Page 40 of After Midnight

My dad screamed. Literally screamed, so loud I had to hold the phone away from my ear. I barely heard Papa K asking Dad in a near panic what was happening.

Of course, once Dad filled him in, Papa K let out his own excited shouts. Having them in my corner really was like having my own personal cheering section.

“Hey, I’m going to be in Chicago for another month,” I told them after relaying the few movie details I knew. “I promise I’ll be back home for the Valentines’ gala and maybe I can bring Feldman with me as the star attraction.”

I was sure my dads would use the occasion to announce to the world their son was on the verge of movie stardom, so it only made sense to bring Feldman along with me. Between now and then, I’d figure out how to convince him to accompany me to my fathers’ annual boring ass formal gala crawling with snooty elites.

It’d been a while since my unanswered call to Dominic, but the thought of returning home made me think of him. I wondered if maybe with time between us, I’d be able to reconnect and whether he’d give me another chance. I owed it to myself to at least try. Since meeting him, I had hardly looked at another man, let alone wanted one.

Being in limbo had started to eat at me. I needed to know if Dominic was a real possibility or I needed to end things and get on with my life. Even thinking that sent my heart into my stomach. I didn’t want to give up on him. Even though we still barely knew each other, he felt right.

For all my convincing self-talk, though, I didn’t know what to say to him. So, I didn’t try calling him again. In hindsight, perhaps I should have.

Feldman and I perfected our routine night after night onstage, testing new material for our movie scene and making mental notes of what made the audience laugh hardest.

“My soon-to-be ex, you’ll meet him in a minute,” I’d say, setting the scene for Feldman’s entrance. “He’s a total two-timing loser. Caught him last night with a sexy man behind the bar…”

Then I’d be interrupted with, “I wasn’t trying to get a date, you nincompoop, I was trying to get Frank to spot me another beer!”

Feldman’s perfect timing made the entire bit all the funnier as we bantered back and forth like an old married couple. What we found, time and again, was the audience wanted a make-up session at the end. No matter how hard we went at each other with biting remarks and stinging zingers, they wanted us to close on an uplifting note as happy, albeit bickering, lovebirds. That took even more practice.

The movie director watched our routine several times, making a few minor adjustments of his own. He basically tailored the routine to reflect more of what was happening in the movie between the two main characters than letting us just roll with it.

They actually filmed us at the club in front of a live audience, and not one full of handpicked extras. So, with the exception of having cameras in our faces and hitting our marks, it was like any other night there.

As the director had planned, the lovey-dovey closing segment of our routine coincided with the movie’s two main characters creating a major scene in the audience. Right on cue, Feldman quipped from the stage, “Um, if you’re gonna steal all the laughs with your own comedy routine, folks, at least wait until we’re done.”

The audience cackled and hooted, and the male actor?still fully in character?stomped out, after which the director yelled cut. It must’ve been a solid take because the man did a happydance and high-fived the crew around him. All told, my first brush with Hollywood had gone decidedly well.

Filming for our part of the movie wrapped the week before Valentine’s Day. Even though Mr. Foreman begged me to stick around for the Valentine’s show, I politely declined. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me, and I am yours three hundred and fifty days out of the year,” I told him. “But if you knew my fathers, you wouldn’t even bother asking me to stay. I’d rather face a pack of hungry wolves than explain to my papa why I missed his big gala.”

I sighed with relief when the man chuckled. “As much as I want you here, I completely understand. My mom was the same. Go home and have fun. I’ll see you back here soon after, though.”

His honesty made me smile, as did the implication. That must’ve been my boss’s way of saying I was a permanent fixture on the Chicago scene. Or at least, the option was open to me for the taking. I was doing all kinds of happy dances inside as I thanked him and left his office.

I traded Chicago’s cold, unrelenting winter winds for the gentle snowfall I’d known and loved all my life when I stepped off the plane in Denver. Any illusions I had of a calm, relaxing visit home were swept aside upon arriving at the house, where gala preparations were well underway.

The place was awash in the color of love, aka every shade of red known to man. Each room, with the exception of our bedrooms, had a Valentine’s theme. Enormous rose bouquets wereartfully placed?Papa K’s words?throughout the house, strung fairy lights cast asoft and romantic glow?Dad’s words?and heart-shaped inflatables floated in the backyard pool. It was just as beautiful and ostentatious as ever... God, I was so happy to be home.

After visiting with my dads, who were both extremely busy with the gala prep, I stopped by the comedy club and soughtout Ashton. I’d learned his heart attack had only been a mild one, thankfully, and he’d fully recovered and was now back at work. We’d texted some while I’d been in Chicago, mostly short exchanges about my stand-up sets and his improving health. Now that we were in person, though, I slipped in questions about Dominic.

“I’ve been concerned about him, but can’t even get a text or call back,” I said, not hiding my frustration. “Is he doing okay?”

Ashton frowned. “No, afraid not. He’s been keeping mostly to himself while he’s at work, which is unlike him,” he said. “From what I’ve heard from my sister, it seems things just keep getting worse.”

I shook my head because that wasn’t what I’d wanted to hear. That’s when I gave in to impulse and texted Dominic.

Me:Hey, I’ll be over in a few to say hi. I want to see you while I’m back in town.

The move was presumptuous, even for me, but I didn’t care. I was worried and needed to see the man with my own eyes. He could kick me out if he decided I wasn’t welcome. At least then I’d have my answer as to whether or not we had a future together or if I just needed to leave things alone. As the old saying goes, time to fish or cut bait.

When I arrived at Dominic’s house, I could sense something had changed but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Like the place had taken on a sullen mood somehow. That, more than the snowy weather, made me shiver as I rang the doorbell.

“Hi, Miss Rita,” I said, trying to sound cheerful, when she opened the front door. Although she greeted me with the same critical look as the first time I’d visited, I decided to ignore it and asked if Dominic was available. Maybe I was pushing my luck but it was too late to back out now.

She studied me for a long moment, then opened the door wide enough for me to enter. She pointed toward the kitchen and toldme to have a seat at the table. For a split second, unsure of what I was walking into, I considered turning tail and running. In the end, though, I did as Miss Rita commanded, knowing if I had any chance of seeing Dominic, it would only be with her blessing.

As soon as I was seated, she said, “Tell me about your interest in Dominic.”

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