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"You have a beautiful home," I said.
"Star Trek money," Zachary said.
The party was small and intimate. The room was unusually hot, and you could see the fog on the glass. Everyone wore short sleeves. He said, "You came at the perfect time."
"Why?" I said.
He sipped some fresh, rose-scented champagne. I could smell it on his breath. "The paps are going to multiply and kill all of us." He was tipsy, and at his height, he looked like he was going to fall forward.
As each car pulled up and some B-list celebrity came out, the paparazzi looked disappointed. Some of them shuffled around to get a better angle.
I steadied him by his left shoulder. "You need some water."
He looked angry. "We're not on Wall Street anymore. You're not my boss."
I laughed. "We played coworkers, in fact—"
"By the way, that whole, umm, relationship thing. Fuck 'em all. I am completely fine, and you will be too."
"Thanks, man. Now, where did you get these drinks?"
We drifted into the flow of the party. I wanted to go with someone to the bar—I felt out of place—so I got two French 75s and felt the world around me fade away. I forgot about the nonstop work schedule that I had. The scandal, the breakup, Malcolm, and everything else floated to the surface and burst like bubbles.
Zach and I were looking by the window, where the flashes of cameras interested us both, as if we were watching a fireworks show.
"So you worked with a fresh director," Zach said.
"Man, he's going to win an Oscar one day." I nodded.
"Hmm. Then does he need a highly intelligent character in his next project?" He smiled.
"Can you sing?"
"God, no."
"Then you're fucked." I laughed and looked at my own hazy reflection in the window.
"Okay. Then, in your acceptance speech, can you say that I was supposed to play it, but I passed on it because it was meant to be yours?"
"Sure. How much?"
"I'll get you another drink."
I gave him a thumbs-up and looked around.
I sat down on a comfy white couch that faced the fireplace, which flickered through the glass. A few people looked over in my direction, but I swirled my drink and tried not to spill it.
"Hello." A woman's voice came from my left.
"Oh, hello. Are you with Andrew?" I said.
"No, he's still doing press. This movie is something else. I'm waiting for a friend," Emma said.
"God. So should I play the Green Goblin next?"
She laughed. "No. I mean, that would be a fun set. Andrew told me you finished another movie and are now writing one. Where do you have the time?"
I shrugged. "Drugs."
"Where do you find them?"
"From some bozo on Hollywood Boulevard."
She laughed. "I'll go try to find him after this." She continued, she changed the topic, "I watched your movie on Prime Video? This streaming thing is so seamless ."
"Yeah. I still have my Blockbuster membership card with me somewhere. No more long lines at 6 a.m."
She looked toward the window and responded, half-elsewhere, "I agree. Do you know where the bathroom is?"
I pointed down the hallway. "I'll talk to you later."
She left, and I went over to the sliding glass doors.
"You do have a stone heart," someone whispered in my ear.
I turned around to see a blonde-haired woman wearing a heavy trench coat. She had no makeup on and looked straight at me.
"Oh, hello, Camilia. When was the last time? Sundance?" I stepped back, and my head hit the glass, which made a loud popping sound.
People around us looked at us, and I immediately wanted to hide.
She continued, "What happened to the Ryan l knew?"
She walked away toward the entrance, but I was too scared to look at the door. I walked around the living room to convince people that I wasn't some loner. I could hear my heart even over the loud music.
I walked toward the pool and heard a familiar British accent talking about Scientology.
"Emily! Been too long." The pool light reflected off her silk dress, making her look like some haunted ghost trapped in a mansion. l tried to slow down my words so she could hear me.
"Ryan. Oh my God, I saw you last night on my telly. God, I want to do Conan so bad."
"You should. He's something else." I smiled. "You think it was Scientology that broke them up?"
She said, "Of course. Did you read about how the church held secret auditions to find a wife for Cruise? I was going to join because, you know—" She pointed outside, and I could still hear them from here. She continued, "But when it came out... Imagine if I found John like that."
I laughed. "Imagine. There would be an audition to find a partner. I know I won't get a callback."
We both laughed. After a brief silence, she said, "You're doing fine after all of this chit-chat."
I nodded. "Yes. Better than ever, actually. I'm writing something this time."
She lit up. "Oh, really? What's it about?"
"It's set in Boston, and it follows a brilliant MIT janitor who has some issues but finds his potential with a compassionate therapist." When I finished the sentence, I realized how cheesy and cliché the movie sounded at first.
She nodded her head. "You know John grew up in Newton. He loves leaving voice calls as a bitter Boston guy."
I smiled. "Maybe he can help me with the slang."
"Of course."
She soon left to go find her husband, who had left his jacket near the pool. I headed back to the large living room, which had been transformed while I was gone. The white couches were fully claimed now, the sliding doors were open, and the warm night air came in, smelling like chlorine.
By the windows, there was a large commotion by the hedges. There must have been dozens of paps in black waiting for something. A black SUV pulled up, and they surged toward it like a wave. Two security guards stepped out. The moment the door opened to reveal a woman wearing a simple leather jacket, the rapid metallic chatter sounded like a gun firing, and everyone teleported to the front of the house.
Zach sprinted up to me. I was already tipsy from the cocktail.
"What the fuck? I didn't think she would come."
"Wait, who?"
She went straight toward Emma Stone, and they shared a quick laugh and hug. Under the living room light, I could finally see who it was. She was the biggest up-and-coming actress of the year and had starred in the highly successful The Hunger Games.
She went toward the bar and chatted with some other actresses. I glanced occasionally in that direction while talking to some producers.
"We can provide you funding for that movie, just as long as you're playing Will," a producer from Sony said.
"The footage we got from Whiplash looks fantastic. That ending..." he continued.
"Yeah, I know." I looked behind him.
"So, five million dollars for 50 percent?" he said.
I looked straight at him. "I can look somewhere else."
He looked puzzled. "I don't think you're going to find a better deal. Are you aiming for awards? If so—"
"God, Ryan, can you help me with this fucking TV? It keeps blinking."
I smiled toward the producer. "Just text Mark."
I followed Zach to the bar.
"Thanks for that," I whispered to myself. "Five million for 50 percent? Is he on crack?"
"Let me introduce Jennifer. You know Emma—oh, you two have the same name?"
"We're siblings."
"Really?"
"No."
"Did you see someone wearing a trench coat? You know where she went?"
Zach smiled. "Trench coat? I know it's hot in here. I've been trying to fucking fix it. You—"
"No. No. It was—"
We approached the bar, and Emma Stone said, "Two future Oscar winners here."
Zach said, "I know. In my speech, I'll mention your name."
Everybody else laughed.
Emma said, "Jen, this is Ryan. Ryan, this is Jen."
We both said at the same time, "I know who you are."
Zach smiled.
I said, "How did you meet Emma?"
Jennifer smiled toward Emma. "We met through Woody and thought we would be good friends."
Emma said, "Your first text, you said, 'Fuck off.' It was an instant connection."
I smiled. "Kind of the reverse of how I met Andrew. Luca forced us to make out."
Everybody laughed.
Jennifer said, "I look forward to that movie. I would love to work with him."
"Yeah."
Emma said, "I better leave soon. I've got to do some voiceovers."
I nodded, and Zach said, "Audiobook? They're great." He pointed to the ceiling. "They paid for this."
"No, this animated movie by DreamWorks." Emma said
Emma left her drink behind, and Zachary had to greet the other guests as the host.
After a brief silence, Jennifer said, "Everybody left."
I sat down on the chair next to her. "Want to go to the pool area? It's so hot in here."
"Sure."