Page 13
The bus drove through an obstacle course of fluorescent construction signs and uneven pavement, bouncing and jarring its upper deck passengers. Alex and Mark both reached for the metal handle that crossed the back of their seat, bracing themselves.
“It’s never your fault.” Her eyes widened as she rocked with the bus’s momentum. “It’s always your agent, the producer, the director. They ask for a re-shoot, you drop everything. A castmate wants to run lines after hours, so you bail on Lucy’s party. We were celebrating her promotion, and you didn’t show up…”
Lucy bit her cheek, her wide eyes flying down to a new Snapchat image from Freddie on her phone.
“You even missed most of my birthday dinner because of a costume fitting. A costume fitting, Mark—like that couldn’t have waited? If you don’t speak up once in a while, it is your fault.” She yanked the scratchy headpiece from her hair, ripping out several strands in the process. “Ow! Great! Fucking great.”
Naomi’s family members, visiting from France and India, stopped talking and stared.
Mark tilted his head, seeking privacy in the crook of his girlfriend’s neck. “Alex, I already apologized about the birthday thing and Lucy’s party.”
She tugged at the knotted hair stuck in the fascinator’s teeth.
Their silence drew Lucy’s gaze. Naomi’s relatives politely looked away.
Mark kissed her on the forehead and drew her in. “Please don’t be upset,” he whispered. “Look, I’ll try harder to protect our time together, okay? Work’s been mental. It’s just taking me a while to figure out how to balance everything, but I will. You and I are in this together. Everything I do is for us, to make a better life for you and me.”
You and me. Alex exhaled deeply. She knew they were on the same side, but his job and everything that came with it—the lengthy separations, demanding directors, intrusive fans—often felt like her enemy. She had waited six long weeks to be reunited with Mark, and the dread of him leaving again so soon weighed heavily. In twenty-one hours, he’d be halfway across Europe again, gone for three more weeks, followed by the film in Newfoundland with an ocean creating another unwelcome separation. She shouldn’t be spending these precious hours arguing with him.
“And I appreciate that.” Alex softened her tone and lowered her voice so Mark was her only audience. “You know I do, but you don’t see how the workaholic in you blindly takes over. Life shouldn’t be all work. It makes me worry, Mark. You’re running yourself into the ground. It’s not healthy.”
“I know, Mouse, but like Wink says, I have to strike while the iron’s hot.”
Alex rolled her eyes. Wink. His agent had such a stupid name.
“I know, it’s a cliché, but he’s got a point. This job is all about the immediate future. Right now, casting agents and directors want me, but that won’t always be the case. Slacking off just when things are going well could damage my career. Wink says, ‘Blow the next chance and you’re yesterday’s news.”’
The bus pounded through a patch of potholes.
“But you should make your demands known, too. Stand up for yourself. Just because your agent thinks something is a great idea doesn’t mean it is.”
“I know, I know. I get carried away. I still can’t believe they want me. I’m flattered.”
“You’re like a puppy sometimes, Mark, so eager to please everyone—”
“We’ll figure it out. Other actors balance their careers and personal lives without any problems, it’s just new to us.”
Alex twirled a lock of Mark’s hair that had fallen onto his forehead. “Your job frustrates me sometimes, but I love you, so…”
“I will make it up to you. Promise.”
“Yeah, well sexy time on FaceTime won’t cut it, mister…”
“Ah, the ol’ look, but don’t touch? Kill me now!” He lifted his chin. “I’ve got a better idea. How ’bout I get some flights sorted? Fly you over to Newfoundland for a visit, and once the movie’s done in February, we’ll go to Miami for a month, live near the beach, and ignore all our calls. It’ll be fantastic, right?”
A slight smile nudged her cheeks. Visiting Florida during Spring Break wasn’t her idea of fun, but if it meant more time with Mark… She had missed him so much, she would agree to pretty much anything he asked. “Right.”
A tire hit another pothole, shaking the bus with a teeth-chattering rattle. Alex hugged Mark tightly, desperate to keep him close, to feel safe again.
Over her shoulder, Mark caught the St. John Street sign sailing past. “Hey, we’re here.” He kissed her quickly and leaned back with a loved-up grin. “Let’s find you some chocolate cupcakes.”
The bus swayed to the left and halted along the curb, allowing guests to pour onto the sidewalk in front of The Peasant pub. Simon, Freddie, and Harry stood underneath the green awnings, waiting for their friends to join them. On the upper deck, Alex, Mark, and Lucy hung back, politely offering Naomi’s relatives first dibs on the steep steps down to the bus’s main floor.
While Mark adjusted his suit jacket, Alex abandoned the fascinator on her seat. She raised her eyebrows at Lucy as she stood atop the stairs.
Lucy nodded at the discarded hat. “Giving in?”
“Yeah, it hurts a bit too much,” said Alex.
