Chapter Twenty-Five
LILY
Iwalk into my bedroom to find Apollo sitting slumped over on the bed.
“You lied to me,” he says. Hurt in every word.
“What? What are you talking about?” I’m so confused. Everything was going just fine.
“You said you didn’t recognize me. But you did. This whole time, you knew that was me. Has this all been some kind of sick childhood wish-fulfillment or something?”
“What are you talking about?” I’m crying and I don’t even know what for. I didn’t do anything wrong.
“Stop it, Lily. The proof is on the television right now. You know who I am. Just admit it,” he says, almost yelling at this point. “Fuck… That’s why you called me Spaceman,” he mumbles.
Even though I’m crying, I don’t let it shake me. I didn’t do anything wrong and I won’t cower like I have. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“The alien with the giant cock,” he says like that’s supposed to make any sense.
“Yeah?”
“The one you’ve had a crush on since you were thirteen?”
“Yeah?” He is going to have to be more specific. Just telling me what I already know doesn’t help.
“Jesus Christ, Lily. Just admit it. You knew that’s me.” He throws a hand out gesturing toward the living room.
I laugh.
I can’t believe it. Is this some kind of prank? “That can’t be you. The actor’s name that plays him is Kodiak Rhodes.”
He thumps his finger against his chest. “That’s me.”
“But…”
“I changed my name.” He sighs. His shoulders slump again but his attention remains on me.
I study his face and try to imagine him in the alien costume and makeup. It’s not easy. He’s older and broader muscled. More brawny than scrawny.
“Smile,” I say.
“What?” He asks, offended.
“Please, smile. You’ve changed so much. But your smile has always looked familiar. I haven’t been able to place it.”
He smiles. With the new information and the ability to ignore the wrinkles in the corner of his eyes and the bushy beard, my face slacks with my jaw. “It really is you. I swear I didn’t know. Apollo. Please believe me.”
After a moment pulling his hands through his hair, he whispers, “I know. I’m sorry I got angry. It’s just… I’ve been running away from that stupid show my entire career.”
“Why? You were great in it. As much shit as people give it, it’s a good show. Fun, at least. I love it. It has a decent cult following now too.”
“But it almost ruined my career. It was such a monumental flop. Every actor in it was overlooked for roles after it got canceled. Like we were bad luck or something. My agent and I decided the only way for me to get a new start was to change my name. But I didn’t think that was enough. So I didn’t just change my name. I erased my existence. I was luckier than the others. Because my costume and makeup hid my face, eyes, and hair. And I was able to bulk up over the years I took off. Grew a beard that I refused to shave for roles even though it greatly reduced my chances of landing them. Got a nose job…”
“Oh, I wondered… Not just Blake’s handiwork then.”
Apollo shakes his head. “I did a lot of little things that made enough of a difference I didn’t have to worry about being recognized. But then that meant starting over. I had an extensive resume that became useless. No one wanted me anyway though, so that wasn’t a huge deal. But auditioning was rough. I almost gave up. Started in a direction I didn’t want to go and then, I got the call. My career took off. Reporters dug into my past. But somehow not deep enough. Eventually, they started caring more about screwing with me in the present to care about my past. Especially when it came to my relationships. Which is why I’ve steered clear. Until now. And I’m scared, Lily.”
I’m not sure he’s in a place where he wants to be touched but I know how much the hug he gave me helped when thinking about my parents made me sad and I want to do the same for him. So I close the distance between us, wrap my arms around the back of his head and pull his cheek to my chest.
