If it wasn’t for Iris’s calming nature, I’d be making headlines as a murderer.
The fucking nerve of that asshole! Trying to make Iris feel guilty for his insecurities is one thing, but taking even one step towards her in anger was too far.
I’m up half the night fighting the urge to hunt the dude down and make him regret saying one single word to Iris about their last job together. She’s so worn out from the exchange that she falls right asleep; she doesn’t even hear her phone pinging with back-to-back messages. I take a peek at the screen and see that they’re all from work. I can’t open the phone beyond checking the notifications, so I don’t know what her boss and client are saying, but I can hazard a guess: Sloan quit the commercial.
Great. Now I’ve gotta get mad about him fucking up her career.
I get up around two to make some coffee and pace a bit in the kitchen, where I won’t disturb Iris. She’s s going to need all the rest she can get to face her day tomorrow.
The pacing helps some, but the caffeine kicks in and demands that I stay up a little longer. Frustrated at not having a real outlet for my anger, I turn on the GameStation and start playing the most violent first-person shooter I have. I mute the TV, so the gunfire and explosions don’t wake Hailey and Iris, but about an hour later I hear the soft patter of footsteps behind me.
Iris sits on the cushion next to me and leans against my shoulder. “I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. I’m guessing you can’t sleep, either.”
“I could if there was a mod that turned all the enemies into Sloan. I don’t suppose you know if he voiced any video game baddies in his career? Maybe if I can blow up his voice, I’ll feel better.”
Iris giggles and snuggles closer. “I have no idea. None that I worked on, anyway.”
“Damn.”
We sit together until exhaustion wins out. When I wake up at dawn, Iris is still propped up against me on the couch. We fell asleep just like that, though the game has long since timed out and kicked me to the loading screen.
I nudge Iris’s arm until she stirs. “Wake up, baby. It’s morning; time to face the music.”
She groans and scrubs her face with her hands. “Ugh. I know. I checked my messages before I came down here this morning. The client, Mr. Jones, is furious at losing Sloan and his star status, the actress who plays the mom is threatening to quit, and the director and my boss, Oliver Franklin, are both freaking out. If we lose this campaign, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something. Hire a better actor, one with more star status.”
Iris laughs and pats my knee. “That’s cute. It was a miracle that we hired someone that big in the first place. In fact, looking back on it, he probably only agreed to the gig to have another chance to work with me.” She freezes for a moment, then hangs her head. “God, that sounds so egotistical, doesn’t it?”
“Hey.” I tip her chin up with a finger. “Don’t talk like that. You don’t have an egotistical bone in your body.”
Her lip trembles, and I see the start of tears in her eyes. “It’s all going to shit. All because I stood up to him. If I don’t find another actor—one who knows the lines, who fits the part—before the client drops us, I’m going to lose it all.”
I hate that I can’t help her with this. All I can do is pull her into an embrace, hold her, and try to keep her calm.
“Maybe you’ll find a guy. I mean, you just need a tall guy with tattoos, right? There’s got to be a million actors that fit that bill. Just rustle up a few and audition them, like you did with Hailey. Hell, the right actor will probably be one of those least-expected ones, someone no one’s ever heard of.”
Iris sniffles, and I hold her tighter. “It’s not just ‘tall and tattooed’ we need. We need an actor who has a hot dad vibe, who can memorize the lines in a matter of hours, and most importantly, who has chemistry with Hailey and the other actress.”
“It’s too bad I don’t know the first thing about acting.” I chuckle, hoping to ease her pain with a little joke. “Aside from the chemistry with the other actress, I have all those things. Even the lines. I sure helped Hailey with hers often enough that I don’t need any coaching to remember them.”
Her head jerks up so fast that she smacks me in the chin with it.
“Ow!”
“Micah, you’re a genius!”
“Huh?” I rub my chin, confused about what I could have said that was so brilliant. “I mean, I appreciate the compliment, but why am I a genius?”
Iris gives me a devious grin, and I get the feeling I have just doomed myself.
***
I fucking hate acting.
The makeup. The hands all over me as half a dozen people fuss with my hair and clothes. The lights. The annoying repetition of the same lines over and over again. The “Action!” The “Cut!” All of it.
If I didn’t love Iris so much, I would never have agreed to this.
