Chapter 24
Cal
Cal had always thought the songs in musicals were frivolous.
Fun and catchy, sure, but never rooted in any reality.
But after filming the title song over and over, the lyrics thrummed in his head like his own heartbeat.
As silly as it sounded, he really did feel as if he was floating when Jesse was in his arms. He felt as though he was soaring when Jesse turned his smile up at him.
And when Jesse confided that he’d preferred the kiss on the lips that Cal had snuck in, he felt as though he might combust with joy.
He hadn’t dared to kiss his co-star again, but he’d certainly continued thinking about it.
For one thing, he had no desire to incur King’s irritation again; it’d been embarrassing enough the first time.
For another, Jesse deserved to be kissed right: he deserved Cal’s undivided attention and the privacy away from camera techs, makeup artists, their director, their costumers, their choreographers—and now that Cal knew Jesse was interested, he just had to figure out the right moment.
The day after they’d completed their filming of the titular dance number, they had to film the declaration of love.
Pierre, the suave dance instructor, had finally fallen for Jack, his over-eager student. Even better, his fiancé, Hugh, had fallen for Jack’s girl, Sadie. The final scene was the bow on top of the tidy little plot.
“All right,” King said as they got into position, “remember, this moment is supposed to be tender. Jack rushes into Pierre’s arms and you’ll be cheek to cheek.
We’ll get the close up shots over the shoulders later.
For now, we’ll do the wide shot. Don’t go off script or you’ll ruin the comedic pacing,” he added with a raised eyebrow at Cal.
“Then, after Jack says his line, the ensemble will dance into position. Got it?” Without waiting for a response, they strode back to their director’s chair. “Action!”
While it was easy for Cal to look at Jesse with adoration and affection, it was hard to keep himself in check when pulling the other man into his embrace. He was trying to be mindful of the angry burns all over Jesse’s shoulders and back, and also keep the scene from getting too honestly amorous.
The main thing that helped was that pressing their cheeks together was, frankly, a little uncomfortable, and not particularly conducive to declarations of love, nor shifting into kisses.
So Cal stuck to his script. “You’re the most impossible student I’ve ever taught.”
“That’s true,” Jesse replied cheerfully as Jack.
“You’re always late, you don’t stick to the choreography.”
“True and true.”
“You’re not even listening to me!”
Jack laughed. “Anything else?”
Pierre gave a heavy sigh. “Yes. And I love you.”
“Very true,” Jack replied.
Pierre huffed again. “Is that all you have to say?”
Jack pulled away, a playful expression on his face. “I love you, too.”
The music played over the speakers and the dancers came running in to hit their marks. Cal held back enough to make it look as though Jack was dragging Pierre in line to dance with them. Then they tapped through the encore number.
It was nothing like how Cal would have confessed his love in reality. Especially with King barking “Cut!” at the end.
“All right. That was okay, but I want a better contrast. Pierre, I want you to play this as if it’s a dramatic movie and you don’t realize there’s going to be a dance number involved.
Jack, I want you to lean into the comedic element a little more.
Make that grin even more playful. Got it? From the top!”
By the time they were done, Cal’s cheek was sticky from pressing it against Jesse’s under the hot lights, and his arms were sore from the tension of holding the other man close without pressing too firmly into his sunburn.
When someone handed him a cooling cloth, he gratefully dabbed at the sweat on his forehead.
“Got more big weekend plans?” Jesse asked as they stepped off the set.
“Just another party at Edie’s.”
“Hmm. What’s the theme this time?”
“I didn’t ask.” Cal paused. “Would you like to go with me?”
He regretted the invitation as soon as he’d made it. Jesse had been to Edie’s parties before; he knew exactly what kind of activities went on. Would he think Cal was making a pass at him? Granted, he was, but he didn’t actually intend to make love to his co-star in front of half of Hollywood.
But then Jesse said, “Sure. I’d like to see what the food selection is this time. And…it would be fun to spend more time together.”
Cal pushed down the surge of relief that rose up at the other man’s words. “Great. It’s a date then. I’ll pick you up at seven?”
“Perfect. That’ll give me time to take my tour.”
“Tour?”
Jesse gave a self-effacing grin. “Well, my dorm neighbor was ribbing the other day because she found out that I’ve barely seen the city since I got here. So I found a bus tour that picks up just down the street. Figured I’d see the city the right way.”
“A bus tour is not the right way. They’ll just point out all of the houses where different movie stars live.”
Jesse laughed. “That’s too bad. I’m pretty sure I’ve already seen those.”
Cal was struck with an idea. “Why don’t I give you a tour? It won’t be as intricate as what you’d get on a bus, but I can take you to my favorite places to eat and—”
“I’d love it.”
Cal broke off and looked at the other man. Jesse was grinning up at him. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Great,” Cal said, surprised by how nervous he felt about taking Jesse on an all-day date. “I’ll pick you up at two then, instead. How does that sound?”
“Swell.”
* * *
Fred was practically giddy when Cal told him to arrange everything.
Which is to say, he forgot to light his cigarette in his hurry to get to a telephone.
Cal suspected the first phone call made would be to Edie to give her the latest gossip, but he hoped Fred would follow through on his instructions.
The next morning, his hopes proved well-founded, as Fred laid out a smart new outfit for him to wear around town. The outfit included a gray pinstripe suit with a plum-colored shirt and a lavender ascot to match. He put on a dark gray fedora, tugging the brim down a little lower than usual.
“Looking to impress someone, are we?” Fred asked.
“Don’t sound so smug about it.”
Fred flicked his cigarette over the ashtray on Cal’s dresser—which was put there for Fred’s particular use.
“What did you arrange for today?”
“Oh, you’re going to have a lovely time showing him around. I got you reservations for lunch at that Chinese place you like. They’re going to keep the back dining room empty for you so you don’t get mobbed by fans.”
“Perfect.”
“And then I arranged for two options for the afternoon: you can go to the Art Park. It’s a beautiful day for a stroll.”
Cal thought about Jesse’s burned shoulders. “What’s the second option?”
“Well, it took some doing, but I managed to pull a few strings and got you two an exclusive tour of the new observatory they’re building. It won’t be open to the public until next summer so it’s not fully complete, but—”
“Sounds great.”
Fred took a drag of his cigarette. Cal could tell from the set of his secretary’s shoulders that the man was pleased.
“And then, of course, it should be about time for you to get to the party. I’ll make sure there’s clothes for both of you at Edie’s.
You know, if you need them.” Fred smirked around his cigarette.
Cal frowned at him. “I don’t think it’ll be that kind of a night.”
“You never know,” Fred crooned.
* * *
Cal picked Jesse up in front of the dormitory buildings and handed him a jar of aspirin powder as soon as he got into the car.
“I should’ve given it to you yesterday, but I kept forgetting.”
“I’m practically used to the feeling by now,” Jesse said with a smile, but he took the aspirin.
The restaurant was one that Cal had discovered early on after moving to Los Angeles. It was always crowded with locals, which is how he’d first learned it must be good. He had stumbled upon the place when he’d been exploring the city and gotten himself completely turned around.
The staff was ready for their arrival, greeting them and leading them to the back room, although Cal was pretty sure the regulars didn’t give a hoot about a movie star dining nearby. Still, he was grateful for the privacy. When Jesse looked over the menu, his eyes widened.
“I’m not sure what any of this stuff is. What would you recommend?”
Cal wasn’t opposed to taking the opportunity to spoil Jesse a little more.
He ordered enough for a feast. Jesse’s eyes got even wider as dish after dish of rice and noodles, egg rolls and wontons, two different types of soup, and three different types of meat, all coated in their own unique sauces, were placed on the little table.
“You bought us too much again.”
“Guilty. Now you can try everything.”
Watching Jesse eat Chinese food for the first time was as much of a treat as enjoying it himself. When they were done, Jesse leaned back in his chair.
“I think I like this place better than the Pink Peacock,” he admitted.
“Probably doesn’t hurt that no one crashed our meal this time.”
Jesse laughed. “Okay. What’s next on the tour?”
“Fred managed to get us into an observatory.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a planetarium. He said they’re still building it up, but that he got us access to take a look.”
“Definitely better than the bus tour,” Jesse said, grinning.
Cal tried not to look too pleased.
The drive to the observatory took some time, made even longer by the slow trek up the incline through the hills to the building. But once they arrived, they were both duly impressed.
“Look at this view!” Jesse said, pointing.
Los Angeles sprawled before them. They could even make out the bold letters of the sign reading “Hollywoodland” in the distance.