Page 58 of Beyond the Spotlight Discreet Version
I blush at the double meaning of that question.
“I know you get so excited anytime you talk about this new movie. You talk my ear off at breakfast, reliving the scenes you filmed the day before. You missed acting.”
He opens his mouth and holds up a finger like he does when he’s about to argue with me, but it’s interrupted by a cough. I fill up a glass of water and hand it to him.
“Okay, soup time.”
He takes a huge sip, then a deep breath. “Soup time.”
Chapter 13 – Reynold
Despitefeelinglikedeath,spending time with Savannah is absolute bliss. We sleep a lot, only waking to eat or shower (though not together because I know I wouldn’t be able to control myself).
We snuggle up with tissues, soup, and tea and binge TV shows and movies. I convince her to watch some of my action films. I’ve never been alone in a room with someone while they watched me act. Except when I first started acting, and each role was new and exciting. My parents would make a big deal out of me being on the telly, and we’d gather around in the living room to watch whatever show I was on. One time they invited our neighbors over and my dad yelled, “That’s my boy,” when I came up on the screen.
I knew I didn’t need to impress them because they’d tell me I was great, even if I wasn’t.
It’s different with Savannah. She’s the first woman I’m excited to share this part of my life with. Probably because she isn’t remotely interested in the fame side of me.
Yet, she smiles every time I come on the screen, engrossed in every word I say. She becomes emotional when I die because sometimes, I play the bad guy who gets killed by the good guy.
Then there are the sex scenes. I’ve never been shy about my body. I’ll bare ass at the drop of a coin. I even went full frontal for a movie once.
Two films we watch show my backside while I’m fucking a woman. Savannah bites her lip and blushes. Her breathing picks up and I want to grab her to make our own sex scene, but she made it quite clear how miserable and not sexy she feels.
Between sleeping, eating, and watching TV or movies, we don’t do a lot of talking. I never thought I could enjoy someone’s company, despite barely uttering a word to each other. Still… having her near me, her body flush with mine, and her head resting on my shoulder is intoxicating.
By day three, our coughs are nearly gone. We’re in the kitchen, eating actual food instead of soup. I asked Shirley to come early today for lunch. She prepared chicken quesadillas with chips and salsa.
“What did you do while raising Addy since you weren’t acting?”
I pause, the question seeming to come out of nowhere. I take a bite of food and chew while forming my answer because I never talk about this part of my life with anyone.
“Well, the first year, I mostly slept. Addy woke up a lot throughout the night, so I was always tired. Any chance I got to sleep, I would.
“When she turned one, I hired a part-time nanny. She’d take her to the park and while they were gone, I’d do some voice over work for commercials or books. I bought all the equipment and turned a closet into a recording studio.”
I shrug.
“Other than that, I didn’t do much else. I worked out a lot. Mostly to relieve stress and... other things.”
She blushes, knowing exactly what I meant by ‘other things.’
“Why didn’t you go to Ginger and Bruno’s wedding? You said you were invited, but you couldn’t go?”
She takes a sip of her lemonade to wash down a bite.
“Brad didn’t want to go because he said Lana hated him. She did, but I wasn’t going to admit that. Then he got pissed when I told him I was going without him. We got into a big fight, which ruined my excitement. I flew to Georgia instead to stay with my parents for a few days. I needed a break from him. Now that I think about it, that’s when I first suspected he was cheating. I remember him being weird when I got back. As if he was guilty about something. I never noticed anything off with him until that day.”
I want to murder him. How could anyone cheat on this woman?
“That was the last time I visited my parents too. I haven’t been back because I felt ashamed. They told me to break up with Brad—they weren’t fans of his either. So, I didn’t want to see their disappointed faces when I showed up and told them we were still together.”
I take her hand in mine. “If you want to fly down and visit them, you can take all the time off you need.”
She shakes her head. “It’s fine. I talk to them on the phone and text them both a lot. They’re supportive in everything I do—even when I think I’m a disappointment. I should have known better. They’re never disappointed in me or in anything I’ve done. Not even when I told them about moving here on a whim. They were honestly excited for me.”
We finish eating while sharing more of our lives, including some of our favorite things. Our tastes are similar. We both like banana and peanut butter waffles with maple syrup and playing old school video games. She was way too excited when I told her I have Mario Kart. We both love anything artsy. For me, it’s music, acting, and reading non-fiction books. For her, it’s fashion, styling outfits, and reading anything but non-fiction books.
