Page 51 of Even After This
I take his hand and drag him through the lobby, trying to think of something. Anything that would give me a few minutes to get a handle on things. When I spot the escalator down to the ground level, I say, “Hey, let’s go see what’s playing in the movie theater.”
“Meredith, I don’t think—”
“Trust me,” I say, taking the first step of the escalator, “they always have some fun movie playing that everyone’s already seen, so you can walk in and out. Sometimes it’s a kids’ movie, but other times it’s something great from the eighties.”
We hit the ground floor, and I tug him down the long hallway.
“Yeah, but—”
“No, no. Trust me. It’ll be fun.”
“Mer—”
He silences when I hold my finger to my lips in the international sign for be quiet. I gently open the door to the theater and we find the show already playing. The music sounds familiar, but I can’t quite place the movie. Slowly I make my way down the side of the theater a few feet and wait for my eyes to adjust. Once they do, I scan the rows to find open seats.
Next to us, three teenagers rest back in their chairs with their sock-clad feet propped on the seats in front of them while they whisper, giggle, and point to the screen.
“Girls,” the adult figure next to them admonishes.
And then a familiar voice says quietly in my ear, “You’re beautiful.”
I shift to lean my back against the wall and look at Harlan. Bashfully, I curl my hair around my ear and say, “Thank you.”
He glances at the screen and back to me, the look in his eyes a cross between amusement and bewilderment. “Um, Meredith...” He nods at the screen.
Slowly, because mortal fear courses through my veins over the train wreck that I know is about to happen, I look to the screen.
We walked intoHercules, starring the man I had dinner with, just in time for the racy make-out-leading-to-sex scene.
Once again, but this time on a larger screen, is a shirtless Harlan in all his glory. My gaze shifts to the goddess in the Princess Leia bikini who is making out with him. I immediately want to rip her eyes out. Two of her could fit into the dress I’m wearing.
I glance down at my body that gave birth to two children. I look pretty good for my age, but certain contents may have shifted during flight. My body doesn’t match any superhero’s, and I’m more of the dressed-in-a-white-sheet Princess Leia.
“We should go.” My high-pitched tone throws a spotlight on my discomfort.
Harlan turns perpendicular to me, crosses his arms, and leans his shoulder against the wall. “Oh?” The screen flickers shapes across his face, but his amusement shines through the shadows.
I open my mouth but can’t remember how to speak. Even if I could, what would I say? Instead, I push out of the room, making a beeline for the empty elevator. I pound the number for my floor as a chuckling Harlan saunters to my side and the doors slide closed.
Staring straight ahead, I talk to the elevator door. “Well, thank God you’ve gained a few pounds and don’t look like that anymore. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to contain myself.”
Harlan studies his shoes, rises up on his toes, then rocks back to his heels. His cocky vibe bounces off the walls of the confined space. “My trainer thinks I’m in better shape now than I was six years ago when we filmed.”
My hands fly out in exasperation, and I still talk to the door. “Would you throw me a bone here?”
His rumbling chuckle is both annoying and attractive, and I can feel him looking at me. “How long until you can look me in the eye again?”
I address the ceiling. “Won’t be looking you in the eye if you take your shirt off again.”
He leans toward me. “What was that?”
“Nothing.” I squeeze my eyes closed and giggle. “Nothing at all.”
This is why I can’t be around famous people.
On the way to my room, we’re silent. I have no idea what’s going through Harlan’s head, but my head is spinning and tryingto put a baggy Hawaiian shirt on my mental image of him. As if he’s a benign Ken doll.
When we arrive at my door, I turn to him. I squeeze my eyes shut.
