Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Mom is getting up more frequently during the day. We walk out to the corner almost every day to help her gain her strength back. She should be strong enough to cross the street soon, I think. Maybe even tomorrow if I feed her shortly before and we go first thing in the morning.
“So, where are you going?” she asks.
I set a plate with an omelet, fresh from the frying pan, in front of her. “I’m not sure exactly. It’s some Hollywood-themed museum.”
“Wow, Ari, this is a fancy omelet.” She stares down at the cheese omelet that I garnished with salsa and avocado.
I waggle my brows at her as I wash out the frying pan. “I’m basically a gourmet now.”
When the humor in her eyes dims, I bite my tongue. I shouldn’t say anything to remind her of her failings. She’s still very fragile, and I’m so proud of the progress she’s making.
“Who are you going with again?” Mom asks, poking her fork into the omelet, but not eating.
“Sally and Crispin.”
“Are they in the movie with you?”
“Yes, Sally plays my big sister—even though she’s a few months younger than me. And Crispin plays her boyfriend—even though he’s actually twenty-two.”
Mom was smiling until I mentioned how old Crispin is. “Should you be going out with a twenty-two-year-old boy-er, man? Is it safe?”
“To a museum? With another person? I think so.” I dry the frying pan and put it back into the cupboard. “Besides, I think Crispin might be interested in Sally. We’re going to this museum because she likes this sort of stuff. I think I’m just the chaperone.”
I set a steaming mug of tea in front of her and sit in the chair across from her just as there’s a knock at the door. I glance at my phone to see if I missed a notification of a text telling me they were outside, but my screen is blank.
“Oh, they’re here.” Mom stares at the door like it might burst open at any moment.
“That can’t be them. They would just text from the parking lot. It’s probably someone selling something.” I pop out of my chair. “I’ll get rid of them.”
But when I open the door, Crispin is standing there.
And seeing him standing on my front stoop with his hands in his pockets and the breeze playing with his hair does something crazy to my insides.
He was staring out at the ocean but swings his attention my way as soon as the door opens.
How is it that brown eyes can look so bright?
They practically glow in the shadow of the overhang, fringed on top by his long bangs. I feel breathless.
“How did you guys manage to get a view?” he asks. “Man. To be across the street from the beach. I need to find a new place. This location is excellent.”
“I guess we got lucky? The realtor did mention that, now that I think about it. Um, how did you know which apartment we’re in?”
He gives me a strange look. “You told me.”
“I did? I thought I only gave you the building letter.” I wave my hands. “You could have just texted that you guys were here. I would have run down. But, come in. I have to grab my stuff.”
He follows me into the apartment. “We still have to pick up Sally. She’s closer to the museum than you.”
“Oh, did you have to come out of your way for me? I’m sorry. I could have stayed home.”
When I look over my shoulder, his brows are pulled down, and he has a half smile on his face. “Nothing’s far in a car. As my mom always says.”
“Speaking of moms, this is mine. Mom, this is Crispin. Crispin, this is my mom, Linda.” Mom has the funniest look on her face. Almost like a rabbit who is frozen, thinking you can’t see it if it doesn’t move. But there is also—maybe awe in her expression. I get it, Mom. He’s stunning.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Quill.”
I blink at him, surprised he knows my last name.
“Ari says you play her big sister’s boyfriend?”
With a smirk, I rush into my room to get my hoodie and purse. I don’t think my mom has blinked since Crispin walked into the house.
When I come back out, they are both laughing. “What’s so funny?”
Crispin pauses a beat, waiting for my mom to answer. When she doesn’t, he explains. “We’re laughing that on set, you look thirteen and I look seventeen, but in the wild, we look our actual age.”
“Ah, yes. I love looking thirteen again.” Then I tilt my head and examine him. “That’s what’s different about you. You are just you.”
“I’m different?”
I nod. “Yeah, something is.” In no world will I admit how attractive I find him like this. He may not be the arrogant jerk I originally thought, but he still doesn’t need his ego stroked.
He looks down at the jacket clutched in my hand. “You ready?”
I nod and go to Mom to kiss her on the cheek. I lower my voice so only she hears me. “You can leave your dishes if you want. I’m happy to do them when I get home.”
“Have fun.” She pats my hand.
When I turn back, Crispin has his hands in the air as he steps from foot to foot while Queen Brie weaves around him. I freeze. “Wow, she never even shows herself to strangers.”
He’s still acting like the floor is hot lava. “I’m allergic.”
“Oh! Go on, Queenie. Shoo.” I wave my hands and rush at her. She saunters away with her nose and tail in the air, but it’s enough to free Crispin. “Sorry about that. They always seem to know, don’t they?”
“Every time.”
“See ya, Mom.”
Crispin holds the door for me and says goodbye to Mom before closing it behind him, so I jog down the stairs in front of him, feeling oddly awkward.
Since I have no clue where he parked, I have to wait for him at the bottom and fall in step beside him.
I’m hyper aware of the difference in our height as I practically run to keep up with him.
“Have you had a chance to do many tourist-y things since you got here?” he asks.
“No. The most tourist-y thing I get is to sit on the beach to watch the sunset.”
He groans. “Oh man, I would do that every day if I lived across the street from the beach.”
“Where do you live?”
“Studio City.” At my quizzical look, he adds. “Inland.”
“You should move to the beach if you like it so much.”
He sighs. “What am I kidding? I’m always working when the sun sets. I’d never get to see it anyway.”
“Is that what I have to look forward to after I turn eighteen? Long days? Being overworked? I love my schedule now.”
“When’s your birthday?”
“In a month and a half.”
“I’m not sure they’ll take advantage on this film. We’ll be so close to finishing up by then. But your next director will for sure.”
I laugh. “My next director?”
“Yeah. On your next film.” Crispin opens the passenger door of his gorgeous black sports car for me to slide inside.
“Who says there will be another film?”
“Huh.” He closes the door, talking again as soon as he opens his own. “I just assumed this was a career path you’ve chosen.”
As he navigates out of the apartment complex, I consider what he said. “I guess I didn’t think about what came after.”
He squints sideways at me. “You sound surprised.”
I let out a dramatic breath as the weight of what he’s just made me face fully hits me.
I stare out the window, but I’m not seeing the streets of L.A.
I’m seeing my small town. I’m seeing Glory and my other friends from school.
I’m seeing everything I left behind because I felt lost after my dad died.
And I’m once again realizing that this move is permanent.
That my life will continue here after the movie is finished.
Instead of magically being transported home again, I’ll be expected to figure out my life from here.
I’ve been avoiding this topic since the first time it hit me.
And now we’re a couple of months closer to the inevitable.
When I finally answer him, my voice is so quiet, he might not hear me. “I am surprised.”
Without the powers of mind-reading, he thinks I’m surprised there will be more acting gigs.
“You are an excellent actor. I suspect you’ll find all sorts of jobs.
Sally’s great too. She’s a classic actress.
You’re more…” he pauses, eyes scanning the traffic as he considers what he wants to say.
“Intuitive, maybe? You bring a director’s eye to your role. ”
“I do?”
“I love what you’ve done with your character. You’ve made her so much more relatable. Stella was written as the comic relief, but she never really fit in – in my opinion. But you’ve kept her funny, providing the levity needed within the family drama, while also making her seem part of the family.”
“Wow, thanks.”
“You’re a natural actress. I hope you continue to pursue it as a career. I’d be a fan.”
My cheeks are flaming red, and I know he’s noticed. He keeps stealing glances at me as he speaks.
“That means a lot to me coming from you.” I sigh and look out the window. “When this opportunity came up, I was still so lost. I made the decision rather impulsively. I’m only now facing the fact this won’t last forever, and I’ll be forced to figure out what comes next.”
His eyes narrow as he watches the stop-and-go traffic in front of us. “You were lost? Are you talking about your dad?”
I stare down at my fiddling fingers in my lap. “Yeah. It was only a couple of months after we lost him. I really shouldn’t have made such a big decision then.”
“What about your mom? She had a say in it, too.”
I let out a shuddering breath. “She’s only just starting to come out of her fugue state. I wouldn’t be surprised if she looks around one day and asks where we are.”
“She’s been that out of it?”
I nod, pursing my lips.
“Wow. That’s a lot for you to handle.”
“It’s been a challenge. I think I took the opportunity because I was so desperate to escape the pain.”
“Like, shooting the movie became a distraction?”
“Exactly.” I look at him. “And now I’m seeing that after it’s over, I won’t magically go back to my old life.” My heart is beating a mile a minute, and I’m trying not to freak out in front of Crispin.