Falling Stars (Starstruck Series Book 2) (8 page)

Alisa had tears in her eyes.  When Alex was telling the story, she had pictured it all happening and wished so badly to have been there for such a beautiful moment.  “Aw, sweetie, I am so happy for you guys.”

“It was the perfect time for you to call, because I have something very important to ask you.”

Oh God
, she thought
.  Is he going to ask for advice? Sex advice? A place to stay until they found a new place in Los Angeles?
 She didn’t mind that, mostly because her house was big enough to fit the entire gang pretty comfortably.  Her brain wrapped around itself as she tried to figure out what he could possibly want, and she gestured with her hands to try to get the answer out of him.

He breathed, “Okay. So, we’ve already talked about having the wedding in a couple of months, just before Thanksgiving, out in Long Beach. John’s family referred a nice little location for us, a gorgeous hotel--something simple, nothing over the top, just friends and family.”

“That sounds great! By then the show will be rounding out to the mid-season, and I should be able to spare a weekend during the movie planning.”  She smiled.  She loved weddings.

“I’d also be honored to have you there as my maid of honor.”

A bit of wine got caught in her throat, and she coughed to clear it.  “I’m sorry, what?”

Alex patted her knee, “Babe, you know that you and Lo mean so much to me and John for bringing us together; we figured it would only be right if we have you both be there for us.  Ray and David are going to be there too. Brendan as our ring bearer, Abigail as one of our flower girls, and Dawn also agreed to be a bridesmaid with her little one as our flower girl.”

If he had asked her two days ago, Alisa would have been overjoyed.  Present day Alisa had knots tying in her stomach that were too tight to undo.  She gulped down a little more wine before sitting back.

“Wow, Alex. Yes! I would be honored.”  If she said any less she would sound petty and selfish.  If she said any more, Alex would see right through her.  She wasn’t lying to her friend; she was just less than stable when it came to being around her husband, so she was a little hesitant.

He tilted his head, “Are you sure?”

It took a bit to force a smile, but she mustered enough of one to be convincing.  There was no way Alisa wanted to disappoint her friend.  “Of course.”

As soon as she responded, Alex swept her into his arms and swayed with her from side to side in excitement.  “Thank you!  I know you’re busy, and I really appreciate you doing this for me. You have no idea.”

“Of course, sweetie! I wouldn’t let you down.”

Her phone buzzed.

It was Logan.
How’s New York?

Alisa didn’t know how to answer. She’d text him earlier to let him know that she was terrified of flying alone, how she was sorry, that she had landed safely, and all he said was ‘
How’s New York’
?  She nearly threw her phone across the room.  She envisioned it hitting the wall and shattering to pieces, so as a preventative measure, she kept her composure and held it tightly in her hand.

Alisa didn’t realize how long she’d been standing in her bathroom doorway until she looked at the clock. Five minutes had flown by.  Alex had gone about a half an hour ago.  Was she going to answer?  Should she just leave it alone?  Alisa didn’t want it to be this way but all the same, she didn’t want to feel like they could disregard the last 24 hours.  That would never end well.

“Damnit.”  Alisa cursed.

Haven’t left the hotel yet
  
She erased it, knowing he’d probably take that the wrong way.

I wish you were here
  
She erased that too.

It’s all right.  Nothing like home.  I’ll get to see more of it tonight.
 After reading it over several times, she hit send.

Scripts for episode 1 are going out tonight.  I’ll make sure you get one.
 He responded.

Alisa hated this! She couldn’t handle feeling like he was sweeping everything that had happened under the rug. It was unnerving.      

Thanks
, she typed.

It took everything she had in her to put her phone down. She used to have a basic phone; calls and texts were the only things necessary.  After meeting Logan, he gave her a brand new phone.  Then she became a part of the studio staff, and hadn’t been able to let go of the device ever since.  There was always a text, email, chat, Hangout, Facebook post or voicemail to check.  As was habit, she found herself on Facebook, and somehow on the profile of Evan Gable.  Alisa partly blamed Joann and Evie for getting her into the habit of Facebook stalking, but the Devil and Angel weren’t on her shoulders now, so she only had herself to blame.  Evan had checked himself into the hotel.       

She clicked on one of his photo albums. Flipping through the photos, there were pictures of him from his production of
Letting Go
, showing some of the antics that took place. She clicked on another album and found a photo of Evan and Ray Day. The picture was hilarious and had so many likes. She was laughing so hard, she hit the like button without even thinking.

Her phone rang.

“Dinner time.  Be ready in an hour?”  

“Sure thing.”

Evan treated her to dinner at the Italian place the cab driver had mentioned.  It was on the edge of rivaling Salvi’s, where they frequented back home, but there was something about Italian food in New York that made it more authentic and delicious.

The pair had a discussion about the incoming script, and Evan wanted to know more about his character from the writer herself.  She exposed him to details that she deemed safe to explain, and he accepted the information. They were deep in conversation for a couple of hours at dinner.  Alisa was amazed they had been maintaining any means of conversation for so long.  One of her fears she had when she accepted the trip over here was that she wasn’t going to get along with him at all.  He proved her wrong.

Her phone went off, and his went off seconds later.  The two had received an email that the scripts were in their studio inboxes for review.   The first cast read for Episode 1 of the new season was as soon as they got back, and they would have their physical copies in hand.

Alisa reached for the check holder.  Instead, she found herself grasping a warm hand. She looked up. Evan had the same idea. He was reaching for the check as well and grabbed it before she had a chance. “What do you think you’re doing?”

The two of them had a stare down.  They slowly arched a brow at one another, until Evan’s reached the highest point it could possibly go, and they erupted in laughter again.  “Don’t worry. I won’t take this the wrong way. I’ll pay for this one, and you get the next. Sound like a deal?”

“The wrong way,” she snickered. “Yeah, yeah, let’s just get out of here.”

The conversation poured into the streets as they made their way back towards the hotel. There was a noticeable dynamic when she spoke to him. He had stars in his eyes when he explained his vision of certain scenes from the movie that he could already see playing out in his head. He gushed about how much he loved some of the things that were done in
Gateway
and was so incredibly passionate about his craft when he talked about the new movie. He was so inspired, and she loved it. Alisa had the same burning passion for her own writing and started to tell him about a couple other books she had that she hoped would see the silver screen, to which he replied: “One of these days, we’ll make it happen.”

Alisa didn’t want to take it the wrong way, nor did she want to get her hopes up, but it was refreshing to be so candid with another visionary.

A couple of blocks from the hotel, her phone went off again. When she pulled it up, she noticed a text message. It was from Ray this time.

I was told to have you text once you got the script.

I got it.
She replied.

“You seem to be extra popular today.” Evan cast a sideways glance at her as they walked briskly with the flow of pedestrian traffic.

Writers Room demands you read it over.

I helped write it too…
Alisa wrinkled her nose as she typed.

Ray submitted an emoticon with its tongue sticking out.
I know
.

We’re going upstairs in a minute. We’ll read.
She sent a smiley face to sign off.

“They really want us to get through the script, and I told Ray we were going to…”

“Slave drivers, I swear.”

“See what you’ve gotten yourself into?” Alisa waved her phone at him with a playful smile on her face. It felt good to smile, and at the very least, joke around with her companion.

“All right, I’ll run in real quick and grab some coffee.” He pointed at the small coffee shop a few feet away. “Would you like anything?”

Alisa eyed her phone.  The sun hadn’t set over the city yet, but it was late evening.  The only other messages she’d gotten were from Evie asking about how she was enjoying New York and of course, curiosity about Evan.  She didn’t have anything else planned until tomorrow’s meeting. “Sure. Here. It’ll be easier this way.”

Alisa typed out her order via text message and sent it to Evan’s phone.  It wasn’t terribly complicated, but she had gotten several complaints from some of the runners and PA’s at the studio on how many words and syllables they had to pronounce to get her order right.

“That works. Be back in a sec.”

The street was busy enough that she felt safe standing outside while she waited for Evan.  Even in a strange city, she was confident she would hold her own for a few minutes.  Being in the sleepless city where millions lived and worked, she tried to prepare for the unexpected.

“Alisa?”  The call came from behind her. To her surprise, it was her brother-in-law.

“Joey?”

“Been so long, how are you?”  Joseph Rider was Logan’s older brother, also an actor.   He had a home in Los Angeles not too far from them, so it was a huge surprise to see him in the city.

Alisa was lifted into a huge bear hug.  As Joey was a little taller than Logan, she felt the ground beneath her disappear for a few seconds.  When he placed her down again, she was beaming with excitement.  It was good to see another familiar face in the city. “What brings you to New York?”

“Got a call a few days ago saying I should fly out here to meet with Jenn Vega for a movie deal they want me on.”

“Jenn Vega?” Alisa repeated.

“Yeah! Know her?”

It finally clicked.  

If Joey was called for this meeting too, Evan and/or Ron had done so without her input.  They had a lot of explaining to do.  

“Uh—I…umm…that movie you’re referring to…” Alisa began to fidget, nervously scratching behind her ear.   

“Yeah?”

“It’s mine.  
Gateway
’s sequel.”

He smiled, “Yeah, I know! I talked to Logan last night about it.”

“What?”  That was most certainly not the response she was expecting.

Joey’s smile wasn’t as nice as Logan’s, but it was definitely bright.  The Rider genes meant gorgeous smiles too.

“Logan knew about this?”  It was like a slap in the face, minus the painful sting of the blow.  It just stunned her.  

“Yeah, don’t sweat it.  I’m glad we’ll all get to work together finally.  It’ll be fun, I promise.”

“Yeah, a blast.”

“Listen, though, I have to catch a cab.  Meeting some old friends at the Ruby.  We’ll catch up tomorrow.”  Joey gave her a kiss on the cheek and another tight hug before disappearing off down the street.  

She stood there, stunned.  It was her moment away from Logan, and another Rider was there to keep an eye on her. Not that she had anything to hide, she just wanted to keep her mind off of Logan for the time being, and then Joey walks up. It was just her luck.

Evan walked up with a carrier from the coffee shop holding two drinks and two pastries.

“Why the face?”

“What?”

“The face. You’re doing that spaced out thing.”  Evan made an attempt at duplicating her face.  “What’s going on?”

Alisa cleared her throat and took the coffee, gratefully.  “Let’s get upstairs.”

He waggled his eyebrows, which prompted a swat to his arm with her clutch.

“
To read
.”

“I know.”  Evan winked.

The duo had settled into her room this time.  Each of them pulled up their scripts on their tablets and started to pick apart the scenes with Aaron and Theresa.  They even started reading bits from Aaron’s scenes with other cast members, like Dawn and Ray.  Alisa was sure her Dawn impression was spot on, but her Ray needed a little work, or so he said.

11:50 rolled around, and Alisa yawned.

“Coffee not strong enough?”

“Too strong, I think.  It lasted me pretty long.  It’s crash time.”

Evan took a deep breath, “Well, we did make some good progress, partner.  At least we’re getting to sleep at a decent hour.  The next couple of days are going to fly.”