40. Keep plugging away, kid #2
The world had lost interest in their former friendship.
No one was writing fan fiction about them anymore.
Articles had begun to focus on their work again.
Hunter’s superhero movie debuted this month, smashing box office records.
He’d taken Mikayla to the premiere, and people were buzzing about that.
And when one reporter dared to ask about his long-lost friendship with Colby Keaton, Hunter had acted like he almost forgot who Colby was.
“He was a fun guy. Probably still is, but we never hang out anymore.” And they didn’t.
And Colby knew Hunter was a good actor because it didn’t sound like he cared about that at all.
There were tree limbs and rocks, some big and scary, on Laurel Canyon, but nothing he couldn’t drive around, so he did.
And at the gas station where Laurel Canyon turned into Crescent Heights, there were shattered windows and a police cruiser with lights swirling.
But he wasn’t the only car on the road, so no one bothered him except a fire truck blocking Sunset a few blocks east and making him turn a block before Hayworth.
Residents of all the apartment buildings gathered on the sidewalks, so he drove slowly.
He parked in the spot, tucked into the back of the old apartment building that was reserved for their old unit. The squat, neglected building was still standing with no damage he could see… until he opened the gate.
Hunter knew walking anywhere after a quake was crazier than driving, so he drove.
It was only two blocks west and one block south.
His heart was still beating like a butterfly, all erratic and fluttery in his chest, and he had to white-knuckle the steering wheel to keep his hands from shaking.
He thanked his lucky stars his dad and Zeus weren’t here.
They were coming in a week. Dad had been keeping Manuel for him while Hunter worked on the sequel to Platonic Planet, and then, immediately after that, on an adaptation of a romance book that was filmed in New Zealand.
That shoot had created the jet lag he was currently battling.
Where the sequel to Platonic Planet had been a good experience, like the first one, the romance movie had been an uncomfortable one.
Not because of the ample sex scenes either, but because the actress he was working with had a jealous jerk off of a boyfriend who was on set way too much.
He was a total asshole to Hunter. He really didn’t get the concept of acting being pretend.
It was like he thought Hunter was having actual sex with his girlfriend.
The producers had to sit the actress down and talk with her about keeping him off set.
She’d pitched a fit and delayed shooting that day, but he showed up less as they finished the film, thankfully.
As he drove now, he thought about all the good and the bad of this life, this career he’d dreamed of.
It was a rollercoaster, but he did, when it came down to it, still love it.
He couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Only one thing was missing. Colby. And until he woke up with the world thrashing, he’d thought he could manage that loss.
Well, actually, he could, but tucked up in that bathroom as his house shook around him, he realized he’d been managing because deep down he believed in one day.
One day he’d get to try again with Colby.
One day they’d pick up where they left off.
One day the industry would change, or he’d be on the backside of his career when no one cared what he was doing when he wasn’t on a screen, and he could be with Colby again.
But as the house shook it finally occurred to him there might not be a later.
His brain filled with images of his dad’s anguished face and his tortured voice that day after his mom’s funeral.
“I lost so many years that I could have been with your mother. So fucking many.”
That’s why Hunter was now pulling into the long driveway that ran the length of his old apartment building, which looked unscathed.
He needed to be somewhere that reminded him of Colby.
Somewhere that was them, in essence. But when he tried to turn into the spot that came with his unit, a truck was there.
A vintage flatbed Ford. In cherry red. Hunter’s heart punched at his ribcage, and hope began to swell in his gut.
He only knew one person who would park in their spot, and that person would most definitely drive this kind of vehicle.
He didn’t actually know what kind of car Colby drove.
It could simply be some other tenant taking advantage of a spot where they rarely saw a car.
But…Colby was obsessed with Laurel Canyon and the artists that had once made it famous.
And there was a line from an Eagles song Colby used to play, for fun, when he was fooling around on his acoustic guitar, and that song had a line about a flatbed Ford.
So Hunter double-parked behind the truck, jumped out of his Range Rover, and jogged toward the front of the building.
He hoped against hope he’d find Colby in their apartment, but he never got that far.
The courtyard was filled with people. The manager, Bob, and every other tenant crowded around.
He stepped into the group and looked toward the pool like they were.
The towering palm that had been by the pool was now in the pool. Well, the top half of it. Palm fronds and debris were everywhere, the fence that bordered the pool was crushed like it had been made of tin foil, not iron. “Holy shit.”
“Holy shit.”
Hunter turned to the voice that echoed him. The melodious, familiar, perfect voice. Colby’s silver-blue eyes were wide, and that plump mouth was slightly opened in shock before it spread into a smile. “You’re here.”
“You’re here,” Hunter repeated.
“Hunter!” Bob said, his voice slurred from the afternoon beers he obviously still consumed. “Book any roles lately?”
“Umm… a couple…” Hunter didn’t move his eyes from Colby.
“Well, keep plugging away, kid.” Bob stumbled by him, clapping him on the shoulder. “Gotta go call the owner…”
The other tenants chatted amongst themselves as Colby crossed the distance to stand in front of Hunter. God, he looked so good. Hunter couldn’t stop staring. Maybe he looked the same, but it was just the ability to drink him in that made it feel so good.
“You said use the key if the world was ending, and it kind of felt like it might,” he said softly.
“It’s been feeling like that for a long time,” Hunter whispered, his voice rough with the need he’d been bottling up for far too long. “Before the fucking earth moved. Since we said goodbye in Montreal.”
“Guess you boys can’t have midnight pool parties anymore.” Mrs. Yoon’s snarky voice brought them back to reality. And the reality was, they were holding onto each other in front of every single one of their neighbors—former neighbors.
“Dude, you look like that singer in that band. Tidal?” a guy in pajama pants and a ribbed tank said, his blurry eyes on Colby. “The dude who dated Hannah Wolfe and won an Oscar with her.”
“Let’s go upstairs,” Colby suggested to Hunter and turned to face the guy with a shrug. “I get that a lot.”
He followed Hunter up the staircase to their former home. Once the door was closed, they stood face-to-face again, this time not touching. Hunter cleared his throat and gathered his courage. “I know it’s a lot to ask. I know why we can’t. I know, but… what if we did it anyway?”
Colby grabbed Hunter and pulled him into his arms. He ran his hand into Hunter’s hair as Hunter wrapped his arms around his back and pressed a kiss to the curve of his neck.
Colby blinked and then smiled. “None of this feels worth it without you.”
“I think it’s because you love me.” Hunter brushed their lips together softly, briefly. “And that’s pretty fucking convenient because I love you too.”
Colby’s mouth crashed down on Hunter’s in a deep, sweet, heart-stopping kiss. When he finally pulled back, Hunter was terrified, but at peace. This was exactly where he was supposed to be, who he was supposed to be with, even if the world didn’t end. Especially if it didn’t.