by Krys Janae
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Logan replied as he got comfortable in his chair.
“You okay?” Ron looked at her with slight concern.
“I’m fine.” She smiled that Hollywood smile. “I was just unaware Logan would be here today.”
“Why wouldn’t he be? He did co-write the screenplay on this one.” Ron replied matter-of-factly. He knew the couple was having trouble, but chose to ignore it. Ron was one of the few execs in Hollywood who tried to stay away from the PR nonsense, but Alisa did feel like it was a low-blow to invite them both to their meeting without so much as a heads up.
Evan watched all three parties and raised a brow in observation. Yet he said absolutely nothing, just offered Alisa a grin.
This should be interesting.
It was all business. Ron kept the discussion on topic. Evan pointed out a couple of concerns in the script, and Logan gave his thoughts on how he wanted a few of the scenes to work out. Ron was choosing names for casting calls beyond the pair chosen and any returning actors from the first movie. Alisa sat and observed, chiming in when needed. She was simply a consultant on the story. She wrote the original book, but with a sequel coming, it had become more than that for her. It was a bad habit to stare, but she couldn’t help but watch the interactions between Logan and Evan closely. Alisa noticed the tension in Logan when he talked. Evan was dealing his words directly, but Logan didn’t glance up nearly as often. Ron was busy typing notes from their chat, so he didn’t notice the scene unfolding behind the lid of his laptop.
Typical.
Alisa was standing at the coffee maker, refilling what would be her third cup. She was a coffee connoisseur, so the effects of the caffeine took a bit to actually hit her, even though she drank it with very little cream and sugar. The conversation between the four of them covered a lot of what she had been stressing over. A couple of hours later, the meeting adjourned. Relief swept through her, knowing the movie project was finally gaining speed. It had felt like an endless abyss of work with no purpose but with both Evan and Logan there to get the wheels turning, they were finally getting somewhere.
“The first read is in two days. Since the show is nearing its mid-season finale, I think we’re right on track.” Ron noted, and everyone nodded in agreement. “Alisa, are you going to lock up?”
Alisa nodded. She normally left later than the others, so she didn’t mind.
Ron dipped his head at all of them before taking his leave.
When she went to grab the cups, papers, and other miscellaneous trash from the room, she found Logan and Evan chatting in the hall. As she neared them, she half expected a fight to break out but instead, she heard them talking civilly. They sounded like two pals catching up on old times. They were discussing sports, she assumed, as she recognized some of the terminology and names of players from Logan’s favorite baseball team.
“You two are getting along quite nicely.” Alisa raised her brows as she stopped to join them, her work bag over her shoulder. It was hard to keep up this façade, but the less people who knew about it, the better. Her face was hurting from faking the smile.
“Turns out we like some of the same things. Go figure.” Evan grinned.
“How cute.” She teased, as the heavy tension returned.
Logan turned her way and grew silent. Actually, everything became still for a moment. Evan took a good look at both of them before realizing it was a good cue to take his leave.
“I’ve gotta get going. Good meeting, though, I’ll see you both soon.” He winked at her, unseen by Logan, as he started to back away.
“Good to see you, man.” Logan uttered, his eyes fixated on Alisa.
“You don’t have to go,” Alisa called after him as she looked up at her husband.
Evan, already a few feet away, shook his head. “It’s fine. I’ll text you later, Lis.”
“Lis?” Logan repeated, curious.
Only a select few were allowed to call her that. Her mother, her girlfriends (yes, that included Ray and Alex), and of course Logan. Evan had sort of adopted the nickname by accident, but Alisa hadn’t minded, especially not now that she knew how much it bothered her husband.
“Forget about it.” She whispered back.
“Please talk to me,” Logan pleaded. “You should come home.”
Alisa tried hard not to be distracted by how his tight shirt hugged his sculpted chest and arms. As much as she wanted to go home, she didn’t want to be around him, which was odd considering how much she had missed him when he was in London. Part of her wished he was still overseas. “I don’t know; would Kirsten be all right with that?”
Logan’s mouth opened to reply, and a barely audible sound was uttered. He said nothing.
Shaking her head, Alisa pushed past her husband and raised an arm, her pace quickening as she saw the elevator doors closing. “Evan, wait up.”
As the doors closed, she saw Logan in the distance, facing them. While she longed to embrace her husband and tell him everything was going to be okay, Alisa was quite unsure anything would be.
“Are you okay?” Evan looked at her, his hands behind his back.
Fighting back the tears, she nodded. “I just want to go home.”
He didn’t pry. He just hugged her. It was amazing how she disliked him less and less as their relationship grew. With everything that had happened in New York and San Diego, Alisa was surprised how much she’d let Evan into her life, even if by accident. She welcomed his hug and responded by squeezing tightly. Once the elevator doors opened, they had separated. There was no need to get the paparazzi involved in this and spread rumors like they had done with Logan and Kirsten -- whatever had really happened between them.
After getting back to Alex and John’s and getting into a hot bath, Alisa looked at her phone. On her Facebook, she was tagged in a few pictures Evie had taken from their monthly girl’s outing. Checking to see who had liked the posts, she saw both Logan and Evan’s names. She sighed and set down her phone. Great.
Alisa leaned her head back on the soft headrest offered in the tub and swirled her hands in the bubbly water. As she closed her eyes, she thought of Evan and the progress that was made between the initial meeting, the New York trip, and more recently, their moment in the elevator. She couldn’t help but smile. His timing was just too convenient for her vulnerable state of mind. She shunned any thought of him, as that surely would make things worse. Alisa was dealing with this Logan and Kirsten thing (which was still hot on the gossip wires) and any involvement, other than a professional one, with Evan would just make things worse. Prior to this mess, Evie had scolded her multiple times and told her to figure herself out before making any rash decisions, even if her separation from Logan hadn’t gone public. Joann told her to get even, but that was expected. She loved and hated having the angel and devil on her shoulders.
No, she thought, I can’t get even. It wasn’t her style. She refused to do so when separated from Kurt … and Logan ... she still truly loved him. But she couldn’t get Evan’s face out of her head. His eyes, pools of ice blue, were even more gorgeous up close. The way he smelled. The way his body felt against hers when she hugged him. Alisa breathed out slowly and calmed herself down. She couldn’t think about him any longer without getting into trouble.
Her phone buzzed beside her.
Hey, you, everything ok?
It was Evan.
Reflexively, she set her phone down on the bathtub railing and pushed it away from where she sat. Is he in my head? Did he know that I was thinking about him?
Her phone buzzed again.
You there?
Alisa didn’t know how to answer, so she simply didn’t.
By the third time her phone went off, it was a video call. When she ignored it the first time, he called again, making her frantic. She didn’t want to ignore it, lest he give her grief over avoiding him, so she tapped to answer it and left it facing the ceiling.
“Lis?”
She gulped. Her hea
rt was pounding so hard she could hear it reverberating in her head.
“Lis, you there?”
“I-I’m here.” Alisa responded, pulling her hands out of the water.
“Is that … are you in a bathroom?”
No reply.
“If so, it’s a nice one from what I can tell. Though, I am getting a little tired of video calling to get ceiling views.” He joked.
At a loss for words, she remained still. Her thoughts were racing, and she had no idea what to do. It would have been bad form to hang up.
“You can pick up the phone, you know.”
“I know,” she finally spoke up, and with a deep breath, she picked up the phone, careful not to drop it into the tub, and angled the camera perfectly so only her neck and up were in view.
“Bubbles. Nice.”
“What is it, Evan?” Alisa didn’t want to seem rude, but she wanted him to cut to the chase.
He shrugged. “I just wanted to check on you. After what happened earlier in the elevator, I wanted to make sure you had enough time to wind down. When you didn’t text back I just got a little worried.”
“Fair enough,” Alisa nodded.
“Well?”
Her bare shoulders rose and fell as she took a breath, “I’m better now.” She said; honesty in her words.
“Looks like it. Nice luxurious bathroom to relax in ... At least one of us is living large.” He showed her his surroundings, an old, rundown hotel room that looked familiar to her living situation just last year.
Alisa knew there were extra rooms back at her house, but she wasn’t sure if it was safe to return just yet. Even if Logan wasn’t staying at their home, it wouldn’t be appropriate to invite Evan over with the eagle eyes of the tabloids hanging around. Still, it was the thought that counted.
Living with John and Alex for the time being was nice, but she knew she’d have to go home at some point. She wouldn’t necessarily classify it as living with them, either. It was more like Alisa was breaking in the new house John bought for Alex, and they were sharing an extended period of time together.
“Wait, go back?” She waved to him, gesturing that he pan the camera back some.
He turned his camera back, aiming it towards the bed.
“Is that a coin dispenser?” Alisa squinted, looking at the stand next to the bed which looked a little different than a nightstand. It had an open slot for quarters.
“Yep. Settings are low, medium and that’s the stuff.”
The two of them laughed.
“Sounds like a party.” Alisa said.
“Sure is.”
She snickered, “Oh geez, I don’t want to know.”
Evan waggled his eyebrows playfully, and the pair kept laughing and making terrible jokes about the motel when she heard the alarm system beep. The sound of the door in the kitchen from the garage opening and shutting made her jump slightly.
“We’re home!” John announced their entrance.
“Oh! I gotta go. Alex and John are home.”
“So that’s where you’re staying, eh?” Evan arched a brow.
“Yes,” Alisa laughed, “It’s temporary. I do have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I will?”
“Don’t we have a meeting?”
“Um … not that I have written down. But we can always make one happen if you think it’s necessary. Prep for the next episode or something.” He smiled at her.
“Sure. Movie, show, etc., there’s so much for us to work on, there’s always something to discuss.”
She wasn’t lying. When they were first developing the plans for Gateway, she and Logan met several times to talk things through. Of course, he was also filming Family Insurance, so meetings were moved around and pushed back or cut short, (thanks to the pain in the neck director, Roman) but the meetings were fairly productive.
“How about the bistro downtown around 11:00 a.m.?”
“That new place over by the studio?”
“Yeah.”
“Great. It’s a date.” He winked. “See you there. Enjoy your bath, princess.”
The video call ended, and Alisa’s heart rate finally came down. She rested her head back on the lip of the tub, phone in hand.
“Hey girl, we picked up some more pinot and rented Letting Go like you asked wait…” Alex stood in the doorway of the bathroom. “Were you just talking to someone?”
Alisa was close enough with her pals that she didn’t freak out when he walked in. She did, however, look down to make sure the bubble placement was still good to leave some of her dignity intact, and luckily for her, everything was covered. “No, I wasn’t talking to anyone.”
“Hmm.” Alex narrowed his eyes, clearly not believing her. He waved his hand in servant like fashion. “Well hurry up, your majesty. We’ll be waiting for you in the living room.”
***
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Evan asked, “ever since the other day, you haven’t seemed like your normal self.”
“What’s my normal self?”
“Yeah, I’d like to know too…” Ray chimed in.
“Since that night, you haven’t said anything to me.”
“Wait, what night?” Ray looked between them.
Alisa ignored Ray and kept her eyes fixed on Evan. “I figured after you didn’t call me, you were just done.”
“Didn’t call? Alisa, I left you seven messages.”
After a second, the trio laughed.
“Cut!” Logan yelled from his chair behind the camera. A loud bell rang out behind that.
Ray shook his head. “Alisa? Really?”
“EVERY single time, Evan.” Alisa laughed.
“Dammit! I was doing so well too.” Evan laughed and turned to the cameras with a cheesy grin, “There ya go, kids. One for the bloopers.”
Alisa snickered, “We were just talking about that at lunch today too.”
“Lunch?” Ray gave her that sideways glance, squinting inquisitively. She didn’t have to guess what he was thinking; they were so close it was as if they shared a telepathic connection.
Winnie, Alisa’s stylist and the show’s makeup girl, swooped in and blotted her face with a sponge to reset her makeup. She made her rounds to the boys as well, and they restarted the scene. A couple more flubs happened, one to Ray and one to Alisa, but after the third round, they nailed it.
“That’s good for today, guys. Let’s go for an early shoot tomorrow, and we’ll be done with this ep. That’s five down, and as of yesterday, fifteen more to go for the rest of season. Thanks for your hard work, people. Good night!” Logan said something to that extent to everyone every single night.
The bell rang in the studio, signifying the dismissal of everyone on-site. Logan jumped down from his chair to meet Alisa over by the refreshments where she was grabbing a cup of water. A couple of items fell out of her purse.
“Hey.” He said quietly, dropping to his knee to retrieve them.
“Hey,” she responded just as softly, matching his tone. “How was that?”
Logan looked up as she gestured back towards the stage, “You’re doing fine. I tell you that all the time.”
“I’m just making sure. I don’t want to be on the wrong markers or pissing off the fans.”
Logan shook his head, “I’m sure you know our first few episodes got rave reviews, and it’s only gotten better. You’re doing great.”
“Well, thanks.”
Alisa turned to head back to her shared trailer (she shared one with Dawn) and felt a grip on her wrist. She turned, and it was Logan, reaching down to hold her back.
“Alisa.” As he said her name, she knew exactly where this was going. The last chat they had was civil but cold. The time before that, not exactly.
She pulled out of his grasp and turned to face him, properly poised to speak with him on his terms. He’d taken this approach a couple of times before, and even advanced into steamy foreplay, but she gave up just before sleeping with h
im. Alisa was furious, and she wasn’t going to give in so easily. He hurt her badly.
“I wish you’d talk to me.”
She sighed.
“Come home tonight, please?”
“Logan …”
“Please. Or ... at least let me take you to dinner?”
As if he’d been running for a few minutes, a semi-winded Ray came to sweep Alisa away from her husband.
“Hey! We’re going out to Luke’s in a bit. Megan and her band are playing again tonight. Wanna come with us?”
After a quick glance at her husband, she looked back at Ray with a nod. “Sure, why the hell not. I’ll call Alex.”
“Good, I haven’t seen him or John since you told me the news. He owes me a night out!”
“Bring David too.” Alisa reminded him.
“Full season order! Time to celebrate!” Ray waggled his eyebrows then turned to Logan. “You coming with us, old man?” It was only humorous because Ray was older than Logan. Not by much, but since Ray got married they had joked about him being the old one.
“I dunno. I might just get some takeout and get home.” He scratched at the back of his head.
Alisa took note of that. That was his signature move when he didn’t feel comfortable or wasn’t entirely sure about his answer.
That night, the gang reunited once again at Luke’s Tavern, downtown, this time with Alex and John included. This was the bar they frequented so often, most of them were known by name, and it was also the place where she’d met Megan a couple weeks ago.
It was a night for couples; Ray and David, Alex and John, and Dawn had wrangled Jean in for the night. Evan, Alisa, and Evie were teamed up together and had fun as a trio, Evan taking turns partnering up with the ladies on the dance floor as the gang engaged in some dancing. Eventually, Evie peeled away and left the pair alone.
Evan and Alisa were dancing together, laughing and swaying with one another. He was joking about something that was said on set when she felt his hand on her hip. For just a few measures in the song, she let go of her worries and woes and decided she was going to be fine.