The restaurant is only a few minutes away yet it’s a world away from Trickys. I walk in first, Seth behind me, and my heart dips at how lovely and pretty it is. It’s busy, but in a quiet, gently buzzy way not in an overwhelming crowded way. The walls are all dark wood, the ceiling is strung with hundreds of tiny lanterns, and all the tables are intimate and private so that all conversation is strictly between you and your dinnerguest.
This is not just dinner. This is adate. I’m on my firsteverdate!
Once we’re seated, we order drinks – sparkling water for me – I have lots more Chuck searching to do tomorrow and need to keep a clear head – and a glass of merlotforSeth.
I take my phone out of my bag and quickly press refresh on my email. I don’t mean to be rude, but, as I’ve already explained to Seth, I need to be completely present and ready for any Chuck-related news. I’m desperately hoping that one of the gazillion leaflets we sent out will lead to information soon. Impatiently, I wait for my inbox to load and feel a thud of disappointment when I see nothing about Chuck and nothing from any of the radio stations I contacted. All that trickles in is an offer to upgrade my Still Minds app for a discounted price. Masking my frustrated sigh as best I can, I put my phone away and once we’ve got our drinks, Seth lifts up hisglass.
‘I’ve got some great news. I… got the job!’ His turquoise eyes glint with pride. ‘I’m gonna be a cast member onSundayNightLive!’
‘Oh my goodness!’ I jump out of my seat, my knee bumping into the table and making everything atop it wobble precariously. ‘Wow!Comehere!’
Despite my own dramas right now, I could not be happier for Seth. What an incredible thing for him to haveachieved!
He stands up and does an adorable ‘aw shucks’ shrug. I give him a hug, my head barely reaching his chest. Would it be appropriate to just stay here for the rest of the night? Would it be terribly impolite to just unbutton a button on his shirt and maybe have a little lick of his chest. Right here in therestaurant.
Get a grip,Olive!
I reluctantly pull away. ‘That’s amazing, Seth! Actuallyincredible!’
He laughs as we sit back down. ‘I found out this afternoon. It’s going to be announced formally tomorrow and I’ll be introduced on the live show this Sundaynight.’
‘Formally announced?’Iask.
‘So, the press release will go out tomorrow and it should makeDeadlineandVarietyas well as the comedy blogs. This dumb face is gonna be everywhere.’ He points at his face and does a gormless expression. ‘And then on Sunday night, I’ll appear on the live show with the host. I’ll be introduced as the new featured cast member, and then I’ll actually start appearing in sketchesnextweek.’
‘Woah!’ I shake my head. ‘Are younervous?’
‘No,’ Seth says, taking a sip of his wine. ‘I’m fuckingterrified.’
‘You will be brilliant. Holy moly. Are you going to be famousnow,then?’
‘Little bit, yeah.’ He sniffs and brushes some imaginary lint off his shoulder. ‘I’ll have to start wearing sunglasses indoors and shit. Drinking green juices, getting manicures, working out so I’m camera-ready.’
I have a little daydream of Seth working out. All sweaty. No top on. No bottoms on either, come to think of it. He still has his specs on though. Like a naked, cocky Clark Kent, lifting dumbbells. Maybe in the library fromAtonement. Yes. Perfect. I feel like a cartoon wolf about to do a howl. I do not howl, though. This is a nice restaurant and if I’m going to start feeling these smutmuffin feelings I’m going to have to learn to control them at least a little. Instead of howling, I quip, ‘Good idea. Everyone knows they don’t let you on TV if your cuticles areragged.’
Seth wiggles his eyebrows excitedly. ‘Hey, maybe the woman who owns my local deli will finally remember my name. She’s been calling me Ted for three years. I correct her every time I go in there. And I go in there a lot – they do the best soup in Manhattan, you have to try it – but it’s like she decided I look more like a Ted than a Seth and opted to stickwiththat.’
I raise my glass of water. ‘To Ted, featured cast member onSundayNightLive.’
Seth raises his wine glass. ‘And to Olive Brewster, without whom my John Malkovich impression wouldn’t have knocked anyone’ssocksoff.’
We eye one another, grinning madly as we toast. That I might have had a tiny something to do with him getting his dream job is a really greatfeeling.
‘Seriously, Olive,’ Seth says putting his glass back onto the table. ‘I’m not trying to flatter you, but you have a natural ability for it. The team were really impressed with your input at the writers’meeting.’
I feel my cheeks turning red with pleasure. ‘I barely didanything.’
‘Of course you did. Pizza flap?’ He pulls a face and slides his glasses up his nose. ‘I mean, who comes up withpizzaflap?’
‘I had the best time,’ I say with a wistful sigh. ‘I can’tbelievepeople get to do that asajob.’
‘You could get to do that as a job,’ Seth says, his face turning serious. ‘I mean, you know, you’d have to get experience, take improv classes, write practice sketches, maybe even do some formal comedy training. But it’s completelypossible.’
I shake my head and shield my embarrassment at his compliments by taking three large gulps ofwater.
As he continues talking about the opportunities out there for someone like me to get into comedy writing, my breath catches in my throat, my stomach flipping over in a pleasant way. Because all at once I know, I amcertain, that that’s exactly what I want to do with the rest ofmylife.
Who’d havethought?
