A Date for Midnight: The Dating Series

by Dover, L. P.

  By the time the car pulls up, I’ve had my nap, taken three aspirin and spent about thirty minutes in the shower, letting the hot water pound on my back and torso. A luxury of living in a sweet complex is the deluxe shower. Jets coming from every direction and when I’m feeling tense, it’s the place I want to be. Although, too much pressure and I’m marring my skin with red marks.

  When I get into the car, Halle Fulton is already in the back seat. She smiles brightly, yet I can tell she’s nervous as hell and is twirling her long red hair around her finger. “It’s great to meet you,” she says before I even introduce myself.

  “Brennan McLean.”

  “Oh, I know. My agent told me we were doing this and I had to pinch myself a dozen times before I accepted that this is my reality. I can’t believe I’m going to a basketball game with you.”

  “I’m just a normal guy,” I tell her, but I’m not sure she believes me. Sometimes, I don’t even believe myself. “Tell me about yourself.”

  “I’m twenty-five and from Nebraska. One day, I’m sitting in a coffee shop on my lunch break and this woman comes up to me, asks if I’ve ever done any acting. I asked her if school plays count and she said of course. She gives me her card and tells me about a movie they’re filming not far from where we are and they’re looking for paid extras and I fit the mold—whatever that means—so I go and bam, next thing I know I have a speaking role and I’m getting paid. I’m being pampered in a trailer, and now I’m out here. I just filmed my first starring role, they call—mid budget—and it comes out this summer.”

  “Wow, you’re like lady luck.”

  “I feel lucky, but I also know to keep my expectations low.”

  “Probably wise,” I tell her. We continue to chat, and I find talking to her easy. When we pull up to the Staples Center, the driver opens the car door. I get out first and help Halle out of the car. As soon as I see the flashbulbs go off, I know I’ve made a mistake. Rayna’s publicist is going to be pissed because she likes to keep up the façade that we’re together, even though I can barely stand her.

  Of course, Halle stays close to me and our arms brush against each other as we make our way inside. Once one fan sees me, it’s like a game of telephone. They whisper to the next person, and they say something to their friend and before I know it, everyone is yelling my name.

  “Is it always like this?”

  “Most of the time. You’ll be a household name in a few days.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah.”

  We’re escorted to the front and she clutches my arm when she sees Jack, sitting in his seat with a bowl of popcorn on his lap. “Do you know who that is?”

  “Jack,” I tell her as if him and I are best buds. We’re not, but we’re cordial. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

  After I do, we take our seats and I let Halle sit next to Jack, thinking she’ll engage him in conversation all night. Except she doesn’t and she leans toward me. It seems Halle is somewhat of a basketball aficionado and really knows the sport, and I end up finding myself entertained by her.

  8

  Natalie

  “Leaving already?” I look over at Emerson who is grabbing her purse out of her locker. “I’m jealous,” I say, sitting down to catch my breath. I reach in my pocket for my phone and see that I’ve missed a call from Brennan. That seems to be my luck these days. I didn’t realize how much I was going to miss him. Luckily, I have work to keep my mind occupied, but there are days it doesn’t help.

  The ER has been hopping all day, mostly people coming in with the flu. January is the worst month for us. Unfortunately, I can’t leave just yet because I took an extra shift. I still feel guilty from calling in sick those two days at New Year’s.

  Slamming her locker shut, Emerson turns to me and giggles. “Oh, you’ll be leaving soon.” She looks down at her smartwatch. “In six more hours.”

  Groaning, I stretch my legs and stand. “This is the last night shift I’m taking for a while. I’m exhausted.”

  Emerson follows me to the door. “You’ve been a little preoccupied the past two weeks. How are things with …” There are other nurses around, so she lowers her voice. “How are things with Brennan?”

  I shrug and open the door. “Okay, I guess. I miss him.” We walk out and I head toward the break room so I can eat my leftover spaghetti before I start my next shift. Emerson walks with me since it’s on the way to the elevators.

  She clutches my arm. “I know you miss him, Nat. You two have history.”

  My heart hurts just thinking about it. “Guess I didn’t think it’d be this hard. He’s busy, I’m busy. Not to mention the time difference.”

  We make it to the break room, and I stop right outside the door. Expression serious, she stares at me. “Are you in love with him?”

  As much as I want to deny it, I can’t. Maybe there was a part of me that never stopped loving him all those years ago. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and all I can see is Brennan’s face. I know what I feel and it scares me.

  “Am I stupid if I am?” I ask, opening my eyes.

  Emerson sighs. “No, but I want you to be careful. He’s a superstar, Nat. If you two get involved, just think of the paparazzi. They’ll be all over you, especially if they see Brennan with a normal girl, and not a celebrity. People will want to know who you are.”

  Hearing that just seems preposterous. I’m a nobody. The paparazzi’s not going to want to waste their time on me. “I don’t think that’ll ever happen,” I say, shaking my head. “Brennan has to come back for the paparazzi to see us together. And the way we’re going, I doubt I’ll ever see him again.”

  It’s what I tell myself to help me through the whole situation. If I get my hopes up, it’ll only hurt worse. Emerson hugs me and whispers in my ear. “I’m here for you, Nat.” She lets me go and her smile is sad. The one thing about having a best friend is that they always know the truth. Emerson can tell I’m torn over Brennan. “After your shift, why don’t you stop by my place for breakfast before you go home to sleep. I’ll make you pancakes.”

  She always has a way of making things better. I plaster on a smile and sigh. “Fine. You know I can’t pass up pancakes.”

  She winks. “Exactly. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Once she’s gone, I open the door to the break room. It’s a moderately sized room with three round tables and a large, flat screen TV on the wall. There are a couple of nurses I’ve seen around, sitting at one table with their almost eaten dinners. Their names are Jeannie and Marie, I think. There are so many of us, it’s hard to keep track. On the other side of the room are two of our ER doctors, watching the basketball game. I’ve worked closely with them for years. Dr. Eli Graham is in his late fifties with a full head of white hair. He always says he’ll work until he dies, but he’s started moving a lot slower here the past year or so.

  The other doctor is Caleb Perkins. He’s thirty-two years old and we have a lot in common, like our taste in food, music, and art. I ran into him at one of the local art museums and ever since then, we just clicked. Not to mention, he’s very good looking with his blonde hair and bright blue eyes. All the nurses love him, but he likes to work with me. Our relationship has always stayed professional, at least for the most part. There have been times we’ve flirted with each other, but after those two days with Brennan, things between me and Caleb haven’t gone anywhere beyond friendship.

  I grab my Tupperware of spaghetti out of the refrigerator and pop it into the microwave. Caleb sees me and waves me over. Once my dinner’s done, I carry it over to his table. Dr. Graham shakes Caleb’s hand and smiles at me. “Have a good night, you two. I’m headed home.”

  “Take care, Dr. Graham,” I say, smiling back at him.

  Caleb grins up at me and pulls the seat out next to him. “Have a seat.” I set my spaghetti down and he breathes it in. “Did you make that? It smells amazing.”

  I brush off my shoulders. “What can I say? I’m
a good cook.” Looking over at his plate, I can’t help but be impressed. “Kind of fancy, don’t you think?” On his plate was a half-eaten steak, a baked potato, and asparagus.

  Caleb shrugged and smirked at me. “What can I say? I’m a good cook too. Maybe one day it’ll make someone happy.”

  “I’m sure it will,” I reply. Usually, I’d come back with a quip, but my heart’s not into it, it’s somewhere else.

  “So,” Caleb says, nudging me in the arm, “you rooting for the Celtics tonight? It’s already a good game.”

  Out of all the televised sports, basketball is one of my favorites. I glance up at the TV and the Celtics are ten points ahead of the Lakers. “Heck yeah. You know I love my Celtics.”

  The sound of chairs screeching across the floor caught my attention and I look back to see Jeannie and Marie cleaning up their table. They wave at us and leave the break room.

  “We should go to a game one night,” Caleb suggests. “That is, if we’re ever not working.”

  “Exactly,” I laugh. “Tonight’s my last double for a while. I think I made up for calling in sick those two days.”

  Caleb nods. “I’d say you made up for that and then some.”

  We only have thirty minutes for lunch, but it was nice being able to eat and watch the game. When we were finished, I grabbed both of our Tupperware containers and rinsed them out in the sink.

  “So, what do you think about Brennan McLean?” he calls out.

  The air whooshes out of my lungs and I jerk around. “What do you mean?”

  Chuckling, he points to the TV. “Brennan McLean. What do you think of his music?”

  My eyes drift to the TV and there he is at the game, sitting with a beautiful red-haired woman who is awfully close to him. On her other side is Jack Nicholson, but she pays no attention to him. It’s obvious she’s there with Brennan.

  “Natalie?” Swallowing hard, I turn to Caleb who stares at me curiously. “You okay? You’re acting like you saw a ghost.”

  Much worse than that, I think to myself. I just saw the man I’m falling for with another woman. I shake my head and smile. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

  He nods at the TV again. “I listened to one of McLean’s songs the other day and I really liked it.”

  “He’s very talented,” I say, wishing my heart wasn’t breaking. I look up at the TV and it shows Brennan again with his date, talking and laughing. “I thought Brennan McLean was dating Rayna Reynolds?” I know he’s not, but it’s the only thing I could think of to say.

  Caleb shrugs. “Rayna’s beautiful, but from what I’ve seen of her, she’s a bitch.” He points up at the TV. “I watched an interview with Halle Fulton the other day on the news. She’s new to Hollywood. Her first movie comes out this summer.”

  The more he says, the more I don’t want to listen. It just goes to show that there’s no way in hell a relationship with Brennan will work. We live in different worlds.

  Caleb stands and stretches. “Looks like our dinner break’s over. You ready to get back to work? I’m taking the night shift with you.”

  Forcing a smile, I take one last look at the game. “Yep. I’m ready.” Anything to get my mind off Brennan. Unfortunately, nothing helps.

  * * *

  The night dragged on, but I made it, no thanks to the internet. When I typed in Brennan’s name, there were a gazillion pictures that came up of him and Halle at the game. Caleb asked if I wanted to go to the coffee shop for breakfast, but I told him I already had plans. I change clothes at the hospital before making my way to Emerson’s apartment. Stomach growling, I can really use those pancakes about now.

  I’m only three blocks away from her apartment when my phone rings. I figure its Emerson, wondering what’s taking me so long, but it’s not her. Brennan’s name flashes on my screen and my heart stops.

  “Hey,” I answer.

  “Hey, beautiful. I thought you’d call me last night, but then I remembered you telling me about working extra shifts.”

  “Yeah, I did last night,” I reply, tightening up my jacket. It’s freezing outside. “Just got off work a few minutes ago. I’m on my way to Emerson’s for breakfast.”

  “Nice. What all have you been doing besides work? I feel like we haven’t really spoken much the past week and a half. I’ve missed you.”

  And that right there is what gives me misguided hope. Maybe it’s just words for him, but I really do miss him. “Well,” I start, “when I’m not working, I’m usually shopping or doing something with Emerson. My life isn’t as exciting as yours.”

  Brennan snorts. “Trust me, Nat, I’d give anything to be normal, to have privacy.”

  “I understand that. So, what all have you been up to?” I ask, wondering if he’ll tell me the truth about being with Halle Fulton.

  He groans. “Oh, Nat, you won’t believe this shit. I go to record a new song yesterday and it’s the worst fucking thing I’ve ever heard. I’m talking career suicide.”

  “I thought you wrote your own music.”

  “I do. It’s a long story, but I walked out of the studio.”

  I cross the street to Emerson’s apartment building. “Are you going to get in trouble?”

  He huffs. “Honestly, I don’t care. I can’t do it. It’s not me.”

  “Good for you.”

  The line goes silent and I bite my lip. There’s so much I want to say, but I’m afraid. I love the time I had with him, but maybe that’s all it’s ever going to be … memories. I hate myself for wanting more.

  “Nat, are you okay? You don’t sound right.”

  Shivering, I hurry inside the building and sit down on one of the couches in the lobby. “I’m sorry,” I murmur, “it’s been a long night. What else did you do yesterday besides walk away from a song?”

  He chuckles. “I went to the Lakers and Celtics game. Had to root for my hometown.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I say, waiting for his reaction. There’s only dead silence and I hate it. “I saw you.”

  “So, that’s why you’re being short with me. You saw me with Halle Fulton.”

  I shrug even though he can’t see me. “It’s okay. I get it.”

  “Obviously, you don’t. You’re pissed at me.”

  Taking a deep breath, I glance quickly around the lobby to make sure no one’s around. “No, I’m not. You’re Brennan McLean. If you’re not going to be seen with Rayna, it has to be someone else, right?”

  “It’s not like that, Natalie. She’s with the agency and my manager wanted my help to get her more exposure.”

  “And you got it. You’re all over the internet together. You two looked mighty cozy.” He sighs, but I laugh and brush it off. “It’s okay, Bren. You have to keep up an image. Our time together isn’t going to change that, and I understand.” It just hurts, but I can’t tell him how much. It’s best to end this before I really get hurt. I can’t pretend that everything’s okay when I see him on TV with countless other women.

  “What are you saying, Natalie?” Brennan asks, his voice tense.

  Eyes burning, I stand and walk slowly over to the elevators, making sure my voice remains upbeat. “Nothing at all,” I say, laughing to lighten the mood. I press the elevator button. “I’m about to get on the elevator, but hopefully, we can talk soon. Good luck with the whole song fiasco. I hope you don’t get into too much trouble.”

  “Natalie, wait. Don’t hang up.”

  The elevator doors open, and I step inside. “Bren, I have to go. I’m in the elevator. Be safe out there, okay?” With those final words, I hang up and the tears come falling down. I shut off my phone and shove it into my purse. He’s probably not going to call back anyway.

  It’s undoubtedly for the best.

  9

  Brennan

  My plan was to talk to Natalie for a bit and then fall asleep. There’s nothing like sleeping during the day and avoiding the sun like the plague, and now that I’m off the phone with her, sleep is going
to evade me completely because I know she’s upset. This is exactly why I don’t do relationships. There’s too much drama. Too much distance. Too many chances for people to make assumptions that aren’t there. Much like Natalie and the way she was on the phone. She thinks I’m with Halle because we went to the game last night. She doesn’t understand, it’s a job, a favor. I’m helping Halle out and someday she’ll return the favor. It’s all business, nothing personal. But Natalie doesn’t totally understand all this, and now I can easily see why as I scroll through the barrage of photos of Halle and me. Most of them we didn’t even pose for. I click on a couple and expand, marveling at the photoshop work by whoever uploaded the images. According to the internet, Halle and I have been carrying on a relationship for some time now, long before she was discovered in the coffee shop, and it seems she’s to thank me for her career now.

  “Wonderful.” I throw my phone down onto my bed and scrub my hands over my face. No good deed ever goes unpunished, at least not for me. It always seems I’m put in a sticky situation I have no intentions of ever getting into.

  None of this would even matter if I wasn’t hung up on Natalie. No, hung up isn’t the right word, I’m certain that what I’m feeling is love. I loved her once and when I lost her, it took me a while to get over her. A clean break was what we said we’d do, and for a year or longer I regretted it. When I moved to Los Angeles, I would’ve given anything to have her by my side, traversing the muddy waters of fame. She had dreams though, and hers were as important as mine.