by Rhys Everly
"Oh, honey," Tracy said and reached out for the hand that Karen was holding. "We never thought coming out of the closet was going to be an issue."
I wiped his eyes and looked at my publicist. "What are you talking about? You always tried to bury any headlines or articles."
She shook her head. "I was only doing that because that's what you wanted. Honey, we live in the twenty-first century. If anything, coming out of the closet would make you even more popular. But I thought that's what you wanted. You weren't ready to be out, so I helped you keep the secret in. We never wanted you to not be true to yourself."
"I thought—" I started but stopped. I couldn't find the words to continue. Yeah, Tracy was probably right. I’d wanted to be in the closet, and she had been doing her job. But somewhere along the way, loneliness, depression, and all the fears must have crept in and made me put all the responsibility on her.
"I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that you had to stay in the closet. That was never my intention," Tracy said.
“You need to find him. Explain to him,” Karen said.
“He won’t talk to me,” I said.
“Then they can talk to him,” she said and pointed at Alice and Tracy.
"What are we going to say?" Alice asked.
"The truth. Tell him what you've done so that Dawson can have the love of his life back," Karen replied.
I could have kissed her if it wasn't completely inappropriate. Her words brought me back to myself. There was still hope. Even if the ship had sailed on a romantic relationship between us, perhaps we could still save our friendship.
"I agree," I said. "You broke this, you need to fix it too. I can't have him think I've betrayed him twice."
Tracy nodded, and she was the first to stand up. A publicist always ready to save her client, whatever the cost. She stared at Alice and waited for her to do the same.
"Come on, Alice. Let's get Dawson the love of his life back," she said.
They all left their laptops and notebooks where they were, and we ran out and into my rental. Melody was back behind reception eating her own plate of breakfast, and I told her what was happening while the girls got into the car.
“Oh, I just got a call from my grandma. Leo is flying to LA for a meeting. My brother is taking him to the airport in Newport News,” she said.
“What? No. He can’t leave yet. Not before we get a chance to explain,” I said.
“Come on. We’ll go after him. I’ll ask Andy to stall him,” she said and ran out the door before me, but then stopped on her tracks. “Crap, I can’t leave the desk unmanned.”
“It won’t be hard to find it, I’m sure,” I said.
“It’s not. But I’m not missing this,” she said.
“I think I have an idea,” I said and went to Karen who was in the backseat and explained the situation.
She wasn’t too happy to be missing this, either, but she agreed to stay at the reception and deal with the guests while Melody drove us to the airport. Karen was a PA. She could do this in her sleep. And besides, most people were out in town for the afternoon festival activities.
Melody got into the driver’s seat and sped out of town, way too excited to be driving.
“I can’t believe I’m in a car with Dawson Eldred and going after the love of his life, my brother. This is like the books I read when I’m bored at reception,” she said halfway there.
Mel broke the speed limit too many times to keep count, and I dreaded to think how many tickets it had warranted me, but I didn’t care. I had to get to Leo before he flew off. Because what if he never came back? What if he moved on again without me?
We got to the airport a little after midday and drove to the Fixed Base Operator where all the non-commercial flights took off from.
“How funny. This is the same airport you’re flying out to New York from,” Alice said as we got to security.
Since my team had hired a private jet, the personnel did a quick security check as we were the only ones flying private other than Leo, and once when we got through, Melody sped up towards a white Jeep and came to a halt only inches from it.
I jumped out of the car and saw a tall, muscular man with dark features and a sad face look horrified at my car, and then I looked up to find Leo on the top of the airstair.
“Dawson,” he called when he looked at me. “What are you doing here?”
Twenty-Two
Leo
What was he doing here? What was Mel doing here? And who were those women with them?
"Excuse me," a woman with a little black bob and an emerald green dress with a matching pair of green stilettos said from the bottom of the stairs. The other woman was a tall, blonde woman who looked as if she'd come straight out of a reality show. Polished to perfection, I couldn't imagine even an eyelash being out of place.
"Oh my God, it's Leo Karras." The blonde woman jumped.
“Nice taste," the woman with the black bob said to Dawson and then turned back to me. “Could you, like, come down? These heels are not made for stairs,” she shouted so she could be heard.
Not sure why, because I could hear her perfectly clear.
I stepped down, and both girls surrounded me. I stared at Dawson who just shrugged with a naughty smile that I wanted to wipe off his face. I wasn't sure if with a punch or a kiss.
“Leo – can I call you Leo?" I nodded even though I wasn't sure why she was asking. Or who she was. "We have done something terrible and wanted to come over and explain, and I sure hope you can forgive us.”
"I don't even know you. How could you have done something terrible to me?" I asked.
What was Dawson up to now? What else did he want to steal from me?
I looked at him again and felt a weight in the pit of my stomach. No, I hadn't forgotten what this man had done, but I also couldn't help but melt a little that I couldn't ever have him. There was a war inside of me, and I hated myself for it. I couldn't wait to leave and put Dawson behind me. My happiness was just around the corner. I was sure. It just wasn't with Dawson, as much as it hurt to accept.
"I know you don't know us, but we know you," the blonde lady said.
"My name is Tracy Wu, and I'm Dawson's publicist."
"And I am Alice Coletti, Dawson's agent. We have done something that might have hurt your relationship with Dawson, and we just wanted to come and explain," she said.
I held a breath in.
"Well, I've been begging Dawson to start producing stuff for years. It would be like a natural next step for him in his career, so when he called and told me he was interested in producing your movie, we thought we could use it to our advantage and get his name involved in the project to increase his chances," Alice said.
"So then I started talking to create a buzz and make it seem like Dawson was being considered for the lead. He doesn't want to be in front of the camera. All he wanted was to be a producer, behind the scenes. And we realize this has inadvertently hurt your relationship with him, but that was never our intention," Tracy added.
"You didn't just hurt my relationship with him. You destroyed my chances of getting the role that was meant to be my big break,” I said, letting out the breath I’d been holding.
I was furious, but also somewhat relieved. It meant Dawson hadn't betrayed me. Instead, it was his agent and publicist playing games. I should have listened to him. Let him explain. But how could I when he'd betrayed me before? Could anyone blame me for trying to protect myself?
"I promise you I will get you that role," Tracy said. "Bear in mind, I never even spoke to the production company, so I doubt you will lose the part, but I'll make sure to work my magic and get you that role." Tracy winced and added, "No, forget what I said. I will make the production company beg you to take the part. I'll make them pay you triple what they're offering."
As much as I appreciated what she was saying, it annoyed me too. That she had that much power, or that she thought she did anyway. And even if she did, I didn’t want her
to use it. Because then the role would be mine not because I was right for it, but because I knew the right person.
"So now your agent and your publicist are doing your dirty work?" I shouted across to Dawson, unable to hold the smirk off my face.
Both ladies turned to look at their employer as he approached me.
"Well, you wouldn't listen to me, so I thought maybe you would listen to them," Dawson said.
The women stepped back, and Dawson came closer.
"I'm ready to listen now," I said.
Dawson took my hands in his and looked into my eyes with that deep blue ocean gaze of his that could melt my insides.
"When you told me about your film, I was so excited for you. Yes, I am a fan of the comic books, and I would love to work on this film because of it, but moreover, I was excited for you," he said. "I never wanted to steal anything away from you. On the contrary, I thought if I could be at the helm, I could make it even bigger for you. If I could be one of the big guys, I could convince everyone that you are the perfect fit for the role. Because you are. And after everything that happened between us all those years ago, I wanted to make up for my mistakes and to get you your dream role.
"I'm sorry I didn't explain. I should have told you before I did anything. I realize that now and how it must have looked when you saw the headlines. I know if I'd told you, you would have trusted me." At that, Dawson rolled his eyes to the side, towards the direction of his two employees. "I was only trying to help. Because… because I like you, Leo. No, I don’t just like you. I love you. And I'm so happy to have bumped into you again and that we've had the chance to start over."
I’d heard enough. He was telling the truth. I knew he was.
“Will you come back with me? Will you forgive me?” Dawson asked, and he squeezed my hands before placing them over his heart.
“No,” I said, and he looked taken aback. “I mean no, I won’t come back with you. But yes, I forgive you.”
His head dropped, and his grip became loose.
“I understand. I know I hurt you. I hope we can be friends,” he said.
I laughed and put my finger under his chin to lift his head so he could meet my gaze. Those blue eyes gave me meaning. And I’d been so stupid to not listen to him. Or trust him.
Yaya’s words rang in my head as I looked at him. Trusting and forgiving. She knew best. Who was I to question her wisdom?
“You are truly such an idiot, Dawson,” I said. “I love you too. Even if you annoy me so much sometimes.”
I took half a step forward, closing the distance between us, and looked up into his eyes as I pulled him into a kiss.
When our lips touched, I was finally reunited with my soulmate. The half-day we’d been apart had been half a day too long. Not after those seventeen years. I couldn't imagine not spending the rest of my life kissing those lips.
“Will you come with me?” I said when I pulled away from him.
“Wh—where?” he asked, still too dazed from our kiss.
“LA, of course. I need to go. I need to do this meeting on my own. Whatever the outcome. But I want you there. With me,” I said, and Dawson smiled.
“I’ll go to the end of the world for you,” he said, and my knees buckled. I could get used to this. Being so in love that I could feel like a teenager again.
“Aw, that so cute,” Melody swooned behind us, and I flipped her the bird. “Love you, too, bro,” she said.
“Come on. Let’s go,” I said and climbed the stairs.
Dawson followed behind me. When I got to the top, I turned to look at Andy and Mel.
“Tell Yaya I’ll be back tomorrow for the end of the festival,” I shouted.
“We. We’ll be back,” Dawson corrected.
We. That sounded good. No. More than good. It sounded perfect.
Twenty-Three
Dawson
I tapped my foot impatiently outside the casting director’s office, sitting against a car’s hood and checking my watch every two minutes. He’d been there for an hour and still no news. The jet had flown us into LA, and thanks to the time difference, we got to the meeting at 4pm.
It was all behind us. This mess with the movie. And I couldn’t be more grateful. It had all worked out in the end. The only thing we needed now was for Leo to get the part on his own and the world order would be restored, and everything would be as it should.
“Come on, where are you?” I muttered under my breath when he was still not out by half past five.
Thankfully, no one had caught whiff of me in the streets of LA thanks to my cap and shades, but that didn’t mean my luck wouldn’t run out.
Did it matter anymore? If they saw me and if they took pictures of me with Leo?
Was I willing to lose Leo just to keep my private life in check? Hell no. I got a taste of that last night, and I didn’t like it one single bit. Losing Leo was not an option. Not anymore. It couldn’t be. Besides, even if I stayed in the closet, it’d be impossible when all I wanted was to hold Leo’s hand and kiss him every waking moment of my life.
I took a picture of the top of the building, the sun hitting the studio sign just right to make the picture Instagram-worthy. Before I thought too much about what I was doing, I shared the picture with my fans and a caption that read “the wait is killing me too.”
I didn’t get a chance to see the response pouring in because a figure in grey pants and a white shirt appeared at the entrance of the building. Leo walked down the road, his face an unreadable mask, and his body, so sexy and lithe, it made me a little horny.
No. Fuck little. It made me a lot horny.
“And?” I asked him when he got within hugging distance.
Leo bit his lip.
“It wasn’t just the casting director. I met with the studio executives, the producers, and the director,” he said. “It was fucking terrifying.”
“Leo, what happened?” I said, barely managing not to give him a hug and kiss.
“They talked about the film and the potential series franchise. They asked me about my life. They talked about the fitness regime and the filming schedule,” he said.
“Did they mention the shit about me?” I asked.
He shook his head.
“Tracy was right, I guess. She never spoke to them, so I guess they never really paid attention to all the press hoo-ha,” he said.
“So why did they drag you here so last minute?”
“Oh, that. They’re rushing into pre-production, so they wanted to see me as soon as possible,” Leo replied, still not giving away anything about how the meeting went.
I stared at him, and he stared back but didn’t say anything.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, baby. What did they say?” I burst out and didn’t catch myself when I called him baby. I didn’t even care.
Leo shrugged when he said, “I got the part.”
I thought I didn’t hear right, but then a smile drew across his face.
“You got it?” I shouted.
“I got it!” Leo shouted, too, and he threw himself at me. We jumped on the spot together in each other’s embrace for a few seconds until Leo let go and apologized. “Shit. I forgot. Sorry. Should we go home?”
I didn’t get to tell him that he didn’t need to apologize, that I didn’t care if I was seen with him, because the word home hit me right in the feels.
“Home?” I asked.
Leo laughed.
“Yes, Cedarwood Beach,” he said. “You know. My home.”
“Oh,” I said. “I thought you meant our home.”
He hailed a cab and one stopped right in front of us, so Leo opened the door for me.
“Our home? You—you want to live with me? In Cedarwood Beach?” he asked.
“What if I do. Is that moving too fast?” I asked.
Leo inhaled and exhaled, and I worried that I’d freaked him out by being too forward.
“Jesus, fellas. Are you in or out?” the taxi driver shouted to us, so Leo shut t
he door, and the cab sped off.
“Too fast? Is there such a thing when we’ve missed out on a lifetime together?” he said. “I want to live with you, too, Dawson Miles Eldred.”
“Really?” I asked and held his hand over my heart.
“Really,” Leo confirmed.
“Then let’s go home,” I said and kissed his knuckles before I hailed us another taxi and got to the airport.
I couldn’t believe it. Not only had Leo and I got together, we’d also already decided we wanted to live together. In Cedarwood Beach. If anyone had told me that I’d consider moving to a small town on the Middle Peninsula of Virginia a week ago, I’d have laughed in their face. But now, a week later that already felt like a year, I was so ready for this.
I didn’t even care to figure out how this would work logistically and logically for both of us, but I knew it’s what my heart had craved for so long. Not only would I get my lion back, but I’d also be next to Mom and Dad and have a somewhat normal life again.
We made it to the airport, and when we got on the jet, we ordered some food with the staff and indulged ourselves in some canapes and fruit until we got back home, where Leo had promised me the best moussaka I’d ever tried. We arrived early in the morning, and instead of going back to Mel’s, Leo snuck me into his family home where he treated me to his grandma’s homemade Greek food and then into his childhood bedroom where we tried to do naughty things to each other, but jet lag and exhaustion won over.
It had been a long and stressful day. But, it had all ended well.
“Come on. Wake up, wake up. Uncle Leo. Uncle Dawson, wake up,” someone kept shouting in my face, and I opened my eyes to find Summer on top of us in bed shaking both Leo and me with all her strength.
“Summer, darling, I love you and all, but shhhh,” Leo muttered, and I turned to him.