Virtuous(63)

My ringing cell phone tears me out of my uneasy contemplation. Surprised to have reception at altitude, I withdraw the phone from my back pocket and take the call from Hayden. “What’s up?”

“Where are you?”

“In the air. You?”

“Just landed. We’re hanging at the club tonight. Will we see you?”

“Not tonight. I’ve got some stuff to do when I land.”

“Not tonight, not last night, not all last week. What’s the deal, Flynn? Was it something we said?”

Well, sort of… I thought it, but I’d never say it. For all his pain-in-the-ass qualities, Hayden is my oldest and closest friend. “Don’t be stupid. Nothing to do with you. But listen, while I have you, I’ve been thinking I’d like to do postproduction in New York rather than LA.” A long pause follows my statement. “Hayden?”

“I’m here. I’m just wondering where the hell you are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You hate the cold, Flynn, almost as much as I do. You hightail it back to LA the second you wrap a film—every single time. And now you’re telling me you want to spend the next few months freezing our asses off in New York when we could be surfing in LA? And you wonder what’s wrong with me?”

I pinch the top of my nose, which I hope will keep my head from blowing off my neck. “You know damned well why I want to be in New York right now.”

“And you know damned well why I don’t.”

“Fine, then I’ll commute. Forget I said anything.”

“Come on, man. Let’s at least talk about it.”

“What’s there to talk about? I want to be in New York. You don’t. Neither of us is about to budge, so I’ll figure something out.”

“You’re really that into this girl?”

“She’s not a girl. She’s a woman—an amazingly strong, resilient, smart woman.”

“Who also happens to be hot as f*ck.”

“Shut the f*ck up, Hayden. Don’t talk about her that way.”

“We always talk about women that way.”

I’m ashamed to admit he’s right. “Not this one.”

“Dude, I don’t even know what to say to you these days. Everything I do is wrong, and you’re all edgy and shit. What’s up with that?”

He’s right. I can’t deny it. I changed after I met Natalie and recognized she could be someone special. It’s not Hayden’s fault that our usual rules of engagement are no longer in effect, and I failed to tell him that. “I just need a little time to deal with a few things that are going on right now. It’s nothing to do with you. We’re cool.”

“Are you sure? Because I haven’t been getting the ‘we’re cool’ vibe from you at all in the last week. I’ve been getting the ‘Flynn’s pissed at me and won’t tell me why’ vibe. And part of me doesn’t give a shit, because if you’re pissed, you’ll get over it. You always do. But this feels different somehow.”

“It is different. She’s different. I need you to respect that and give me a little space.”

“How much space and how long do you need?”

“I don’t know. I’ll let you know. But I won’t be around much next week.”

“I thought you were sticking around LA until the SAGs,” he says of the Screen Actors Guild Awards that are two weeks after the Globes.

“I’m going back to New York in between.”

“You’re crazy, man, but whatever. Do what you gotta do. Just remember we’ve got a film to finish and not a lot of time to do it.”

“I’m well aware of the timing.”

“Could I ask you one other thing?”

“Sure.”

“Have you prepared her for what’ll happen after she appears in public with you? Arranged security and all that?”

“Addie’s on it, but thanks for asking.”

“No problem. Well, I guess I’ll see you Sunday.”

“See you then.”

The click on the other end indicates that Hayden is gone.

I’m playing with fire in every aspect of my life, risking my reputation for having my priorities straight when it comes to my career and the people I work with, but Natalie is worth the risk.