Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss(43)
Grant flipped the book in his hand and set it back down on the coffee table. “Sure thing.”
“Amanda? Maybe you can give us feedback?” I said.
“Of course. We’ll meet you in Grant’s trailer in a little bit?” she said.
I nodded.
They headed for the door. “Nice to meet you, Jonathan,” Grant said, then just like that his bigger-than-life presence was gone.
Amanda leaned back through the door. “Thank you,” she mouthed, and pulled the door shut behind her.
Everything was perfectly still for three beats, then I said, “About that. It’s just . . .”
Donavan reached forward and picked up the packet. “I’m just here to tutor. You don’t have to explain anything to me.”
“Okay.” I was going to tell him I’d done that for Amanda, but, apparently, he didn’t care. Which was good. I didn’t need him to care. I didn’t need anything from him except homework help.
“I can come back tomorrow if you need to go,” he said.
“No, stay. I have a little time.”
“Thanks for not outing me,” he said, placing the packet in my hand.
“Why would I do that?”
“You were right,” he said. “I didn’t want to tell Grant who I was.”
“He was acting overly confident anyway. He didn’t deserve to know who you are. Maybe he needed those bad reviews. People need to hear hard things sometimes to push them to be better.”
“You think so?” he asked.
I met his eyes. “I think so.”
Dancing Graves
EXT. FOREST SURROUNDING MANSION—NIGHT.
BENJAMIN clutches a vial of bright green liquid, hoping it’s finally the cure they’ve all prayed for, and searches desperately for SCARLETT. A noise in the trees makes him whirl around. He sees a zombie, but it’s not her. The zombie advances on him quickly. He pulls his sword. The zombie is undeterred. After a scuffle, Benjamin kills him. Scarlett appears from the left, surprising Benjamin. He turns and swings his sword at her, narrowly missing. When he sees who it is, he drops his sword to the ground immediately and rushes toward her.
BENJAMIN
Scarlett! Did I hurt you?
SCARLETT
(eyes on the dead zombie) What have you done?
BENJAMIN
Forgive me. I had no choice.
SCARLETT
Soon you will have no choice with me either.
BENJAMIN
That’s not true. I have the cure. Drink this.
Nineteen
I knocked on Grant’s trailer door after Donavan left. Amanda answered, pushing it open farther for me and stepping back to let me in. “Hey.”
Grant was sitting on his couch. “Is it time to make out?” he asked.
Amanda’s hopeful face deflated a bit. Grant was so clueless.
“I’ve been studying your videos, Amanda. I need some serious advice.”
“What videos?” Grant said. “Do you have kissing tutorials online?”
“She should,” I responded. “But, no, I mean her actual scenes with fellow actors.”
“Oh, cool,” he said.
“Kissing on camera is different than just making out with a boyfriend,” Amanda said. “Come here, Grant. Stand right here.” She pointed to the spot right in front of me.
He stood, pulled down the leg on his sweatpants that had ridden up, and moved until he was in front of me.
“I’ll keep this professional,” he said.
I laughed. “Because sticking your tongue in someone else’s mouth is very professional.”
“You know what I mean,” he said.
“Yes, I do.”
“There will be very little tongue,” Amanda said. She was so calm. Probably because she knew that in seconds she’d be standing where I was.
He took my hand in his and looked into my eyes. Then he paused and looked up. “What’s my line right here? Before we kiss?”
“‘I don’t want to have to live without you,’” I said.
“I’m so passionate,” he responded with a smile.
“I know. You’re really invested in this.”
“Money, huh? You think I’m doing it for the money?”
At first I thought he was talking about himself, and I said, “No, I never thought that, I didn’t think you were getting as much as . . .” I realized quite suddenly that he was talking about Benjamin, his character, and what I’d said the other day on set about him being after my father’s money. “I mean, yes, I do. You’d know that if you’d actually read the book.”
“So you don’t think I love you, then? Truly love you? True love requires sacrifice sometimes.”
“I think maybe you’re trying to make yourself believe that so you don’t feel guilty. You are a kindhearted man. But if my father doesn’t come up with an actual cure, it will be hard for you to stomach my looks and not fall for my best friend. She’s already helped you through a lot.”
“Yes, I have,” Amanda said. “Including this. Now say your line.”
Despite what Donavan thought of Grant’s acting, I was always amazed at how easily he could fall into character. Like now, he stopped the questions, held my gaze with soft eyes, and said, “I don’t want to have to live without you.”