Page 82 of Score
Well, if you don’t mind.
TILDA
Look at them lovely manners. If I don’t mind. You so pretty, Dessi. And sweet. Too sweet for the world, baby girl.
Tilda cups Dessi’s face and kisses her. At first tentatively, eyes open and looking to see if Dessi wants her to stop, but Dessi moans and leans in, cupping Tilda’s face, too. After a few minutes, Tilda slides Dessi’s slip and underwear off. Gently hooking Dessi’s legs over her shoulders, she looks up, grinning at her roommate from between Dessi’s thighs. She lowers her head and begins kissing her there. Dessi gasps and throws her head back into the pillow, gripping Tilda’s hair and pushing her in closer.
TILDA (CHUCKLING)
Oh, we gon’ teach you some thangs ’bout this lil’ pussycat. And we got all night.
TWENTY-FIVE
Verity
Tired and sweaty, I collapse into a folding chair in video village, the tent where Canon watches most of the filming, while his assistant director, Kenneth, is usually out on set. We’re just a few weeks intoDessi Blue, and working with him is as exhausting as I thought it would be, but also just as rewarding. Canon’s not afraid to change the script if something we have down isn’t working. I’m always prepared to revise and get new pages to the actors as quickly as possible.
“Whew!” Jill flops into the seat beside me. “Nowthatwas a long day.”
“You got that right.” I guzzle from my water bottle and swipe a hand over my brow. October in LA has been hotter than July, and I’m ready for a nice long bath now that shooting is done for the day.
“You coming to the party tomorrow night?” Jill asks. “Might be a great way to blow off some steam.”
“I’d actually forgotten it’s Halloween. The party’s at Evan’s, right?”
“Yup. He has a gorgeous place in the hills. It’s an eighties-themed party.”
“Oh, that does sound fun. We’ll see. I’ve got a new project I need to be working on, so I’ve been using my weekends writing that.”
“Anything fun?”
“It might be fun once I figure it out. I signed an overall deal with United Studios, and now I have to actually develop a series.”
“So annoying when they want something to show for their investment,” Jill says, friendly sarcasm in the words.
“I know, right?” I shoot her a grin. “The audacity.”
“It’s an overall?” Jill frowns. “And they let you doDessi?”
“Dessicame first, thank goodness, so it was already carved out. I can’t imagine having to pass this up,” I say. “Real talk, though, getting this deal means I have some financial stability for the first time. People assume when you win something like a Golden Globe, it magically pays all your bills.” I breathe out a small laugh. “I can confirm it does not. I’ve been living from one open writing assignment to another for years.”
I don’t mention that managing swings between depression and mania has slowed my career climb. I could waste time dwelling on the opportunities I’ve lost because I have bipolar, but take this condition away, and I wouldn’t be the same writer.
“What’s your deadline?” Jill asks.
“They requested a concept and pilot in six months, which is coming up soon.”
“Well, good luck.” Jill sends me a commiserating smile. “You’re as bad as Monk with all the side projects. He just got back from New York working on an album for that guy Cutter.”
Monk’s name drops like a bomb unexpectedly into the conversation, but I make sure not to show any reaction. When he is on set, to my dismay, I find myself looking for him, watching him.
There are places on earth where the sun stays below the horizon for long periods of time. Sometimes for six months, the landscape is shrouded in darkness and shadows. I imagine that when that extended night lifts, people are transfixed by the sun, like they’d forgotten its radiance. That’s how it feels when Monk is around. Like the last decade has been a long polar night, and the sun is finally shining. And even though it’s so bright it hurts your eyes, you still can’t look away because you know soon, it will be gone again.
And what if every time you look at the sun, it’s staring back at you?
That’s the part I don’t want to acknowledge, even to myself; that when I catch Monk staring at me, that’s the look in his eyes—like I’m bright enough to capture his attention, but it still hurts to look.
“I hope you’ll consider the party,” Jill says, forcing me to pay attention again. “It’ll be fun and a great way to bond with the cast and crew.”
