Chapter Five
Joel
My face was itchy as hell.
My fingers ran through the fake beard I’d put on so I could remain anonymous while out with the film crew. Nothing ruins a good time like being surrounded by a mob and cameras. I tended to do this whenever we were out during filming, which is why people still invited me out to chill with them.
“Anybody else coming?” I asked Mark, one of the sound boom guys.
“Uh, I think Alessandra and Tina are coming. Right, Kandi?” He looked towards Blue Pop. Kandi was her real name, but I liked my nickname in my head for her better.
“Yep.” She set her gum on the side of her beer, and took a sip, not once taking her eyes off the band playing ahead of us.
The Bean was a little coffee bar, but at night they had local bands perform. People could come hang out, nurse something stronger than coffee, and listen to the tunes. Very laid back setting.
“Hey, guys. Sorry, traffic was a mess.”
I looked up to see Alessandra setting her purse down and pulling out the chair next to me.
“Hi.” She smiled at me, not recognizing who I was. Interesting. It had been a whole twenty-four hours since I had riled her little feathers a bit. I wondered how long it would take for her to realize who I was.
“Hi. Randy.” I changed my voice to sound more like a cowboy.
“Alessandra.” She smiled and held out her hand to shake. I took her hand in mine and loved the way it fit perfectly. Even though I wanted to keep holding on, my fingers let go of hers.
All seven pairs of eyes at the table around us were watching my little charade with Alessandra. Some of them were curious; the others were about ready to burst out with laughter.
“I haven’t seen you around set; what do you do?” She was all smiles and niceness. It was strange for me to see her this way. Having a normal conversation. If she knew it was me, her walls would be up faster than a kid with his first titty magazine.
“I’m a tech guy.” Her head tilted slightly, like she was trying to place my face but couldn’t. I must have done a really good job with my fake beard, and chose a good hat.
“Cool beans.” She let whatever thought she had go and ordered a Corona when the waitress came over to get her order. Another girl who I’m pretty sure was Leighton’s assistant stole her attention, and I sat there thinking about how I could use this to my advantage.
Suddenly Alessandra’s phone started ringing My Hero by Foo Fighters, a song I knew very well. Considering it was the song that played when I saved the day in my last film. I was a super hero, and boy did I eat that shit up. Was she a fan of my work? More questions just kept piling up the more I was around her.
“Excuse me,” she told the table and took the call outside. I wanted more time around her, and even though stupid, to see whose ringtone that was.
“Hey, Mark, give me one of your cigarettes and lighter for a minute.” I kinda demanded them but he just shrugged and handed them to me. Everyone was over my charade, for now at least, they were just enjoying the show.
I stood up quickly and walked out to where I saw the apple of my eye talking on the phone.
Quietly, my arm pressed the door open so I wouldn’t disturb her. Playing the part, I put the cigarette in my mouth and lit it. I’d had to smoke for roles before, so the action was easy. Never got in the habit of it, though. It was purely a prop for me.
“Jenson. I will talk to you later about it, okay?”
Jenson?
Was he a lover? She never wore a ring, so it certainly wasn’t a husband.
“I love you, too. Bye.” She pressed the end button, and I turned my head towards the sky like I wasn’t just listening into her conversation.
“Oh, Christ on a cracker!” she exclaimed, jumping seeing me so close. It was sort of amusing, seeing her like that. Cute, really. I would have thought she would have ninja-chopped someone who scared her.
“Sorry, ma’am.” I took a drag and blew it out towards the stars.
“It’s all right. I was just distracted.” That smile grew on her lips, and she started to walk back towards the door. I started to panic, not wanting her to leave yet.
“It’s gonna work out, you know. You’re a pretty girl. Whoever he is, it’ll be good.” The words flew out, and I wasn’t sure what they meant.
