Dream Date (7 page)

“Which movie do you want to see?” he asked Kayla.

“I’ve looked into some movies they’re showing right now that I thought sound good. There’s
Elysium, Prisoners, Thanks for Sharing
…
Adore
,” Kayla replied. She was browsing the Internet on her smartphone to check the showtimes.

“
Adore
? What is it about?”

Kayla clicked on her phone, and then spoke.

“On second thought, I’m not sure about it…it’s about two friends who fall in love with each other’s sons. Controversial, I know.”

Nathan gave Kayla a wry smile.

“Um…you’re right, we’ll pass that one.”

Kayla laughed.

“
Elysium
sounds good. The trailer was amazing. And
Prisoners
seems interesting”

“What is that one about?”

“Let’s see...it’s about a man whose daughter goes missing. The suspect of her abduction is—”

“Okay, don’t spoil it. Which one do we go see, then?
Elysium
, or
Prisoners
?”

“
Elysium
’s huge. It’s so impressive, probably the best movie of the fall. And Matt Damon is in it.”

Nathan laughed, shaking his head.

“It’s no contest, then.”

“Come on. You’re more handsome. I pinky swear.”

Nathan and Kayla arrived at the theater. After finding parking, they walked towards it.

“The movie’s in half an hour. Can you think of a good way we can spend the time?” Kayla asked, pocketing her phone.

“Besides buying snacks?” he asked, looking around. “I have an idea. Follow me.”

Kayla’s eyebrows furrowed. She followed Nathan to the back of the theater building. It was dark enough that they could find a private spot.

“You’re joking, right?”

“We’ve never done it with risk involved,” Nathan told Kayla, closing the distance between them. He leaned forward and planted kisses on her neck. “That makes it a lot more exciting, don’t you think?”

Kayla giggled.

“Someone will see us!”

“I’m not worried about that. And even then, look behind me! There’s nothing. That building over there’s got all its lights off. No one’s in there.”

Kayla worked to regulate her heartbeat. She took a surreptitious look around. Her back was against the wall of the theater. Behind Nathan, there was only a big field and shrubbery.

“I guess my writing has rubbed off on you,” she teased. She was a romance author.

“Perhaps,” he said, kissing her. He bit on her bottom lip softly, and then moved his hands up her body. In that moment, Amanda was nowhere in his thoughts. He undid the buttons on Kayla’s outer blouse, opening it.

“We should make this quick,” Kayla whispered. “Or we’ll miss the movie.”

“I don’t mind missing the trailers,” Nathan told her, opening her blouse completely. He then continued kissing her on the neck and down her chest. Kayla closed her eyes, looking happy.

“Have you ever done this before?”

“No. You’re the first girl I take risks with.”

“Wow. I’m flattered.”

Nathan laughed, and then he removed her undershirt. Kayla leaned forward to kiss him.

“I didn’t think I would enjoy playing out a scene of the kind I usually write about.”

“You’ve never been this…daring?”

Kayla’s cheeks turned red.

“No. I know I have a wild imagination, but I’ve never seriously thought of doing these things myself.”

“Baby, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

Nathan continued kissing Kayla, caressing down her waist and tugging down at the top of her pants.

In her apartment, Amanda was sitting down on her sofa with her MacBook. She was checking what was next on her schedule, both at school and at her job.

As Amanda was adding a new entry to her calendar, the front door bell rang.

“Hughes! Answer the door, please.”

Amanda continued browsing stuff on her computer while Hughes answered the door. After a few seconds, a familiar voice spoke.

“Amanda!”

“Brad!” Amanda replied, looking up. A young man in dark pants, light yellow T-shirt, and a blazer stood in front of the doorway. She put her computer on the coffee table and walked towards him.

“How’s my best friend?” Brad asked her, and they hugged each other. Hughes walked back to his room.

“I’m doing great. What have you been doing lately? You haven’t enrolled in college?”

“No. I’m a bit busy, and happy with my career. As a matter of fact, that’s what brings me here.”

“Let’s sit down, then. Would you like some coffee, water, or a snack?”

“Water will be fine,” Brad replied. Amanda nodded and went to the kitchen. She returned with a glass of water, which she handed to Brad.

“Thank you,” he said, making a toasting motion to Amanda before drinking. She noticed that he’d let his hair grow longer since the last time they’d seen each other.

“You’re welcome. What is it you wanted to tell me?”

Brad grinned. He seemed thrilled about what he was going to reveal.

“I got a starring role in a movie!” he said. Amanda looked at him in awe.

“Congratulations, Brad!” she said, hugging him again. “This is great news.”

“I know. I’ve been waiting for this day for so long. Now my dream’s almost come true.”

Amanda thought about how long Brad had been an actor. He almost dropped out of high school to chase his dream. Thankfully, Amanda convinced him to at least get his high school diploma. Brad still managed to take on small acting roles while in high school, but he graduated in three years. With high honors.

“What’s the movie about?”

“I can’t tell you much.”

Amanda pouted, groaning with disappointment like a little girl. It made Brad laugh.

“But you’re my best friend, so I can tell you a bit about the movie. I’m playing this guy, who’s out of college. He isn’t sure what career he wants to pursue. One day, he finds out his fiancée cheated on him, and they break up. Later on, the guy meets a woman who awakens feelings in him no other could before. The conflict is that this woman has emotional issues. She’s not mental; it’s just that she’s never known what it feels like for others to be…supportive of her. It takes effort to persuade her to give herself a chance at love.”

“So it’s a romance. What’s the title?”

“
Destined to Find You
.”

Amanda liked the title.

“Have they come up with a script?”

“Yes. I’ve read it, and I liked the story, so I accepted the role. Principal photography is set to start in November, at the earliest.”

“That’s soon. And, who’s playing your love interest?”

Brad grinned as though he had just found out he was taking his high school crush to prom. His blue eyes were shining with excitement.

“Lizzy Conley. It fits, as her character is British and she looks the part. Not to mention that she’s so talented.”

Lizzy Conley was an actress who was well known for having played a starring role in an action slash techno thriller movie set in the future. Her most recent role was as a love interest in a contemporary romantic comedy.

“Yeah, she seems awesome. I admire her a lot.”

Brad nodded, looking excited.

“Do you think I could meet her?” Amanda asked.

“That’s no problem. I could take you to one of the sets when shooting commences. Remember the last time you were in a set of a movie I was in?”

“Yeah, in New York.”

Brad nodded.

“Where’s your new movie filming?”

“Part of the shoot will be in Arkansas, but most of the film takes place in Europe.”

“I see. That means you’ll be traveling.”

“Yep. Don’t look so sad, girl. You may well have a chance to attend most of the shoots with me during your school holidays.”

“That’s true. I’ll think about it.”

Brad nodded. He finished the rest of his water.

“And you?” he asked, setting the glass on top of the coffee table. “Do you have any more photo shoots?”

“Not at the moment,” Amanda replied. “Among the few things I’ve got coming up is that I’ll be on the cover of GQ this October.”

Brad raised his eyebrows.

“I’ll be sure to pick up that issue if I have the chance.”

Amanda smiled, thinking about something.

“What is it?” Brad asked. Amanda took some time to answer.

“I wonder if I should retire from modeling.”

“I don’t know,” Brad said, sighing. “You could easily become one of the world’s top models, but it’s your call.”

“The work is fun and I enjoy it, but I love architecture more. If I retire, it would give me more time to concentrate on my studies.”

“Whatever you choose, I’ll be there to support you. You’d make an awesome architect, too. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be hiring you to build
my
own house.”

“Oh, don’t get me started,” Amanda warned him with a laugh. “If you spur me on, I’ll get carried away and come up with a concept by tomorrow.”

“No, no, no!” Brad replied in mock horror. “Wait five or ten more years at least, okay? I haven’t even got a girlfriend yet.”

Amanda and Brad laughed together.

“All right. I was just bluffing.”

“I know. I still wouldn’t put it past you to get carried away, though.”

Amanda slapped the back of Brad’s head lightly. He then changed the subject.

“How are you doing on your first semester of college so far?”

“It’s been great. Ithaca’s a nice change after all the big cities I’ve been to over the past few years. It’s nice to be someplace where I can go out and about without having cameras aimed at me.”

“You’re already that famous?”

“I know. I’m surprised by that, too. I never expected this kind of response from people.”

“You’re adorably beautiful, Amanda. If we weren’t such great friends, your beauty would hurt me.”

Amanda narrowed her eyes in mock irritation.

“Did you know you have lots of fans on Twitter and Tumblr?”

“I did. There are fan accounts there. I’ve gotten nice messages from my fans. A few of them have even sent me gifts.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. I have a copy of
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
that a fan thought I would like to read.”