35. Friend might be an overstatement #3
She sighed and sniffed and said. “Because being oblivious is exhausting. So is giving up, which is what I did when I lost that baby girl of mine, which makes me a horrible mother. You boys all deserve better, and it may be too late, but I’m going to give it to you.”
Still not a word from Dad or Atlas, but whatever.
At the Governor’s party, Hannah and Colby got their awards engraved and then posed for what felt like an endless stream of photos together and apart.
As soon as he could, Colby handed Ford the award, grabbed a drink, and did a lap of the room, but he couldn’t find Hunter.
Surely, he’d be at the after-parties. They were more anticipated than the awards.
Hannah found Colby and told him they were moving on to the next one.
Ford and Mary would take their awards back to the hotel for them and rejoin them at the next event, which was at the Roosevelt Hotel.
Briar and Kenner would come later, they were too busy making out at the Governor’s Ball, so it was just Hannah and Colby walking out to find their black SUV among the fifty chauffeur-driven SUVs lining the curb.
As Colby helped Hannah into the back, someone called his name.
Hope seized his heart, but when he turned to find the face attached to the male voice, it wasn’t Hunter.
It was an older guy in a standard tux holding a phone.
He smiled. “Hey. Sorry! I just wanted to congratulate you.”
He held out his hand, and Colby took it. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
“I’m Jesse. I work for Magenta Studios. Hotel Love was the first project I green-lit for them, actually,” he said proudly.
That was the name of the movie that used Colby and Hannah’s song.
“Anyway, I’m just trying to find my car so I can get my ass to the Roosevelt, but I saw you and wanted to say congrats.
I loved your song the second I heard it, and I’m so glad the music editor loved it too. ”
“What?”
He was looking away now, trying to figure out which of the cars was his. “I heard your song through a friend and suggested it. I mean, I have no power in that department and wasn’t trying to. I just really liked it, and the vibe matched what I thought they were going for, so I sent them your clip.”
“We’re heading to Roosevelt, so why don’t you hitch a ride with us? Text your driver and tell him to meet you there later,” Colby suggested because he needed more of this story. He had never stopped to wonder how his song was picked.
“Really? That would be great, man. Thanks.”
Jesse climbed into the back, and as they buckled up, the driver pulled away from the curb, and Jesse introduced himself to Hannah. That’s when Hannah asked . “What friend did you hear the song through?”
He suddenly looked contrite. “Well, friend might be an overstatement. Colleague. Kind of? I worked for a streaming service before Magenta and was involved in the movie Platonic Planet.”
Colby’s whole body turned to Jesse, the seatbelt yanking on him uncomfortably, but he didn’t care. “Hunter?”
Jesse smiled excitedly. “Yeah! I was sent to Vancouver when they wrapped that film, and I spent a couple of days on set. He’s a talented guy.
I knew he was going places and that flick would blow him up.
I also knew I was moving to Magenta, so I sent his agent the Staycation script.
Got him on that flick, which turned out not so great except for him. He was stellar.”
“He was,” Hannah agreed.
“But he told you about our song?”
“Sure did. We were in post-production on the film, and the music supervisor was still arguing with the film editor over a song for the big scene. Hunter and I ended up at an industry event his new agency was throwing. No one knew who the kid was yet, so he was kind of just lurking there. We started chatting, lamenting about all the parts that have to hit just right to make a film a blockbuster. He has serious business smarts. All aspects. That’s rare for an actor. ”
“Yeah. It is and I know. I used to be his roommate.” Colby kept his voice level and casual, but he was ready to shake Jesse to get the full story out.
“Yeah, he said that when I mentioned we needed a brilliant song for a scene, since it’s such an important layer.
” Jesse paused to look at his phone, and Colby wanted to reach over and toss it out the window to get his attention back.
Finally, he looked up. “Anyway, he told me about Tidal. Well, mostly about you because you were his roommate and he thinks you’re ridiculously talented on your own, and he played some clip of a song you’d sent him in a voice memo.
I knew it was perfect. You guys had literally just recorded it, so I was lucky.
Got it to our music supervisor, and he was able to snag the rights before anyone else. ”
Hunter did that. Hunter made this possible.
Hunter made everything possible. Yet Hunter was an impossibility.
For Colby anyway. Life was truly a double-edged sword, and Colby was sick of trying to avoid being cut.
He kind of wanted to tear himself wide open.
It would be worth it if he could just be with Hunter.