“Thanks, though Paul didn’t seem to think so. Said it was still too cheesy.”
“Fuck Paul,” Alexander snaps, and his shoulders stiffen.
Well, if nothing else, at least that’s one thing we still agree on.
I force down a smile that Alexander thankfully misses, distracted by a call. He quickly pulls the phone from his pocket.
“I’m by the brick statue, with the gold figures on top. Black baseball cap.” He hangs up and slides the phone back in his pocket. His energy shifts slightly as he nervously looks around and plays with the rim of his cap.
“Who was that?”
For the first time, it occurs to me that Alexander is on his own.
There’s no sight of Rob, Paul, or anyone else on his team. Alexander, one of the most recognizable people on the planet, is alone in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world.
“Oh, just a friend I’m meeting for a run.” The words quickly fall from his mouth, his voice elevated.
Alexander’s baggy Lakers baseball jersey and basketball shorts are not exactly the attire I’d expect for someone about to go for a run around Central Park.
“Right.” The awkward silence does nothing to stop the avalanche of emotions that push at the barricade inside me. “We keeping the beard then?” I change the topic once more.
“You don’t like it?” Alexander’s hand grazes the bottom of it.
“I didn’t say I don’t like it. Just wondering if you’re keeping it for the shoot tonight.” My shoulders tense as my heart skips a beat.
“So, you do like it?” The right side of his mouth rises.
His charm catches me off guard.
Butterflies swarm my stomach as the barricade starts to cave.
Don’t do it. Don’t get sucked back in.
A soccer ball hits Alexander’s foot and he bends down to pick it up. A little boy runs up and Alexander hands it over to him, rubbing the top of his head and smiling at the boy’s parents, who mouthThank you. The sight pulls at my heartstrings.
See, I told you he is caring.
Yeah, so caring that he left us high and dry.
The conflicting voices inside my head play tug-of-war with my heart.
I can’t do this. Not now.
“I better go.” I reach for my watch to restart my tracker. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Before he has a chance to answer, I set off and run out of the park, stopping outside the Brewed coffee store across from the entrance where we’ll be shooting at tonight.
But curiosity gets the better of me.Who is he going to meet?I linger by the traffic lights, out of sight, to catch a glimpse of who he’s due to meet. My curiosity increases when a man in a black hoodie, jeans, and trainers approaches Alexander. Their encounter is brief. They exchange a few words and shake hands a little longer than seems normal before the guy continues to walk into the park and Alexander heads to the exit.
What is he doing? Why did he lie to me?
I shut the line of questioning down before it has a chance to spiral.
Not my circus. Not my monkeys. Not my peanuts.
Not my circus. Not my monkeys. Not my peanuts.
I repeat the phrase until the questions disappear and set off once more, weaving my way through hordes of people and down Eighth Avenue toward the hotel.
