“No,” Brook admitted.
“Okay.”
She looked at me again.
“You’re okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? You and I are together. I’m not dating her,” I explained.
“See, that’s what worries me. We’ve danced around it, but when we go off to college, we will break up. I’m afraid we’ll never get back together, and I’ll be like Chloe, hunting for Mr. Right and comparing each guy I date to you. I’m afraid I’ll never find anyone who measures up.”
“Well, I am unique,” I teased.
“David, I’m trying to be serious.”
I kissed the top of her head.
“Don’t you think I have the same worries?”
“I can name ten girls, without even trying, who would take my place in a heartbeat,” she complained.
“You don’t get it, do you?” I asked.
“Get what?”
“That you’re the one I love. You’re the one who has my whole heart. It makes me sick to my stomach to think of you going off to college and possibly finding someone to replace me. I know it would be unfair to both of us if we tried to make a long-distance relationship work. But I want you to know, Brook Davis, no one can replace you in my heart,” I said, and knew deep down I meant it.
Brook must have heard it because I saw a tear fall down her cheek.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“More than okay. I finally get it. You really do love me.”
“That is what I’ve been trying to tell you. While Chloe might have been fun, it’s you I love. It’s you that I care about, and you who can never be replaced.”
“You know what? This really has been the best Christmas ever. I can’t think of how it could be better,” she gushed.
“Maybe if we ate dinner, and then you could admire my tackle.”
“You really are a ‘stupid boy.’”
“Yes, but I’m your ‘stupid boy,’” I said with a smile.
“Yes, you are.”
◊◊◊
Chapter 19 – Pride. Fear. Guilt. Pick a Number Monday December 26
While we enjoyed spending the night in Palm Springs, the drive back to Malibu in the morning was a nightmare. I guess karma was trying to balance out the great day we had yesterday.
When we arrived home, Manaia and Lexi were waiting for me.
“Hana quit,” Lexi announced when I walked in the door.
“What? Why?” I asked.
“She took Jiro home for Christmas to meet her family, where I guess Jiro and her dad had words. Long story short, they broke up, and Hana decided she would stay home so she wouldn’t have to be around him on set because it would be too painful.”
“I realize this is exactly the wrong thing to ask right now, but where does that leave me as far as an interpreter goes?” I asked.
“If it helps, Hana said she was sorry she left you with no notice,” Lexi added.
“That doesn’t do me any good, though. I relied on her to read my lines phonetically so I had the right inflection. I’m getting better, but I have to hear it to be able to do my job,” I explained.
“Why don’t you ask one of the other actors to help you until you can find someone else?” Brook suggested.
“That might be a short-term solution, but they need to learn their own lines.”
“I’ll ask Misaki. She’ll know who to ask,” Lexi assured me.
Welp, there was nothing more I could do about it right now.
◊◊◊
“Okay, people, settle. We have a lot to cover in a short time,” Mr. Otsuki announced. “We need to get four days’ worth of scenes in the can in only two and a half to keep on schedule.”
No one complained because they’d all had Christmas off. Most of them had flown in this morning and looked a little the worse for wear. I knew from experience the flight to and from Japan was a bear. Once we’d taken our seats, our director continued.
“This week’s first is where Haru’s character learns what it is like to be popular now that she is dating the Big Man on Campus. She discovers it’s not exactly what she expected.”
I’d bet Brook could write a whole book on that topic. This was the beginning of the end for the David and Haru relationship. Haru’s character would find that what she really wanted was to be the simple, small-town girl she’d been when she arrived on campus. Of course, my character would discover he couldn’t live without her and would give up everything just to have her in his life.
That was the plot for almost every love story ever written. Girl spots a boy with a flaw. By flaw, I mean he’s a prince or a bad boy or something that’s a deal-breaker. Her love causes him to come to his senses, and he changes. I think every girl secretly believes that she can transform any boy, or that’s the fantasy, anyway.
Real life never seemed to work out quite like that. Guys are pretty good at convincing girls that they have mended their ways for a short time. It usually ends when he discovers he wants to move on to his next conquest. Men can be good and meet a girl’s standards, but typically only so long as they’re getting something out of it.
