Chapter 30
Aracely
I knew it had to have all been a mistake, a miscommunication, something. I couldn’t see Bash being the way he had been with me when we were at Winslow Creek and it all being an act. He had been honest with me; I had seen it; I had known it in my soul. Still, it had been hard to not take the article at face value. It was logical that with the play being done, he would go back to his roots. Except I knew that wasn’t what he was interested in doing.
Layla and Ella offered to stay at my place in case I needed them. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to. Hopefully, Bash and I were going to be too busy with each other for anyone else to matter. I appreciated them wanting to be there for me. I knew they would love and support me no matter what, but they were still a bit skeptical of Bash and what he was doing.
It was strange and somehow right that I wasn’t. I didn’t doubt Bash, nor his love and commitment to me. I didn’t know what he was going to do but whatever it was, I wanted to support him.
Traffic was heavy as I headed to midtown and the theater. I wasn’t sure why Bash had wanted me to meet him there but I didn’t care. I would have met him anywhere if it meant I was going to get the answers I needed.
It was late when I pulled in front of the theater and all the shows had let out for the night. The lights were not on for the marquee but there was still some light along the front. I stood outside for a few minutes, expecting to see Bash come to me. When he didn’t, I tried the door to the theater and was surprised to find it open.
I walked into the lobby area with the box office on one side and posters of past shows on the other. There were three doors that led into the theater; I went and pulled on the middle one and it opened.
It was dark inside the theater except for a few lights on at the stage. I could see Bash and another woman talking. I couldn’t see them very well so I walked closer to them. As I did, I could overhear some of what they were saying.
“This is crazy,” the woman said.
“Imagine how it would be if it worked,” Bash said.
“It’s your money. It’s your reputation. I will do whatever I can, but understand this has about as much chance of succeeding as the last play did,” the woman said.
“What is the point of life if not to take some risks?” Bash asked.
“You think this could work?” she asked.
“There’s only one way to find out. Are you in?” Bash asked.
The woman crossed her arms and looked at Bash for a second. “Sure, why not. Draw up the paperwork and we can go from there.” She then turned to look over at me.
“Hello,” I said sheepishly and waved my hand.
“You’re here,” Bash said, as if he was surprised to see me.
“Yes. And you must be Isla?” I asked as I walked toward them.
“And you must be Ara.” She jumped down from the stage and pulled me into a bear hug. “I’m so happy to meet you. Bash won’t stop talking about you.”
“Really?” I smiled over at Bash.
“What can I say? You’re my favorite subject to talk about.”
“I thought that was yourself,” I teased.
“Oh, she does know you well,” Isla said and stepped back. “Bash and I were just talking about a new business venture, but I have a feeling he’s going to want to tell you all about it. I will leave you two alone.”
She turned to look at Bash. “I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow morning. We have a lot of work to do.”
“Yes ma’am,” Bash said and nodded at her.
“Have a good night. It was lovely meeting you, Ara.”
“You too,” I said as she walked away from us.
I waited until she was gone before saying to Bash. “She seems like a force of nature.”
“You have no idea.”
“So, what’s this business venture that she was talking about and why did you have me come here in the middle of the night?” I asked.
Bash didn’t answer me but walked off the stage and stood in front of me. I didn’t say anything as he took my hands and brought them to his mouth. I could see the shock on his face that I was there. It was as if he didn’t believe that I would have come to see him.
“I love you,” he said.
It shouldn’t have been a shock. I knew he did. He had told me before. I had seen it in everything he had done, how we had been, and how he looked at me. Still, hearing him say the words after what had been going on, was more magical than I thought. I knew he was saying so much more than those three words. He was telling me how much he appreciated me, how much he knew what it had taken for me to believe and stand by him, and how much it meant that I had. I squeezed his hands and smiled at him. “I love you, too,” I said.
“You do,” he said with a sigh. I could tell by his look that he understood all I was saying with those three words.
“Did you really doubt that?” I asked.
“Yes. No. I just love hearing you say it.” He laughed nervously.
I moved closer to him and wrapped my arms around him. “Me? You were the one who took forever to say it again.”
Bash held me close and laughed as he said, “Not forever, just ten or fifteen years.”
“It was worth the wait. You are worth the wait,” I said and leaned back to look at him.
“You are my everything.”
I didn’t think my heart could swell anymore with love for the man but it did with that statement. “You are my everything,” I replied.
Bash beamed at me and then let out a long sigh. “Let’s hope you still feel that way when I tell you what I’ve done.”
“Okay,” I said slowly and stepped away from him. I wanted to hear everything. I didn’t want to be distracted by being in his arms. I also wanted him to know that I was going to listen to him, even if I was worried about what exactly he had done.
“Would you still love me if I wasn’t famous? If I didn’t have any money? If I couldn’t support you in the lifestyle that you’ve been accustomed to?” Bash asked.
“What kind of stupid questions are those? I don’t care if you’re famous. I would almost prefer you weren’t. I don’t care how much money you have. I’m more than capable of supporting my lifestyle, thank you very much. I love you. I want to be with you. I don’t care what that means if it makes you happy. Well, within reason.”
“Reason?”
“If you wanted to, say, move to some remote island and become a hermit, I would need to know exactly which island,” I said.
“The Highlands would be out. It would have to be something tropical because you hate the winter.”
I smiled at him and how he knew me so well. “If you really wanted to, I could learn to layer up, and find inventive ways to keep warm.”
“You are a treasure,” Bash said.
“Why don’t you tell me what you really did and then we can decide if we should move to the Highlands or not.”
“When we left to go to Winslow Creek, the play wasn’t going well. It pretty much wasn’t going to happen. I knew that and I should have told you but I didn’t.”
“Why didn’t you?” I had figured out as much and this was one of the main questions I needed answers to.
“I was hoping that we could still salvage something. Isla was going to work on it and I told me to leave her alone while she did. It was why I wanted to go out of town.”
“You didn’t want to tell me anything because you didn’t know what to tell me. I can understand that. I don’t exactly like it, but I can understand it. What was decided? Are you going to be able to do another play?”
“Yes and no. The original play is no longer, at least not with Isla directing. She is, however, in the works of getting another play, a revival, produced. The only catch is I would have to agree to play a supporting role instead of the main character.”
“Are you okay with that?” Bash had always been the lead, in the spotlight. I wasn’t sure how he would take to having to take a step back or work in someone else’s shadow.
“Yes. Totally. It’s how it should have been. I might know what I’m doing on a movie set but I have a lot to learn if I’m going to make a career on Broadway. I need to learn the craft and if I can do that with some amazing actors, I’m going to take those opportunities.”
“Who would you be working with?” I asked.
“Daniel Renfield and Tamara Sun,” he said.
“Wow. Talk about learning from the best.” They were Broadway legends, and ones who hadn’t worked in years. It must be some play to get them to come and work with Bash and Isla.
“Will Isla direct still?”
“Yes. Her parents are friends of theirs and they have wanted to work with her. They were just waiting for the right script to come along.”
“That sounds like it’s going to be a huge success. Why do you think that you will be poor because of this?” I asked.
“There is a catch. The backers that Isla had are no longer, well, backing her. She’s been trying to find some financial support but so far, she hasn’t had any luck.”
I leaned back and tilted my head at him. “What did you do?” I asked.
“It doesn’t surprise me that you figured it out. I offered to give Isla the backing that she needed. What is the point in having movie star money if I can’t spend it on things that I’m passionate about. But I didn’t stop there.”
“Okay. What else did you do?”
“I didn’t just want to give her the money and not have any say or stake. I wanted to be more than just the money guy. So, I asked Isla to start a theater company with me. We’re going to buy this theater and start doing plays here. She’s going to direct and I will write and help produce.”
“Write? Produce?” I asked. “Not act?”
“Well, I will act for the first play, but after that only if the need calls for it, or if I want to. But I want to try my shot at writing. I love acting but I want to do more. I want to create the stories. I want to help get the play produced and work with all the cast and crew to make it happen. I also figure if I do that, it will give me more free time to be around for you and the life that I hope we can have.”
It was all so much, I couldn’t take it all in. I couldn’t believe everything he was saying or willing to give up. I didn’t want him to if he didn’t have to. “It would be a challenge to be with you while you were in a play but we would figure it out. I don’t want you to kill your career simply because you think I want you to have normal hours. I won’t have them as an ED doctor.”
“Which is why I should. We never talked about having kids but I can be the stay-at-home dad if you want. I don’t know how well this company will do but I do know I want to find out. It might go bankrupt in a few years. But I think if we do it right, it could be great. It would allow me to write, to be with you, to be a husband, father, friend, everything you deserve in a man. What do you say?”
“I think you’re crazy but I agree with you. I think this could be something great. I love that you want to be a writer and producer. I will do whatever I can to support you. We can figure the rest out later, including who takes care of the kids.”
“Does that mean you want to have kids with me?”
“You’re the only man I want to have kids with. I love you and you love me. But don’t you think we should get married first?” I asked.
Bash laughed and took my hand in his and turned towards the door. “Let’s go do it.”
I tugged on his arm. “Not so fast. You know I’m going to want a big wedding or at least a big party. Plus, you haven’t even asked me.”
“You want everything, don’t you?” Bash teased.
“All I want is you, your love, you in my bed every night, standing beside me through everything, for as long as we both shall live,” I replied.
“So, not a whole lot,” Bash said and we both laughed.
“As long as I have you, nothing else matters.”
“Ara, if you keep saying all the best lines, I’m not going to have any when I tell you that I love you. I have loved you since I was a teenager. I loved you even when we were on the other side of the continent. I loved you when we were in the same city. I loved you when we were in the same bed. I will love you now and forever. You are everything that I’ve ever wanted and never thought I could have. I don’t deserve you but I promise to do everything that I can every day for the rest of our lives to prove to you how much I love and cherish you. Will you marry me?”
“Really? I took all the best lines? That was pretty spectacular,” I moved into his arms.
He was the most amazing man I had ever met. I wanted to have everything he was suggesting. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but I didn’t want easy if it meant being with him. I thought he was giving up his dream to be with me, but I could see his future, his career, his dreams were now entwined with mine. We would make it work, together in New York City.
My eyes held his as I said, “Just like you. I have loved you most of my life and I will love you for the rest of it. Of course, I will marry you.”