Her interview wasn’t supposed to air until tomorrow night. The show released it a day early to tease the episode. They had several actors on that evening, but it seemed they only posted her segment.
How lucky.
Outside the theater room, the scent of popcorn wafted through the hall. An old machine stood by the door, stocked with butter, salt, and other seasonings. Kelvin made himself a bag on the way in. He scooped one for Aja and Maicy, too. Tiffany declined. He worked at a movie theater last summer, so he knew the drill.
“Started from the bottom. Now, I’m here.”
He took a seat in the front row and pushed the button for the footrest.The leather squeaked under his bony butt. A dozen recliners lined the small room. The blackout curtains matched along the walls. Somebody spilled popcorn in the aisle.
Aliyah sat beside him, stretching her legs across his. They fought over the footrest for a second. She put her feet on his, then he put his on hers.
She regretted not bringing a drink with her. Sipping on something might’ve calmed her nerves. He liked the part about Triple Flip, but he soured when they mentioned Dylan. She heard him mutter something during the swimsuit scene. His mouth fell open and refused to shut for the rest of the interview. He might’ve stopped breathing.
“So, what’d you think?”
He choked on a piece of popcorn. “What’d I think? You were in two places at once. What do you think I thought?”
She shoved him. “Be serious.”
“I am serious. Are you kidding? You showed so much of yourself… I mean, emotionally. You were so real with everyone. You even talked about me—”
“Yeah. they weren’t supposed to,” Tiffany said, walking up beside them,“We told her not to, but—”
“That was my fault. I jumped the script, and I think she panicked. It didn’t help that she threw her notecards on the floor.”
“Yeah, that was dumb.”
Her tablet dinged. She stopped typing to check the notification. The glow on her face switchedfrom a pale white to a soft grey.
“People are pouring in now. It’s probably best you two go say hi.”
Aliyah stood up and brushed herself off. Her blouse clung to her in all the wrong ways. Kelvin put his footrest back before pushing more buttons. The chair buzzed, reclined, vibrated.
She kicked him. “Did you not hear her?”
“Yeah, no, I did. It’s just… I was thinking about something you said.”
Her manager headed back up the aisle. The curtains closed. The lights turned on.
“And what was that?”
“It was at the end. About me. You said I inspire you. Like, did you mean it?”
She grabbed his hand and yanked him to his feet. “I said it. Didn’t I?”
His popcorn spilled. They stumbled together as he wrapped his arms around her. The smell of his cologne drew her in. Strong, but not too strong. Her cheeks grew warm against his chest.
“You could’ve been acting, though.” He hugged her. “You know, you’re pretty good at that.”
“Only pretty good, huh?”
She stared up at him without either breaking character. His boyish grin didn’t budge an inch. She rose to her tiptoes to kiss him.Her knees might’ve trembled a little.
“You ain’t alone,” Maicy shouted from the back.
The two of them bumped noses. The air was sultry between them, a mix of salty and sweet.The taste of butter lingered on their lips.
“To be continued,” she whispered.
While they walked up the aisle, they tickled one another.
“What a bitch,” Aja said, chewing on her straw, “I can’t believe she called you a sugar mama.”
“At least she didn’t say I was a stalker.”
“Yeah, she probably should of.”
“I expected worse, actually.” Aliyah squinted at him.“Groupie or something.”
They all laughed.
“That was hot, though.” Maicy sucked the juice from a lime wedge.“You wore the hell out of that bikini. I’m surprised nothing fell out.”
Kelvin coughed.
“We gotta get you in something like that for our video—”
Aja smacked her, and she nearly dropped her drink. No way did he miss that.
“Your video?” he asked, “Wait, are you talking about your song? Are you guys getting a music video?”
Aliyah glared at her like her next words could be her last.
“They’re talking about it.” Maicy rubbed her shoulder. “Nothing soon or nothing. Not like we could afford her, right?”
Down the hall, the music rumbled with enough bass to rattle the walls. Somebody must’ve cranked it.
“Party’s blowing up,” Aja said, “Y’all better get going. I think I hear Tiff coming.”
He spun around. “Oh, snap.”
Aliyah thanked her with a fist bump behind his back. She tugged on his arm after, dragging him toward the exit.
“What about our battle?” Maicy shouted, “Is that still on?”
“Absolutely,” they said in unison.
“Jinx!”
Aliyah pushed him through the door. “How about tonight? Let me warm him up first. I wanna eat and play some ping pong, too.”
The door shut behind them. “Ping pong?”
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