To the Moon and Back

by Melissa Brayden

  She didn’t hesitate and slid onto the call. “Hi.”

  “Hey, you.” God, that voice. “Tell me about these changes.”

  Carly did. She told Lauren about the new home, the unexpected fun she was having on the celebrity game show circuit, and how she saw a new path for herself that surprisingly made her much happier than the old one. “I would never have guessed that I’d be happier once I focused less on status, but I am. I’m choosing things for myself that make me smile.”

  “What’s one of them?”

  God, it felt good to talk about daily life things with Lauren again, like the most cleansing of breaths. “There’s an adorable café near my new house that I’d love to take you to one day. I eat lunch there twice a week and either take a book or a play to read, or just people watch.”

  Lauren was quiet for a minute. “That makes me really happy. All of it. You have no idea.” There was a wistful quality in the way she said it that had Carly unnerved.

  “What about you?”

  “The play is over and I’m taking a little time for myself. Sleeping in. Taking Rocky for long walks.”

  “Enjoying it?”

  Lauren hesitated. “It’s been an interesting time. My crossroads, I guess.”

  “I miss you.” The words were so automatic. That’s how Carly knew how deeply she meant them.

  Lauren’s voice was quiet. “I miss you, too.”

  “Good night, Lauren.”

  “Sweet dreams, Carly.”

  They hadn’t spoken about their romance or a possible future, but Carly knew without a doubt that their connection remained very much intact. She smiled and slid beneath her sheets. She just had to stay the course. Patience was a virtue, right?

  * * *

  New York City in winter was something to behold. Lauren exited the crowded subway station and found herself in Times Square. It was getting dark out, even though it was only four p.m., but the streets were illuminated by omnipresent neon. She gave herself a small hug as she walked, inhaling the sweet scent of roasted nuts from a street vendor on the corner. In just a few hours, audiences would take to the streets, heading out in their nice clothes for the theater, a concept that always left Lauren feeling invigorated.

  The trip was entirely unexpected. She’d surprised even herself when she’d agreed to the audition her agent sent her way. She wasn’t entirely sure about the future of her career, but there was no way she was passing up a shot at a new Heather Kim play. She’d be happy to get coffee for people on that production. In good news, she’d felt great about the audition. She was happy with her reading and seemed in sync with the director.

  They’d invited her back for a chemistry read the next day, in an attempt to match actors up with others who might complement them in the world of the play. They’d scheduled her for two such readings.

  After snagging a sandwich and a giant chocolate chip cookie from Schmackary’s, Lauren took in a performance of Clean Slate, one of her all-time favorite musicals that had been running on Broadway for years, and headed back to the hotel for a good night’s rest.

  The next afternoon, she met with the creatives for her second audition.

  “What I loved about your reading yesterday was the way you infused compassion into what also had to be a high-pressure case for her to solve,” the director, Jeanine, told her before they got started. “You took time to check in on a very human level, rather than sticking to the business of the job.”

  “Oh, okay, great. I can stay in that mode.” She tried to remain calm, knowing Heather Kim herself sat in the corner of the room, taking notes.

  “We’re gonna first test you with the character of Jimmy,” Jeanine said. She introduced Lauren to Freddy Hale, the young boy they’d cast in the show.

  He seemed precocious and excited. “Cool to meet you.”

  “Back atcha,” Lauren said, as they exchanged a high five. They did a short reading from a scene, listened to some notes, and tried it again.

  “Perfect,” Jeanine said, jumping to her feet. “Freddy, I think that’s all we need from you.” He offered Lauren a final high five, said good-bye to the team, and joined his mom, who held his coat by the door.

  “So, your background is in stage management,” Jeanine said, with an amused grin. “That’s great. I used to stage manage myself. There’s nothing like it.”

  “You’ve got that right. I just wrapped a show at The McAllister.”

  “Which is the theater where I first encountered you. Starry Nights was a poignant one. I might have teared up.”

  Lauren was honored. “I didn’t know you’d seen it.”

  “Oh yeah. Fantastic piece. Carly’s the one who thought you might be good for this. She wasn’t wrong.”

  “Carly Daniel?”

  “She’s our Reagan.”

  Lauren was shocked.

  “Hey,” a voice said from the door. “Sorry I’m two minutes late. They wouldn’t let me cross the street until a crane had been safely lowered. I will not be late again. You have my word.”

  Lauren turned and her gaze landed on Carly’s. It was surreal to be in the same room with her, even more so when she hadn’t prepared for it. She swallowed, rebounding. “Two minutes, huh?” She smiled as butterflies hit her stomach. Carly was standing right in front of her. “Still an improvement.”

  Carly smiled nervously, still as beautiful as ever. Lauren couldn’t stop looking at her. “I didn’t know who I’d be reading with. I hoped. But I wasn’t sure.”

  Lauren shifted. “Jeanine here tells me I have you to thank for the recommendation.”

  “I just gave them your name. The rest was all them.”

  Jeanine stood off to the side, watching them in mystification. “It’s great to see you two in the same room. Would you be willing to read the scene in the park?”

  “Of course,” Lauren said.

  Carly slid her leather bag off her shoulder and retrieved her script. Once Jeanine settled back in with the others behind the table, Lauren kicked them off.

  “You’re in a unique position, Reagan. No one faults you for wanting to protect your parents.”

  “You do.”

  Lauren shook her head. “That’s the thing. Not even me. I just want the information required to put this case to rest. There’s a woman out there who lost her kids.”

  Carly nodded. “You don’t think I know that? You don’t think it’s kept me up every night since I first found that paperwork?” She shoved a strand of hair behind her ear and met Lauren’s gaze, fire in her eyes. “I can’t think about her right now.”

  Lauren stepped forward. “She’s thinking about you. She’s been thinking about you for nearly thirty years now.”

  “Well, I can’t. I can’t just turn my back on the people I love because they did something awful once.”

  “This is about righting a wrong. I know it hurts. I know you feel like your life’s been ripped from you.”

  “Everything has.”

  The scene played on, and the further they got into it, the more Lauren found her rhythm. It was so easy with Carly. They had such powerful give-and-take.

  Finally, Jeanine raised a hand. “Let’s stop there.”

  Lauren lowered her script. She smiled at the room, returning to herself.

  “That was great,” Carly said to her quietly, as the table conversed. Heather Kim pointed to something Jeanine had written on her pad and nodded emphatically, then wrote something back.

  “Thanks. I’m nervous,” Lauren whispered. Carly, after everything they’d been through, still had an uncanny ability to center Lauren. It helped that the read had been with her.

  “Lauren, I can’t thank you enough for coming back today. We’ll be in touch, okay? Can I get you a water or coffee for the road?”

  Lauren held up a hand. “No, I’m good. Thank you for inviting me. I had a nice time.”

  “Jeanine, do you need me anymore?” Carly asked.

  Jeanine looked to the table. “No. I think
we’re all set. I appreciate you coming in, and we’ll see you soon.”

  “Great. I’ll walk out with Lauren.”

  Lauren lifted a hand in farewell and headed out of the room.

  “This was unexpected,” she said to Carly in the elevator.

  “I should have given you a heads-up, but what if they hadn’t decided to call, you know? You look great, by the way. So pretty,” Carly said. She blinked and stared at the floor, probably feeling off-kilter.

  “Thank you.”

  They rode the rest of the way in silence. When they hit the street, the noisy sounds of traffic and people hit. They stood on the sidewalk, dodging the quick flow of pedestrians heading to business meetings, work, lunch, auditions, or who knew where.

  “I don’t think I got it,” Lauren said, shrugging. “That’s okay, though. I’m thrilled to have met Heather Kim. It was worth the trip.”

  “Don’t say that. You never know. I thought the audition went really well.”

  Lauren passed Carly a skeptical look. “They seemed unsure.” She stepped out of the way so a very serious looking man could get past.

  Carly mirrored her actions, stepping to the side. “There’s no way to know that. They were simply figuring things out. They’ll call.”

  Lauren nodded. She gestured behind her. “I guess I better…”

  “Yeah. Me, too.”

  She saw the sadness in Carly’s eyes as they said good-bye. Regret bubbled up. Yet she didn’t know what to say. Carly was still a very scary prospect for her, but being in her presence felt like coming home. She didn’t want to leave. “Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

  “Not a problem.” Carly flashed her always beautiful smile. Lauren felt its effects all over.

  She offered a final wave and headed uptown to the subway station. She didn’t have to think of this as good-bye. In fact, if the job did come through, she’d be working with Carly again, seeing her every day, working on scenes together. The very concept had her heart and mind singing. So was she going to wait for that call to come from her agent, and then hope that she finally managed the courage to leap back in to something she wanted so very badly already?

  Hell no.

  She turned around, hurrying back down the sidewalk, dodging pedestrian traffic, scooting through tight spaces, and making each crossing sign before it changed. She passed the production office and kept going, craning her neck to see if she could spot Carly walking farther down Ninth. After scurrying another block—yes!—she caught sight of the back of her blond hair, and it was only a matter of moments before she caught up. Lauren touched Carly’s shoulder and she turned. She blinked at Lauren curiously.

  “Hey. What’s going—”

  Lauren took Carly by the face and kissed her right there on Ninth Avenue in the freaking Meatpacking District of New York City. The best part of all? Carly melted and kissed her back.

  “Lauren,” she whispered, coming up for air. She smiled. “You’re back.”

  “Are we?”

  “God, yes,” Carly said, her eyes glistening. “That’s all I want. That’s everything to me.”

  Lauren smiled against Carly’s mouth and kissed her again. And again. And again. The people rushed past. The traffic lights changed. The cabs beeped their way through the city, but in that one spot beneath the sun and moon and stars and planets, two people meant for each other found their way back home.

  * * *

  “Ms. Daniel, the wine.” The sommelier at Becco presented the celebratory bottle of Sangiovese he’d recommended. Carly nodded at the label. “Who would like to try the wine?”

  Carly gestured to her most beautiful date. “Why don’t you go ahead?”

  He poured a taste for Lauren, who swirled it and sampled. “Wow. That’s fantastic.”

  “Very good,” he said, pouring them each a full glass.

  They’d parted ways on the sidewalk earlier that day with plans to meet for dinner. Lauren arrived in a long-sleeved gray dress and thin pink scarf. Carly wore her forest-green turtleneck and swept her hair back. Sitting there with Lauren, she couldn’t stop smiling.

  “I’m happy you’re here with me,” Carly said.

  Lauren reached across the table and squeezed Carly’s hand. “It just came to the point where I had to be honest with myself. I want us, Carly. You were in a bad place. I was in my own head, caught up in my own insecurities, and we let those things obscure the big picture.” She shook her head. “I don’t want us to do that anymore.”

  “So let’s make a plan, because things won’t always be as easy as they were in Minneapolis.”

  Lauren nodded and set down her glass. “I think we start with promising not to shut the other person out. I never confessed to you that I felt it was only a matter of time before you decided I was boring and mundane.”

  Now it was Carly’s turn to set her glass down. “You’re the least boring person I’ve ever spent time with.”

  Lauren pointed at her head. “Sometimes we get in our own way and tell ourselves the opposite. From now on, I refuse to swallow those feelings.”

  “God, I wouldn’t want you to,” Carly said, sitting back. “The next time I spiral, and yes, there could be a next time, I will take your hand. I won’t shut you out.” She lifted her arm and let it drop. “Honestly, the only thing I can imagine spiraling about is not having you by my side.”

  “That was a really good answer.” Lauren picked up her glass. “A toast. To getting it right this time.”

  “Take two.”

  “The more adult version.”

  Carly touched her glass to Lauren’s and raised an eyebrow. “Saucy. I like it.”

  Lauren blushed. “I didn’t mean like that.”

  “Too late. It’s in the history books for all posterity.”

  After that little exchange, they seemed to race through dinner. It was almost as if they had something more important to get to. Carly commented on how amazing the pasta was. Lauren mooned over her brined double pork chop, and when they were finished, Carly paid the check, posed for a photo with the server, and they spilled out into the night. Forty-Sixth Street was bustling, and they huddled together to keep warm. A saxophonist along the sidewalk played a slow rendition of “It Had to Be You,” making everything feel special, romantic.

  “And now?” Carly asked.

  “Take me to your place?”

  She chuckled. “Not yours?”

  “I know you, and you’ll have booked fancier digs. What happened to the wooing?”

  Carly balked. “I’m not a movie star, Lauren. I play games on TV for a living.”

  “Are you staying in a penthouse tonight?”

  “Why, yes. Yes, I am.”

  Lauren poked her in the ribs, and Carly grinned. “Shall we get your things first?”

  Lauren considered the question. “Well, if you think I’ll need clothes before tomorrow.”

  Carly tugged on Lauren’s arm with new purpose. “Definitely not. Let’s go.”

  When they came together that night in the dim light of Carly’s hotel room, they undressed each other slowly. They took their time with each kiss, each caress, and each lingering gaze. There seemed to be a newfound appreciation of what they’d discovered in the other. For Carly, she’d found a best friend, the love of her life, a soul mate. She would cherish Lauren and spend every day making sure she knew that she was the most important aspect of Carly’s entire life.

  “I love you,” Lauren said, as she gazed down into Carly’s eyes. She grinned and touched Lauren’s lips. “So much.”

  “Say it again,” Carly whispered, cherishing the words.

  “I love you. I’m in love with you. I plan to always love you.”

  “I love you, too,” Carly said, cupping Lauren’s cheek with one hand. “To the moon and back.”

  Epilogue

  “What do you think about an entirely gray and white kitchen?” Lauren asked, hands on her hips. They’d been back in LA for a little over two months now. With Hom
e Fires having been met with such critical success in New York, the producers were now mounting an LA run of the show and invited both Lauren and Carly to reprise their roles. There was nothing like satisfying stage work, and with two shows under her belt now, she looked forward to more. There’d even been a few calls exchanged between producers and agents about her and Carly reprising their roles as replacements in Starry Nights on Broadway. The water was definitely warm these days.

  “I like gray,” Carly said, coming out of the bathroom. She had a streak of light blue paint on her cheek, and her hair swept up in a pink bandana.

  Lauren laughed. “You look like Rosie the Riveter if she was awful at painting a bathroom.” She touched the streak on Carly’s cheek, but nope, it was already dry. “We can hire someone to do that, you know, if you’re struggling.”

  “Struggling?” Carly squeaked. “Have you seen how closely I’ve stayed within the painter’s tape? I’m the Van Gogh of bathrooms.”

  “Hmm,” Lauren said. “Maybe more like Picasso.”

  “Still an artist,” Carly said gleefully.

  The three-bedroom home Carly had purchased in Franklin Village was everything she’d once described it to be: adorable, full of sunlight, and perfectly situated. Now that it was Lauren’s, too, they spent their available days off making it uniquely in their joint style. Carly had the big ideas and Lauren reined her in, much like other aspects of their lives.

  Rocky padded into the room, bleary-eyed from his afternoon snooze, and blinked up at them. Carly snatched him up and placed a kiss on his cheek. To pay her back, he offered her a tongue swipe. Then another.

  “What time do you have to be on set tomorrow?” Lauren asked, giving Rocky a good scratch behind his ears.

  “My call time is five a.m. Can you set a backup alarm for three forty-five?”

  Lauren grimaced, not envying Carly in the slightest. The game show appearances, followed by the great write-ups on Home Fires, had her star on the rise. The studio-produced film offers had started rolling in once again, but to her credit, Carly hadn’t jumped immediately. She’d pored through scripts, selecting the roles she’d find challenging or fulfilling, even if that meant less screen time. She was relaxed, happy, and fulfilled. It certainly showed.