
"I did it again." I sigh. "Max, I'm sorry."
A few people walk by and stare. I comb some hair, so it falls in front of my face, I don't need anyone to recognize me. Max stands there dumbfounded.
"Dan was making things uncomfortable for me, so I removed myself from the situation. Are you judging me for that too?"
His eyebrows knit together and it's easy to see he wants to be mad. The tension in his jaw brings me back to the day at the airport. I recoil and my cheeks burn with fire, it's no wonder the guy hates me.
"I'm sorry, I'll just walk home. Thanks for the offer."
I throw my hands up and turn to head for the doors. A soft warm hand stops me in my tracks. His touch almost knocks me on my ass. The flutters in my stomach return. Closing my eyes, I take a few deep breaths to calm myself, before facing him. When I finally do, his eyes are focused on the hand he has wrapped gently around my wrist.
"Are you hungry?" he asks.
I'm the first to look up, confused by his question. Seconds ago, he was accusing me of basically not being a good person, and now he's asking if I'm hungry. I've got whiplash from the number of times we go back and forth.
"A little, why?"
He pulls his hand away, the warmth of his touch vanishes, leaving me cold and empty somehow.
"My uncle and his girlfriend are making breakfast for dinner, and I could really go for some bacon right now."
Max smiles. It's rare around me. Bacon does sound amazing. I battle with myself. Do I spend time with someone who doesn't like me? He's hot and cold, one minute we're okay the next we're not. If I say no, will he think I'm even more of a jerk? His hand moves forward but when it gets close, he tugs it back. I try to ignore it.
"I guess, but are you sure?"
Max exhales. "Lennox, I don't hate you if that's what you think."
I hold onto a breath before releasing it. It's hard to look him in the eye. Am I that transparent? How did he know that's what I was thinking? As an actress I should be able to hide things better.
"Oh, there is one thing I should warn you about."
His tone is earnest. I'm wondering if maybe I should be worried, but when I meet his stare again, he's grinning.
"Uncle Rob is a huge fan."
It takes me a second to process that he's joking with me. Once I do, a bubbling laugh leaves my lips. I almost thought he was going to tell me that his uncle had two heads or something seriously bizarre.
"That's what you're worried about?"
He shrugs. "A little."
He holds the door open for me, and we step outside. A blast of heat hits our faces as we exit the cool movie theater. He falls in line beside me. We round the brick building to the lot. The silence isn't weird, it's kind of welcomed. Our arms brush as we walk, and I find myself enjoying the comfort. I expect him to move away, but I swear he moves closer.
"I thought you guys came together?" I ask.
"I had work today, and my uncle let me borrow his truck to come."
We stop outside an old beat-up blue truck. The truck is so ancient he has to stick the key in the lock to open the passenger door. He holds it open for me. That's the second time he's held a door open. I've never seen a guy my age act like such a gentleman.
I hop up inside and even though it's not the tow truck, flashes of that day play in my head. My heart drums loud in my chest, as he settles into the driver's side. He throws his arm over the seat to start backing out, his fingertips hit my shoulder. He mumbles a quick, sorry under his breath.
"For the record I don't think you're one of those girls, I never did."
His hands tighten around the steering wheel as we drive through town. I should respond, but my mouth refuses to cooperate. The rest of the ride is silent. He hops out of the truck and helps me out. The minute we step inside the house I almost drool over the sweet mixture of pancakes and meat together. Breakfast foods are my weakness, I could eat pancakes and bacon for three meals a day.
We take off our shoes at the door and make our way down a narrow hallway. A soft yellow light from the kitchen ahead brightens the hall. As we walk, I look at the random paintings on the wall. I'm invested in a beautiful one of Long Island when I bump into Max. He's staring off into the kitchen wide eyed and completely still. I follow his eyes and gasp.
Two adults are making out on the countertop. They stop when they hear the commotion and turn to us. The man resembles Max a little. They have the same eyes and thin nose. The woman's cheeks are a rosy red as she hops down off the counter and tugs on the tight green skirt she's wearing.
"I'm sorry," Max says.
His uncle starts buttoning up his denim shirt. He glances up, and his eyes grow large at the sight of me. As if this night can't get any more awkward, this was the topping on the cake.
"I thought you were at the movies." They say at the same time.
Max is quiet, probably trying to erase the images of his uncle and girlfriend out of his mind.
"Was, things happened." An awkward silence fills the room. "Oh," he says, like he forgot I was standing behind him. "Uncle Rob, Monica this is um— this is my —Lennox. This is Lennox."
My heart skips uneven beats. The fact that he said my Lennox, threw me for a bit of a loop. His uncle moves closer, eyes still wide. Max shifts beside me.
"Lennox Taylor," he says in awe.
He gives Max a, why didn't you tell me, you knew Lennox Taylor, look. I laugh quietly to myself.
"That's me," I say.
Rob's entire face lights up, like this is a huge moment for him. He holds out a hand and I take it. His palms are sweaty as he shakes a little too hard. A nervous laugh tumbles out of him. He keeps shaking and I don't want to be rude and pull away first. When he finally does, I rest my hands at my side to act as if I'm not wiping the sweat off them.
"You look different," he says.
The wheels turn in Rob's head. There has been speculation about the death of my character. Some articles and blogs have been posted too. Then there's the gossip about where is Lennox. People have started to take note of me leaving.
"Summer makeover." I shrug, hoping he won't question it.
The look in his eyes says it all. He's watching me, observing, and studying. He slaps a hand over his mouth and gasps.
"They killed you off, didn't they? Damn it, man. Why would they do that to you? Not Andi."
He throws his fists in the air, then turns his attention back to me. His reaction is what I'd expect from an original Starlien fan. Andi doesn't die in the books.
"How did you guess?"
"It's all-over social media, and the forums. The great Lennox Taylor disappears from L.A. Then all the foreshadowing in the last few episodes has made it pretty clear."
Max was right. He's not only a fan, but he's also a huge fan. There's only a few more episodes left before the big finale, but if you are good at spotting clues, you can easily guess about my character's demise.
"You didn't hear it from me though, I could get my ass sued," I say.
Rob pretends to sew his mouth shut, it's cheesy, but I laugh anyway.
"So, I hear Monica makes some killer food and my stomach seems to be yelling at me," I say as it gargles again. "I sure hope Max was telling the truth, because I think my stomach may just start to eat itself, it's so hungry."
Rob grabs at his gut as he laughs. I check on Max. He's got a stoic look on his face. I can't tell if he's taking everything in or embarrassed by Rob's antics.
Monica leads us to a small round table on the other side of the kitchen. The food is already set out.
"Please take what you'd like," Monica says, grabbing some extra plates.
There's more than just bacon and pancakes, it's a whole smorgasbord. Rob stares at me from across the table. He hasn't touched any of the food. Monica nudges him in the side, and he grunts.
"Be polite to our guest," she teases him.
"Hey!" He sounds like he's offended. "It's not every day we have an amazing actress eating dinner in our home," he chuckles.
I let out a small laugh, and it breaks a little of the tension in the room. Max is still quiet. I turn to him to attempt to read his face.
"So, they just threw out everything from the book?" Max asks, finding his words.
I nod, there's a dull ache in my chest. I hate that it happens when I'm thinking of Starlien and what could have been.
"Yup, totally blindsided me. The writers felt the need to... "shake things up." Those were their words not mine. The episode airs at the end of summer."
Even with the dull ache, talking about it now hurts less than it did a few weeks ago, but the sting is still there. On a positive note, I don't find myself wanting to cry in a corner.
"Wow. I'm sorry. That's — that's crazy," Max says.
I shovel some food in my mouth trying to pretend that it doesn't suck.
"It's Hollywood, it happens. I'm actually kind of grateful. I like living with my dad's. And I miss it here. Plus, this summer isn't half bad," I say, meeting his eye.
An easy smile forms on his face. Honestly, I know Max isn't a bad guy. I'm kind of hoping he and I can be — whatever this is for the rest of the summer. It's... nice.
"So how does it happen? Jack Reynolds totally turns against her, doesn't he?" Rob asks. "I never liked that boy."
I almost choke on the hash browns that I've started devouring. Jack Reynolds technically did kill me, only he wasn't in character when he did it.
"I can't give that away. I need to leave you in some kind of suspense. What fun would it be if you knew the ending?"
Rob pouts like a child and Monica rubs his back lovingly. It's kind of funny how the two of them are total opposites. Rob is a kid at heart, and Monica acts way more mature, but they complement each other in a way that I've never seen before.
"It's okay babe, you'll live."
***
I like it here. They all make me feel at home. It almost feels normal, even with Rob being starstruck. After dinner I help Monica clean up in the kitchen, while Max and Rob vanish into the living room.
"Max hasn't mentioned knowing a huge celebrity like yourself, how did you two meet?" she asks.
My fingers slip on the plate I'm drying, but I catch it before she notices my slip up.
"We met at the airport. It wasn't exactly the best way to meet. I think the craziest part of it all was running into each other here. It was so unexpected."
She gives me another dish as I tell her the story. It feels like it was forever ago that it happened.
"That sounds like the start of a beautiful romantic comedy," she expresses dreamily.
I laugh at her comment and realize that's exactly what it sounds like.
"It sounds cliche doesn't it? I mean what are the odds we'd be spending the summer in the same town, let alone have the same circle of friends."
She hands me another dish and laughs with me. "So are you and Max—"
"Oh no. We uh— we met at the theater. We went out as a group."
"Mmm..." she says, almost as if she doesn't believe me.
Do Max and I really give off that vibe?
"Hey, are you ready for me to take you home?"
Max's voice startles me. He leans against the entry way to the kitchen, crossing his arms. I can't help stare at the muscles that bulge from his black tee. I was vaguely aware that he had some muscle, but like that— oh god, am I drooling? He raises his brow at me, and I try to nonchalantly reach up and check myself. Thankfully it's all in my head.
"Trying to get rid of me already?" I tease, placing the dish towel on the counter.
I'm not sure where the teasing voice came from, but it almost feels natural.
"You know it." He winks, but pauses for a moment like he's in the same state of mind as I am.
"I should probably go anyway. I've got a busy day ahead of me tomorrow," I say.
I need to mentally prepare myself for the party with Elli. The fear of being in charge of a young life still scares me.
Max and I say goodbye to Monica and head to the front door to put on our shoes.
"Leaving already?" Rob asks, making his way over.
There's a longing feeling strangling my heart. Meeting Rob reminds me of being out in L.A talking to fans and making their day. One of my favorite parts of being an actress was having people tell you how much you mean to them, it kept me going even during the dark days.
"Yeah. Seems your nephew has had enough of me," I joke. "I could probably get you a signed poster from the cast or something."
His eyes light up like a kid in a candy store. With a huge smile spreading across his face he says, "that would make my fifteen-year-old self-happy."
Starlien is an old book that came out in the mid- to- late nineties. It wasn't until after Twilight and Vampire Diaries were huge successes that a studio looked into pursuing it. People have been reading the book for about twenty years, hence where the age difference in our fans come from.
"I'll see what I can do," I tell him.
"Okay Uncle Rob you can stop fangirling," Max jokes.
We finish saying our goodbyes and head back to the truck. The ride back to my house consists of only me telling him directions, and the occasional sound of either of us humming to the tunes on the radio.
"Thank you. You made Rob's night," he says, as we pull into the driveway. "And thank you for what you did back there, at the movies. Dan and Maya have been denying their feelings for each other for years and have both burdened me with their secret."
My hand twitches. Something is making me want to reach out to him.
I smile. "I'm glad I could help Maya and Dan. I don't mind telling Dan off, if you need my help getting them together."
"Thanks," he says, and then opens the door without another word.
"Thank you for offering dinner. You're right Monica is an amazing cook, and your uncle's awesome too. I'll make sure I get that signed item for him. Oh — maybe I can get something from the set." I ramble on.
Max stares at me, and I know that it's my cue to leave. I grab for the handle, but instead I'm greeted by feeling of Max's hand wrapping around mine. The tips of his fingers tickle my skin.
"I'm sure he'll love that."
Max leans in closer and I swear he's going to kiss me, but before he gets too close, he pulls back. His eyes fall to my lips, then back up. Something sparks inside of me, like I would have kissed him right back if he had. I try to push those thoughts back, but they seem to want to hang around the edges for a while longer.
"Goodnight, Max," I whisper.
"Night, Lennox."
I don't wait for the truck to leave before heading into the house. Tonight, was weird, but something deep down tells me that Max and I may just become friends yet.
Once I'm in the quiet safe space of my room, I get into my favorite Tinkerbell pajamas and crash onto my bed. Phone in hand I scroll through my own pages before opening The Orbit's Instagram. A weird thought crosses my mind, I sort of want to post a question just to see if VGMaster will answer.
Orbit_TheaterLI: Favorite soundtrack and go!
Along with the post, there's a picture of one of my all-time favorite soundtracks; Twister. To distract myself while waiting for replies, I scroll through the page. My fingers do all the work and I end up scrolling over Chase's comments. His name is staring at me mockingly. I blink away the unwanted tears.
A small red notification comes up at the bottom of the screen, a smile erases the tears that threaten to fall.
VGMaster_10: Twister was okay. I do have a soft spot for instrumental soundtracks, but I'd say Top Gun is on the top of my list.
With trembling fingers, I write a quick response.
Orbit_TheaterLI: @VGMaster_10 Maverick or Goose?
VGMaster_10: Goose
That's an easy reply. I wiggle my fingers attempting to think of what to say next. I've never put so much thought into responding to someone on Instagram. His next comment is a line from the movie, and I respond with the next one. In the moment, Chase becomes a distant memory.
Orbit_TheaterLI: What are your feelings about the remake they are planning on?
VGMaster_10: Not sure, sequels kind of suck!
Orbit_TheaterLI: I think for once I kind of agree w/ you. I can't think of a sequel that has yet to top the original. Especially those ones where they make multiple. Like for instance Cinderella Story. There's like four of them and they are all the same but use actresses who are "in" at the time. No one can top Chad Michael Murray.
VGMaster_10: Shh don't tell anyone, but One Tree Hill was my guilty pleasure show.
I smile again, and I'm starting to wonder if VGMaster is a guy or a girl. I'm enjoying talking to them.
Orbit_TheaterLI: Hate to break it to you @VGMaster_10 but this is a public forum so it's not so secret anymore.
I don't want the conversation to end, but I know I need my rest for tomorrow. He replies once more with an emoji with its tongue sticking out.
I yawn and can feel my eyes starting to close. I press the button on my phone, and it turns the screen dark leaving me in a pitch-black room. It's quiet here, but that doesn't last long as my phone chirps with a notification. My heart speeds up when I see that it's from VGMaster and he wants to private message me. Pressing the accept button is so tempting, but instead I turn the phone off and put it off to the side before I do something stupid.