Page 103 of Turnabout Is Fair Cosplay
And he made different ones. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“I’m glad you did. And I’m glad you came.” There’s something soft, almost fragile in his tone, but it dissipates quickly with his next words. “I was half expecting to find the tickets ripped in half on my doorstep, but my grandma always said that words aren’t enough when it comes to apologies. Actions have to accompany them. I figured at the very least you’d get a chance to see me suffer onstage in front of a crowd.”
“Is that what suffering looks like?” I resume walking toward his truck.
Mike follows. “I don’t know how to fix things, but I want to be your friend.”
Friend. Yay! Meanwhile, I want to grab him by the lapels and tell him that his scheme worked. I was insanely jealous before I was insanely hurt.Now kiss me. Love me.
“I got carried away,” Mike says. “I made things weird, and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. Forgive me?”
“You don’t—”
“I do. I…” Mike kicks a small pebble. “It’s what friends do.”
I muster a smile, because this is also what friends do. “Of course.”
Chapter 31
I don’t know what is worse. Being friend-zoned by Mike Benedick. Or seeing all his friends and fellow actors genuinely love and respect him at the after-party a few weeks ago.
“He was a complete gentleman,” I tell my mother when she calls before our lunch date. "Everyone thought we were a couple—"
“So you have chemistry.” She’s shuffling papers or something on her end of the call. “He’s Michael Benedick. He has chemistry with everyone. The boy could kiss a wall and sell tickets.”
“Who are you? What have you done with my mother?”
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I can’t have lunch today. I have to cancel.”
“Why?”
“Because now Adam isn’t returning my calls.”
“Mom.”
She sounds slightly hysterical. “I don’t understand what is going on with you two. Portia and Julie have no problems whatsoever telling me if they will or won’t be home for Thanksgiving, which is only two weeks away, but your brother has turned into a ghost. One minute, I hear he’s having brunch with a pretty little blonde. The next, he’s canceling our tennis date and moping around La Jolla.”
“He’s in La Jolla?”
“Something about an escape room above one of those restaurants that puts glitter on everything.” Mom sighs. “He’s allegedly there right now.”
Of course. “You want me to talk to him, don’t you?”
“Can’t you walk a dog by there and just check in on him? He won’t talk to me, and you both are so dramatic when it comes to your personal lives.”
“Sure, Mom. I’ll go talk to him.”
“Excellent. We can reschedule our lunch for after Thanksgiving. I’ve got more legal briefs for you to read.”
I text my brother and tell him I’m bringing lunch or dinner, his choice. “Don’t tell me you are too busy to skip both.”
I arrive after my last evening FroggoDoggo engagement with two bags of takeaway at the address Adam texted.
My brother is on a ladder wiring a video camera. “Hey, Bea.”
“I hope you’re hungry.”
“I will be just as soon as I get this up and running.” He fiddles with more wires and other things before climbing down the ladder. “How you been?”
