Writer's Block (Chapters 31 to 40)

Chapter 31

“How did it go last night?” Emma sat in the kitchen drinking coffee and reading the morning paper as Claire walked in yawning
“First, coffee… then, talk” Claire pointed at the steamy coffee pot and grabbed a mug
“Ok… you have coffee; now speak, woman!” she closed the paper giving Claire her full attention
“It was ok…”
“Did you get into Green Door?”
“Slid right in… like a glove”
“Huh!… He must be pretty well connected, then”
“I guess… I don’t really care”
“Why?” she studied her friend “What happened?”
“Let’s say he was pretty direct”
“He made a pass at you?”
“Yep” Claire sipped some coffee.
“Did he try anything?” Emma’s gesture was pretty specific
“No!… He’s a gentleman… He figured out I was involved with Ryan and said he wouldn’t interfere… for now”
“Really? What a smug asshole!”
“My thoughts exactly”
“And you’re gonna be working with this guy for how long?”
“I dunno… but I can’t back off now, Em… “
“Of course not!... Just be careful Cee… these Hollywood executive producer types don’t take no for an answer.”
“I know, I know…. Don’t worry Em, I’m a big girl, remember?”
“If you say so.” She sipped her coffee
“The odd thing is, he can be quite charming if he wants to” Claire paused to play back the evening in her mind… It had been one of the most interesting conversations she had had in a long time. I mean, Ryan was incredible, but he really didn’t know that much about art and literature.
“Well… you just keep his charm away from you and you’ll be fine.” She put down her mug “So, what are your plans for today. Are you meeting Ryan?”
“We haven’t spoken since yesterday morning. I guess he’ll call me today”
“Well, unfortunately I need to work, so you’re on your own. Take the SUV and do whatever you feel like”

Claire left for the beach a couple of minutes after Emma pulled out in Matt’s Audi Coupé. She took Lola with her, and was able to finish reading her novel, sitting quietly on the sand. On the drive back she decided to stop at the Starbucks Coffee Shop in the Barnes & Noble Bookstore for a Cappuccino Grande and a chocolate chip cookie. Bookstores had always been her favorite places … her modern day Byzantium, in some way.
Before settling down to enjoy her cookie, she browsed through the best selling book rack, while relishing on her cappuccino. She recognized the novel she had just finished, and another one by the same author next to it. She decided to purchase it. As she read the back cover of 'O’Donnell’s peculiar second marriage' (the second novel published, by the same author, in less than one year!), the cover of another book caught her eye. It was a Rothko painting, more precisely the one she had seen in the gallery almost 5 years ago, the evening she met Bill. She moved closer to read the title… A Modern Day Tragedy by Zachary Wilder. In a heart beat, she grabbed it out of its shelf and turned to read the comments on the back cover “A bold move by one of the sharpest writers in our era”, “Wild, Wilder does it again!”, “Wilder shows he has remained loyal to his New York breeding by delivering a heated tale of yearning and loss, full of irony and prejudice”, “Don’t be fooled by the title, the only tragedy is to miss out on this brilliant masterpiece”
Claire took a deep breath and scanning the room for any familiar faces, decided to carry it too.
She sat on one of the comfy armchairs, far away from the glass panes, that separated the store from the parking lot. She didn’t have as much light there, but felt safe, in that dimly lit deserted corner of the bookstore.
She paused to stare at the cover once more, recalling how much that painting had moved her. As she was about to open the book, her cell phone rang. She answered it almost immediately, blushing, as other silent readers sneered at her interruption.
“Claire speaking”
“Hey, beautiful”
“Ryan…” she smiled feeling slightly ashamed of her current activities
“Where are you?”
“Just getting some coffee at Starbucks…” she paused, considering “To go”
“You New Yorkers are crazy about caffeine”
“Crazy indeed” she added, covering her face, realizing how foolish she had sounded
“You know my bed felt kind of empty this morning” he whispered
“Mine too.” She set both books on the table in front of her and grabbed her coffee cup
“I got a call from Mark, he said your meeting yesterday went better than he expected. I want to hear all about it” he sounded excited
“Yeah, they’re really cool people, those two” a strange feeling surrounded her as she remembered her evening with John
“I told you so! By the way, I almost forgot… we’re meeting them for dinner tonight. Bob De Niro’s coming”
“What? Get out o’here!” Now she was excited. She was going to meet the Taxi Driver! This movie was the cornerstone of an entire New York generation! Not her generation, of course… she hadn’t even been born when the movie came out. But her brother was a huge fan of the genre, and had haunted her into watching it a million times.
“Yeah, I know… I’m as psyched as you are!” Ryan laughed
“Are you sure they want me to go? They haven’t called me”
“I told them I would talk to you… They’ve sort of figured out what’s going on between us, you know”
“Oh… really?” Claire already knew that
“So, I’ll pick you up around eight and you can tell me all about your lunch meeting on the way there”
“Sounds perfect” she smiled as she pushed away her cookie. (She needed to have a flat stomach for tonight).
“Claire?…”
“Yeah?”
“I love you”
“I love you more”
Ryan smiled as he hung up the phone.

Chapter 32

After his four hour workout, Ryan had taken a quick shower, grabbed some late lunch, called Claire, and rushed through LA traffic to meet his friend Zach Shields. He had an idea for a new song and wanted to discuss it with him. Dead Man’s Bones, the band they had created together, had performed is some clubs and bars and was slowly getting the recognition of a selected LA crowd. Ryan didn’t do this for the money; everyone knew he made more than decent living off his acting career. Music was something else for him; it was his refuge, his light at the end of the tunnel. Zach and he shared similar taste in music, and the jamming sessions they held in his friend’s backyard had always been the highlight of his week. That was until he had met Claire, of course… for the last week and a half he hadn’t even called Zach, and his friend was starting to wonder if he had skipped LA to fulfill a sudden unexpected promoting event. He pulled into his driveway pausing to glance at the time.
“Fuck!” It was 5 pm already
Zach stepped out of his house and into the driveway, lifting his arm slightly to wave at Ryan. He wore a plaid robe and held a cup of coffee.Ryan jumped off the Jeep followed by George.
“Hey, man!” Zach smiled as he sipped some coffee “Where have you been? I thought you had skipped town or something.”
“Nah…” Ryan shook his head regretfully “I’ve been busy, man. That’s all”
“I can imagine… you never miss out on our weekly jamming sessions”
He bent down to rub George’s back as they both walked into the house.
“What have you been up to?” he offered his friend a Bud Light from the refrigerator and left his mug to grab one for himself
“Uhhh… stuff. Why are you wearing a robe at 5 pm?”
“Just wild partying last night… I got up 20 minutes ago”
“Oh... ok” Ryan sat to drink his beer on the couch
“What about you? Stuff… what stuff? Are you working on a new movie?”
“Yeah, but that’s not it.” He sighed as he stretched his arm across the couch “I met someone”
“Really? Is she hot?”
Ryan laughed “Burning, man… but that’s not the best thing about her… she’s amazing, what can I say… completely indescribable”
“Wow… sounds like true love. Where’s she from?”
“Manhattan” he exhaled as he put his hand on his chest faking a bullet wound
“And what is she doing down here?”
“She’s taking a month off work”
“Hmm… Is she in the movie business?”
“No. Well… she is now” he smiled “It’s a long story, I don’t have time to explain”
“Ok… so what was it you needed to discuss with me, that was so important”
“I have an idea for a new song”
“Really? That’s great, man!… shoot”
Ryan stood up and got Zach’s guitar. He took a small piece of paper from his pants’ pocket, and began to sing as he played a few bars. Zach sat on the chair across from him and listened carefully as he sipped on his beer. It was sensational! Definitely one of the best tunes he’d heard in a while. This was something pretty original, he thought, not their usual style (he had to admit that), but it had a lot of potential. If they could pull it off… then, maybe, this song would get them the deal they wanted with one of the mainstream record labels.
“This could be it, man!” he smiled at Ryan as he pointed him with his beer bottle “How long have you been thinking about it?”
“Just a few days… this past weekend to be more precise” Ryan smiled recalling the time he had spent with Claire
“The lyrics are perfect; just give me some time to work on the tunes. I’ll get back to you in a few days”
Ryan took another sip and laid the guitar on the couch beside him. He looked at his watch. “Sorry man” he put his beer down “I hate to drink and run, but I really need to get going”
“What’s the rush?… Is it the hot chick?”
“Yeah… and also I have a business dinner. Would you look after George for me?”
“Sure… No problem” he looked at George “I’m having a girl over tonight and you know chicks really dig guys with dogs, so you’re actually doing me a favor”
“Great… so I’ll talk to you tomorrow”
“Yeah… we’ll be fine, Won’t we George?” George wagged his tail in unawareness.
“Thanks”
They hugged and Ryan rushed towards the door.
“Hey, man” Zach held the piece of paper Ryan had left on the table “This is some seriously good shit, you know?”
Ryan smiled and winked at his friend
“Whoever she is… don’t let her go” Zach winked back.

Chapter 33

Claire stepped out into the parking lot. She threw her books in the back seat and glanced at her watch: 4:30 pm.
“Shit!” She got her phone and dialed Emma’s number “C’mon, c’mon!”
It was her answering machine. “No, Em…c’mon, pick up the phone!” she dialed once more.
“Hey, you!” Emma answered
“Em… I need help!” Claire opened the front door of the SUV and got in.
“What is it?”
“I’m having dinner with Bob De Niro... tonight! I need to wear something special… I dunno… Help!”
“Ooooh, De Niro… really!” Emma was excited
“Yes... now will you help me?” Claire went on impatiently
“Well, Cee... you know how you spell this, don’t you?”
“Huh? What do you mean… ?
“Do you? Do you know how you spell this?”
“No” she sighed giving in” How do you spell this?”
“Vera Wang, sweetheart, Ve-ra Wang”
“Ok... that seems to spell out nicely… Now what exactly do you mean?” Claire knew who Vera Wang was… but couldn’t quite figure out what Emma was hinting at.
“That means, you and I go get you a Vera Wang evening dress, right now. Where are you?”
Claire looked around “I’m at the Barnes & Noble parking lot, on the way to your place. But, I still haven’t showered and I’m full of sand from a day at the beach”
“Ok, go home and take a shower. That will give me enough time to wrap things up here. I’ll meet you there at 5:30.”
Emma gave Claire directions on where to meet.

At exactly 5:32 they were trying on dresses at Vera Wang’s Boutique downtown. Claire chose a below the knee pale pink dress with a square cleavage, thin straps to the shoulders, and a ribbon across an imperial waist. It came with a matching tulle shawl that made her look even more sophisticated. Emma added to the ensemble a silver Gucci purse and silver Gucci sandals.
They then rushed to the hair saloon for some ‘serious grooming’ (as Emma had called it),and drove back home, in separate cars.
The door bell rang at exactly 8 pm. Claire was fidgeting with her shawl in front of the mirror in her bedroom. She yelled “Can you get that, Em? It’s probably Ryan”
Emma yelled back “Coming right up!”
She looked at herself once more. She wore her hair down with slight curls; her long bangs to the side, fixed with a shiny silver clip. She walked closer to check her make up. It was perfect. Claire had never gotten her make up done by a professional before… it was definitely something to keep in mind from now on. Her gaze had never looked so deep, and her skin had never looked this fresh.
She grabbed her purse, put on a pair of small diamond earrings and walked out into the living room.
Ryan sat chatting lightly with Emma. He was wearing what Claire thought was a Dolce & Gabanna suit, with matching black shoes and a white shirt. His hair looked kind of spiky (but in a good way), and he had obviously groomed his beard to perfection.
She sighed as she saw him. Ryan turned to look at her and jumped off the couch. Wow! he thought and paused to gaze at her, speechless. Claire walked towards him, and turned a few times teasingly to show off her outfit.
“I’ll be damned!” he paused… “Did I just say that out loud?”
Claire and Emma laughed as he smiled blushing.
“You look…” again, he paused shaking his head “Whatever..” he rushed towards her and grabbed her by the waist “Just come here” He kissed her passionately, as Claire pushed him off slightly, trying to let him know this display of affection, was not appropriate in front of Emma.
Emma smiled thinking how cute they looked together.
He grabbed her hand and rushed towards the door, kissing Emma on the cheek in the process.
“Bye, Emma… It’s been great. By the way, don’t wait up” he kept his eyes fixed on Claire
“Bye, you two… I’ll expect a full report tomorrow” Emma pointed at Claire who nodded laughing, as Ryan hurried her out of the house.


They arrived at Yamashiro restaurant on the edge of the Hollywood Hills. Claire stepped out of the car and climbed up the flight of stairs in awe of the ancient Japanese style building that stood above. Ryan held her hand as they walked into the lobby.
The hostess guided them to the dining room where three men sat laughing and drinking at a table facing directly the city below. The view was breathtaking. Ryan smiled as he shook their hands, still holding Claire’s, who stood paralyzed behind him.
“I see you grow to look more beautiful by the minute, Ms Brickwell” Mark stood up and Claire stretched her hand to shake it smiling nervously “You’ve already met John”
Claire nodded at him and glanced at John, trying to avoid eye contact “And this is Mr. Robert De Niro”
She took a deep breath and moved closer to shake his hand as he stood up smiling.
“You never told me the writer was such a babe… I might have settled for less money” Bob joked as he gestured her to sit beside him.
“It’s quite an honor, Mr. De Niro” Claire felt her cheeks burning
“Mr. De Niro? C’mon…what am I, old? Call me Bob, please”
“Bob” She smiled and sat next to him
“That’s better… how am I going to make a pass at you, if you make me feel old enough to be your father?” he grinned and they all laughed.
Ryan sat next to her and instantly started to joke around with Mark. John gestured the waiter and lifted his glass. “You guys need to catch up. I know you like scotch Ryan… but Claire? Vodka tonic, maybe?” He winked at her
“Dirty martini, please” Claire sneered back at him and turned to look at Bob.

They drank hot sake and ate sushi rolls and sashimi until Claire thought she would burst. Bob offered to share a Miso Salmon with her and she eagerly agreed, hoping he would eat most of it.
He told her about the history of the building: the structure dated back to 1914, originally built as a showcase for an extensive collection of Asian treasures. It was the exact replica of a palace near the Yamashiro Mountains in Kyoto, Japan. In 1922 the entire original collection had been auctioned off, following the death of one of the owners; to later become the host of the exclusive 400 Club, whose members included prominent personalities of the film industry. At the beginning of World War II, the building was clad in board and paint to disguise it from people who might want to damage such a conspicuous reminder of Japan, and used as a military school for boys. When the war was over, the property was purchased by a builder, who added a second story and carved it up into 15 apartments. In 1948 Thomas O.Glover bought what was, by then, a fairly dilapidated structure, intending to flatten everything and redevelop the site. Just in time, he discovered the ornate woodwork and silk wallpaper hidden under layers of paint, and realized the building was too precious to demolish. The ensuing restoration took 20 years and had resulted in the sublime structure we see today. Yamashiro became a restaurant in the 1960s. It had been used in many movies, over more than five decades, among them The Teahouse Of The August Moon, starring Marlon Brando and the more recent Memoirs Of A Geisha.
Claire was completely fascinated by him. His knowledge of history, art, literature and music were above par, and she was excited to know she would be spending almost two months working with him in New York. He mentioned she had done an amazing job on the script, seemed very interested in her unfinished novel and was thrilled to learn, being a New Yorker himself, that she lived in Manhattan.
Ryan, Mark and John were having a ball reminiscing on the camera tests of the different actresses that had tried out for the role of Eva and Victoria. Claire thought about asking who they had finally cast, but decided against it, fearing she would look foolish if they turned out to be household names she didn’t recognize.
Every so often, Ryan would touch her thigh under the table, reminding her she was with him in case she had gotten any crazy ideas about Bob. Claire was amused by this, acknowledging the fact that Bob must have been quite a catch in his golden years, but now represented to her nothing but an extremely talented man in his early 60’s, who was a great entertainer. He did posses an odd sex appeal (she had to admit that). But it was his poise, vast knowledge and experience what made her look up to him they way she did.
John stared at Claire throughout the entire dinner. She noticed this, but decided to ignore him as she continued to focus on Bob’s detailed description of what the upper west side of Manhattan looked like, when she hadn’t even been born.
At some point during the evening, she excused herself and went to the ladies’ room. There, she checked her hair and makeup. As she was heading back for the table she bumped into John, who was stepping out of the men’s room.
“You look stunning tonight, Claire. Ryan’s a very lucky man” he stood inches away from her.
Claire stepped back “Thank you, John. Now, you promised to be nice, remember?”
“I know… but it’s pretty hard considering how you look” he stepped closer to her.
Claire took another step back suddenly realizing there was no more room for her to move.
He leaned over her, touching one of the curls in her hair. “I’m leaving for New York tomorrow, Mark and I are going scouting for locations”
She fixed her gaze on the floor.
“I’m going to miss you, Claire”
Claire looked up and, just as he was bending down to kiss her, slid to the side.
She walked a few steps towards the dining room pausing to turn “Take care, John. I’ll see you in two months”, she turned back and continued towards their table
“Not if I see you first” he uttered under his breath

Chapter 34

They skipped desert and moved on to coffee. Claire was ecstatic; she didn’t think she could fit another atom of food in her body (or her dress for that matter).
John left, explaining he had to get an early start tomorrow before they flew off to New York.
As they took their coffee they talked about schedules and Mark set an actual date for the first read through: August 15th. That’s only a month from now! It seemed they had decided to move faster, Mark wanted the movie to premiere in January… so it would be fresh in the audience’s mind at the upcoming Academy Awards. Claire thought he was a bit ahead of himself, but figured he knew more about the business than she did. It was strange to think the next time she would see Mark and Bob, would be back home, far from the glamour of Hollywood.
As the evening wrapped to an end, Mark got up and patted Ryan on the shoulder. “I’ll see you in New York, kid. We’ll keep in touch” he paused and looked at Claire while still speaking to Ryan “Look after her, will you? She’s our secret weapon” he smiled winking at her.
Bob took her hand bending slightly to kiss it. He then gazed at her and said “An artist is an artist only because of his exquisite sense of beauty, a sense which shows him intoxicating pleasures…”
Claire immediately recognized the quote by Charles Baudelaire, and moved her hand away retorting “...but which at the same time implies and contains an equally exquisite sense of all deformities and all disproportions”
Bob smiled and letting out a sigh said “If I was a million years younger… you’d be in big trouble, young lady”
He patted Ryan on the shoulder “See ya, son.” and walked away.
Claire paused for a second before she turned to look at Ryan. She knew she had impressed Bob, and that gave her a feeling of accomplishment she thought she had only experienced after her book had been published, years ago.
Ryan looked at her proudly. He then took her hand lifting her from the seat “Come with me, I wanna show you something”
They walked out into a terrace from which you could see the entire city, Claire gasped as she noticed that, rising above the trees, stood the famous 600-year- old Pagoda that had been brought from Japan by the original owners, and that Bob had mentioned to her earlier.
Ryan stood behind her and put on her shawl as he wrapped his arms around her. “This is said to be the oldest building in all of California” he pointed at the Pagoda.
Claire turned around and kissed him “It’s beautiful… Thanks, Ryan”
He kissed her back and grabbed her face fixing her gaze on his “Have you got any idea of what you have done to me?”
Claire bit her bottom lip and smiled; Ryan shook his head and kissed her passionately.

Chapter 35

She was awoken next morning by what she thought was the sound of guitar chords. She turned to find Ryan, but the room was empty. She got up, put on his shirt, brushed her teeth hurriedly, and walked quietly into the next room. Ryan sat on the couch with his back to her, strumming on his guitar, half humming, half singing softly. She strained to listen “I stand redeemed… I stand redeemed” and that was all she could make of the song. It sounded like a ballad, the notes gently flowing from the strings… it made her feel light, timeless.
“Wow!” she said out loud as Ryan turned startled to look at her. “Is that a new song?”
Ryan stopped and cleared his throat.
“Don’t stop… it’s beautiful” Claire walked up to him “I want to hear the rest of it”
“Nah… I’m just fooling around with my guitar… nothing new … just practicing some chords” He placed his guitar on the floor next to the couch.
“Well… it sounded like a song to me”
“It wasn’t” he kept fidgeting around with the magazines on top of the table, pretending he was looking for something.
Claire got it. It was probably part of his private project and he didn’t want her to know about it. She wished he trusted her enough to tell her, but the truth was they had only met 10 days ago. She compared his project to her unfinished novel… he was right. Claire wouldn’t dream of letting Ryan read her novel as it was today. She’d be too embarrassed.
She moved closer to him and brushed his hair with her fingers as he sat back on the couch gesturing her to sit on his lap. She did, and they both sat staring outside across the glass panes and into the terrace.
“Ryan?”
“Yeah?” he looked at her and brushed her bangs fixing them behind her ear.
“John and I met for drinks on Monday”
“Huh?”
“He asked me and I had no plans, and you were busy… so I agreed to meet him at Green Door. I thought it would be a good idea to get to know him better, considering we are going to be working together.”
“Ok…” he was trying to guess what she wanted to tell him
“So, nothing. That’s it… I wanted to tell you before you found out some other twisted way”
“Did he make a pass at you?”
Claire paused to consider. It was ridiculous, I mean… why tell him? It would just make the upcoming months harder. Besides, nothing had happened and she had been clear about her feelings towards him “No… not at all. I think he knows we’re together”
“That has never stopped John Hunter before… He’s known to be as ruthless with women as he is in business”
“Not this time, I guess” she smiled at him. “See… I’m not that irresistible”
He laughed as she sighed in relief.

They drove to the beach after getting some chicken sandwiches at a nearby deli. Ryan bought the LA Times and a Reader’s Digest for Claire to read.
The water was particularly cold that day. They jogged for a while, ate their sandwiches and spent the rest of the day gazing at the ocean and reading while they sunbathed.
Claire was drawn by an article on procrastination. It was very well written, and it even mentioned the irony of being a product of procrastination itself.
Ryan browsed through the paper focusing mainly on the Sports Section. As he got to the Entertainment Section, he decided to look for something interesting for them to do that night. There were a couple of talented stand up comedians in town, and he thought Claire might appreciate some traditional LA humor. Most of them were new, so he couldn’t tell which ones were actually any good. He noticed an article on a small column to the right reviewing one of the new comedian’s performances. It was quite flattering, so he figured this guy would be a safe bet. Underneath it, lay a small article entitled “Does Nicholas know about this?” he kept on reading. "Does the Omaha born, international best selling author, Nicholas Sparks know that the situations portrayed in his books can turn into real life events? Well, maybe someone ought to tell him. The reason? Simple. Allie has met her Lon.
More than half of America has wept reading The Notebook; and its sales rose even more after the film adaptation premiered almost four years ago. The movie, starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, grew to be an international success, enabling both leading actors to become Hollywood’s sweethearts almost overnight. The fact that Gosling and McAdams developed a romantic attachment after it, made it even more popular amongst the fans, as it hit new sky high box office records. Much to our dislike and sorrow, the couple split up a year ago, leaving us to wallow in our misery.
In last week’s edition, we uncovered Gosling’s new fancy. The talented New York writer, author of The Missing Ingredient: A Collection Of Essays And Short Stories, Claire Brickwell…”Ryan paused to gaze at Claire as she continued to read, completely oblivious of him.

“…She’s not only smart and beautiful, but has a taste for expensive designer clothes (which she can fill up pretty nicely, by the way). Yours truly, started a proposal to name her our new Allie, as she seems to display all the qualities a girl with a proper upper class upbringing should have. Her family is well off and she possesses a knowledge of fine arts and literature above the ordinary. A source that wishes to remain anonymous, has even told me she has taken piano lessons as a child. What could be more appropriate then? McAdams, an undeniable beauty herself, is not half as qualified as this young woman proves to be.
Being the night owl I pride myself to be, I stopped for a drink at Green Door this past Monday. To my surprise, a few tables away from mine, sat our own Ms Brickwell, having drinks with none other than John Hunter, executive producer of blockbusters such as Sean Connery’s ‘Mayhem’ and Kevin Spacey’s ‘Let me know when you’re dead’. He’s known for his cunning business skills, his shrewd instincts for smelling box office hits and his Machiavellic style in love, (having dumped none other than British actress Sienna Miller only a couple of months ago).
I do not know what Brickwell’s intentions were (I have yet to learn her body language). But is seemed clear to me, that our producer extraordinaire had nothing but the lowliest of intentions: stealing her from our leading man.
I cannot say what got them to meet where they did, or how they came to know each other. But considering Hunter’s past, I can’t help but wonder: could there be an alternative ending to the original Notebook? Only time (and of course, yours truly) will tell.”





Chapter 36

They walked into the Original Room at The Comedy Store. Claire was glad she didn’t have to dress up for the occasion. They both wore jeans and Claire put on the black Darfur T- shirt, Ryan had given her as a gift that day. She knew she was not related to the cause, but was seriously considering giving some of the money she’d make off the script to the Save Darfur Coalition, recalling what they had talked about at Emma’s only a week ago.
She gasped as she looked at the stage, realizing this was actually the room in which historic comedians such as Richard Pryor and David Letterman had launched their notorious careers. After they sat, Ryan gestured the waitress for two beers. Claire was not a huge fan of stand up comedy. Her brother would drag her into Manhattan’s top comedy clubs every time he was in town; but it wasn’t something she did on a regular basis. New York had always been a hot spot for comedians, and Claire knew she was probably missing out on some really talented people. Zach had his favorites, but had never forced her to join him on his ventures into comedy clubs. She would usually go out with friends for an ‘all girls night out’ while he cruised the city in search of the hottest acts. On the other hand, Scott had never liked stand up comedy, all he really liked was money, how to make more of it, and expensive commodities. During their on and off one year relationship, he had pampered her with expensive gifts and occasional getaways to the Caribbean.
Emma was supposed to join them with another colleague from work, and Claire hoped she would get there before the show started. They had asked her to bring Matt, but he had skipped town for a short business trip to London.
“Hey, you guys!” Emma set her purse on the table “Somebody’s got to do something about the traffic in this town...I thought we would never get here!”
Ryan stood up to kiss her affectionately on the cheek. Claire smiled and waved as she put down her beer bottle.
“This is Caroline, she’s in Accounting”
Caroline shook both their hands smiling. She was a tall brunette with beautiful green eyes… slightly lighter than Claire’s. Both Emma and her dressed casually but looked strikingly attractive in jeans, loose tops and sandals.
The lights went on and off as the waitress brought over two more beers. Claire heaved as the crowd began to go wild, and an African American man in his early 20’s rushed into the stage nodding and smiling.


After the show they decided to grab some dinner at the nearby Ketchup. They laughed incessantly, as they sat in the sunset strip restaurant with a funky atmosphere; while Ryan kept imitating some of the comedians they had just seen.
“Stop… please!” Caroline yelled at Ryan as he put on Emma’s reading glasses and made silly faces.
Claire grabbed her belly as she painfully tried to contain her laughter.
Their food arrived and they were finally able to catch their breaths as Emma retrieved her glasses and slid them back into her purse.
“So… when are you guys starting to shoot?” she looked at Ryan as she lifted her glass to sip some water.
“Well… Mark said we should start the read throughs on mid August, so I guess we’ll start with the actual shooting shortly after that” Ryan explained.
Caroline chewed her food silently but seemed excited to learn about the project.
“Do you know where exactly you’ll be staying?” Emma was interested considering she knew Manhattan pretty well.
“They usually book rooms at really nice hotels and sometimes even rent out furnished apartments for some of us” he sipped on his beer
Claire looked at him “Well… you know you’re more than welcome to stay with me. My apartment’s not very big but I know I can make you feel at home” she smiled
Ryan rubbed her thigh as he smiled at her “I still want them to get me a place for my stuff… in case you can’t put up with me and drive me out”
“As long as the toilet seat stays down, you’re on the clear” she took a bite off her cheese burger
Caroline got up and excused herself. A few minutes later Claire joined her at the restrooms. She stepped out of the cubicle to find Caroline washing her hands, they smiled at each other
“You two look really good together” Caroline handed Claire a tissue “I’m glad you didn’t go for that Hollywood producer, he seems kind of vicious. Still…” she admitted “I wouldn’t mind dating him… he’s awfully good looking.” Claire stared at her in disbelief “Now Ryan...” Caroline went on “...is perfect. You’re a very lucky girl”
“I’m sorry, Caroline… What did you say about the Hollywood producer?”
“Oh… it was all over the today’s Morning Edition of the LA Times” Caroline put on some lip gloss. Claire stared at her in shock
“You know…” she went on “…how you met for drinks at Green Door. It was also on E! News this afternoon; I caught it before Emma picked me up to drive to the club”
“What did they say?”
“Well, how they thought he was prowling on you. He does have a pretty notorious record”
“Really?” Claire wanted to know more
“Yeah… he’s dated almost every model in LA and a couple of actresses too. The guy is amazing, whatever he wants, he gets. He seems to stop at nothing. They could be single, in a loving relationship or even married; nothing is an obstacle.”
“Wow! That bad, huh?”
“Yeah! How you were able to resist him is beyond me!”
Claire forced a smile. An image of Ryan sitting on the beach today, reading the LA Times, engraved in the back of her mind. She wondered if he had bumped into the elusive article, read it and hadn’t even mentioned it. She needed to read that article, now!
They walked back to their table. Claire fixed her gaze on Ryan, still trying to figure out if he had read that article. If he had indeed, why hadn’t he told her about it?
She wasn’t concerned about John’s reputation. Whatever he had accomplished with other women in the past he would not accomplish with her. Besides, she thought… How irresistible could he be?

They drove back to Ryan’s in silence. Claire sat deliberating if she should ask him about the article on today’s paper. She then decided against it, assuring herself that he had probably skipped it completely, and by bringing it up she would only make him aware of its existence. They walked into his apartment and were greeted joyfully by George. He wagged his tail enthusiastically as Claire patted and rubbed his back. Suddenly, he ran off to grab his leash.
“Ok” Ryan sighed looking down at him “But just a 15 minute walk” He grabbed his keys, and kissed Claire on the forehead telling her he’d be right back.
Claire waited until she could no longer hear them on the hallway. She then ran to the table and began to search desperately for today’s paper. She found it beneath her Reader’s Digest and flicked through the pages until she got to the Entertainment Section. She then began to browse slowly through it until she bumped into it, in a small column on the lower right corner. She read it. It was terrible! How could reporters be so vicious! Then, almost without hesitating, she split the page from the rest of the paper and folding it neatly placed it inside her purse.
Trying to look casual, she turned on the TV and sat to wait for Ryan, pacing her breath as her heart raced inside her chest.


Chapter 37

The next two weeks flew by unnoticed. Claire and Ryan spent most of their time together, enjoying entire days at the beach, where they swam in the ocean, sunbathed and took long walks. At night they would usually go out for dinner, hit the occasional night club or stay in to watch a movie at Emma’s. She and Matt would join them on a regular basis.
Ryan worked on his character as Claire kept editing the script. Everyday, he would leave for his morning workout, a time Claire seized to continue writing her novel alone and unobserved. It wasn’t flowing like it had before, but slowly, almost imperceptively the story twisted and turned into shape. Periodically, Claire would email the finished pages of the script to Mark in New York. He would later call, telling her what he thought about the changes, and congratulating her on any bits and pieces she had added or removed from the original plot. John avoided her completely; making her wonder if he had found a new prey in the Big Apple. New York had probably provided him with a vast selection of extremely desirable women.
Ryan’s body had transformed these last 15 days. He was now weighing at least 20 pounds more; most of it a result of his newly toned muscles. She could feel his enhanced strength whenever he lifted her, and his clothes looked tighter, especially around his arms and back. His legs where still thin, but his thighs looked more powerful. He was able to outrun her every time they jogged together, and during their love making sessions Claire noticed it was getting really hard to have her way with him. She, on the other hand, had actually lost some weight, working incessantly on both the script and her novel, hardly ever stopping to eat lunch. Their constant dining out would allow her to get some food into her system.
Whenever she was stuck, she would go out jogging, letting her mind rest as her body provided her with the endorphins she desperately longed for. She hardly slept at night, thinking about the next chapter in her novel, and would sometimes tiptoe her way into the living room to write, as Ryan lay sound asleep.

It was Saturday already and Claire was leaving for Manhattan on the next day’s afternoon flight. It had been raining all morning and she had decided to spend her day working on her novel, in a secluded coffee shop she had discovered a couple of days ago. Ryan had left early in the morning, to work out, and she hadn’t heard from him since. Emma had been oddly inquisitive about her day’s activities, telling her she needed to work at home on an important project, and could really use some quiet time alone. This was very unlike her, but Claire figured she was probably stressed out with all the work she might have put off, to spend time with her this past month.

It was dark already. (She had been writing frantically and completely lost track of the time). As she stepped out of the SUV, hoping Emma was done working so she could take a shower and enjoy her last moments with her in California, she paused to consider if she should’ve called first. She immediately dismissed the idea (after all, she was only a few feet away from Emma’s front door), grabbed her stuff from the backseat and walked to the window to peep inside. The shutters where closed. Hmm, she thought… she must really need to concentrate. She looked at her watch: it was 9 pm. She paused for a second, wondering how much of a workaholic her friend had become. She sighed and shaking her head, opened the front door
“Surprise!” a group of people jumped wildly to greet her, emerging from elaborate hiding places. Claire was not expecting this, and jumped back startled. Instantly, she smiled scanning the room for familiar faces: Emma, Matt, Caroline, Ryan (of course), a couple of colleagues from Emma’s firm she had met on one of their nights out, Chris … and John.
She looked up to find a huge colorful banner “We’ll miss you, come back soon (You ho’!) This was definitely Emma’s doing.
She shook hands and kissed people on the cheek, some of them she had never even seen before. Emma smiled at her mischievously and rushed into the kitchen to get more napkins.
Chris walked up to her holding a tiny box.“Hey, Claire… I’m kind of upset I didn’t get to spend more time with you. I guess Ryan was afraid we’d fall in love and elope together” he smiled and handed her the box
“What’s this?”
“Oh, it’s just a small token of my affection, something to remember me by”
“Chris… You shouldn’t have!” She opened it. It was a golden fountain pen with her initials carved on it. It was beautiful.
“It’s stunning! I’ve never had something so… precious” she kept staring at the pen almost afraid to touch it
“Well… I thought, what do you get a writer… right?” he smiled and Claire laughed at his silly play on words
Ryan walked up to her and kissed her, placing his hands around her waist and lifting her slightly. “Honey, you need to start eating more… You’re getting awfully light” he winked and smiled at Chris. “That’s one mean pen! Thanks, man!”
Claire looked at Ryan “Now that you mention it… I am starving… would you be a sweetheart and get me something to eat?”
Ryan pecked her on the lips and ran off smiling; Chris lifted his empty glass showing it to her and walked off to get a refill. She looked around the loud room. Emma, as the perfect hostess, introduced her guests with flattering remarks. Claire smiled pretending to be interested. Matt lifted his glass toasting from across the room. Ryan came back with goodies to eat, and she sat on the couch next to him trying to rest for a minute. Caroline and Chris joined them almost immediately, asking questions about her future projects in New York and how long it would be before she came back to visit. Claire was overwhelmed. The door bell rang and Emma rushed to get it. A young man walked in, carrying a bottle of wine.
“Hey man!” Ryan yelled and jumped off the couch to meet his friend.
Emma grabbed the bottle, smiling and Ryan led him to the couch where Claire sat literally probed by Caroline’s questions.
“Claire Brickwell” he smiled “Meet Zack Shields”
Claire looked up smiling as she finished swallowing a tiny sausage “Hi! I’m really pleased to meet you” she wondered who he was while shaking his hand
“Remember I told you about my music band?”
Claire turned to look at Ryan “Dead Man’s Bones?”
“Well” he put his arm around Zach “You’re looking at it”
“Oh!” Claire jumped up almost knocking off her plate “Zach! It’s so great to finally meet you” she hugged him enthusiastically
Zack laughed, hugged her back and smiled mischievously, as he lifted both his eyebrows at Ryan.
“Ok, ok…” Ryan cut in “That’s enough. Break it off you two”

Emma’s farewell party ran smoothly as people ate, drank and mingled to the sound of 80’s music. Claire was exhausted and slid into the backyard for a moment of silence, far from the maddening crowd. She had borrowed one of Ryan’s cigarettes, but hadn’t thought about asking for a lighter. She held it against her lips as she stood facing the pool, searching her pockets for a miraculous box of matches. She was suddenly startled by a flash of light that blinded her partially. It was a flame; she bent slightly and inhaled. She took the lit cigarette out of her mouth and breathed out as she closed her eyes, feeling extremely relaxed all of a sudden.
“I would’ve never thought you smoked” John stood beside her, smiling.
“I like to smoke one every once in a while, it helps me relax” she smiled and her gaze fixed on the pool
“I can think of other ways to help you relax” he borrowed her cigarette and took a drag
“I’m sure you can, but I’m not sure I want to know about them” she took her cigarette back.
He paused as she looked back at the pool.
“Claire, it seems we have gotten off on the wrong foot. Listen…” he walked closer to her “Revealing my intentions towards you might have sounded a bit bold and inconsiderate. But it was actually my way of being honest with you.” He paused again. “I will definitely back off if you ask me too. We don’t even have to talk to each other.” Claire turned to look at him, keeping a safe distance “I couldn’t bare the thought of making you feel uncomfortable.” He shook his head “I can’t believe what I’m about to say but… Just tell me what you want and I’ll do it”
She studied him for a second. John really looked distraught. It was obvious he wasn’t the monster they had made him out to be… he was actually a kind man.
“It’s ok, John… don’t worry. I don’t need you to do anything.” She smiled “I’m sure we can work together pretty harmoniously and maybe even become good friends”
John nodded smiling “There’s nothing I would like more. Thanks, Claire”
She kissed him on the cheek, put out her cigarette and walked back into the house.

Zach and Ryan stood in a corner of the room, nursing some beers.
“She’s great, man! I’m really happy for ya” Zach lifted his bottle
“Thanks…” he smiled
“So, that song you wrote…”
Ryan looked at him inquisitively
“I’ve been working on it. Wait till you hear the arrangements I’ve come up with. It’s going to be a hit, I’m positive about this.” Zach looked excited
“That’s not why I wrote it”
“I know…” Zach nodded knowingly “But it’s still going to be a hit” he smiled.
Claire walked up to them “Hmm, is this a secret band meeting?” she put her arm around Ryan and kissed him.
“Nah, just catching up on stuff, that’s all” Zach said
“Ryan has probably abandoned you this past month… but don’t worry, you’ll have him all to yourself for the next two weeks. I’ll be miles away”
Ryan gazed at Claire trying to picture what it would be like to be away from her for two whole weeks. Just the thought of it made him feel out of breath. He wished they would start working on the movie tomorrow, so he could get on the plane with her and never leave her side.

Finally everybody left, thanking Emma for the lovely evening and telling Claire they really looked forward to her next visit.
Claire and Emma sat on the couch completely exhausted. Ryan walked Zach to his car while he smoked a cigarette outside

“I can’t believe you’re leaving tomorrow, Cee… I’m really gonna miss you”
Claire turned to look at her smiling “I’m gonna miss you too. This month with you has been incredible. I can’t remember having a better time in my life”
“So…” Emma sat up “I’ll be seeing you around Christmas in New York. You know I’m crazy about white Christmases”
“You better!… and bring Matt along with you”
“I’ll think about it. With all the silly stuff he pulled off recently, I am seriously considering if he’s the one for me”
“What?” Claire stared at her in shock
“I’m kidding, Claire. He’s just as dumb as the next guy. All men are equal, right?”
“… but some are more equal than others!” they said at unison
They smiled and stared at each other, too tired to laugh. It’s still there, Claire thought… that special connection between us. She couldn’t really remember a time when she and Emma had not been together… complementing each other, finishing each other’s sentences. Although she really wanted to go back home, to her bed, to her books and her every day jog in Central Park; she had to admit California had been a more than pleasant surprise and she somehow sensed it wouldn’t be long before she came back.


Chapter 38

Claire sat on the plane lost in her thoughts as she drank a refreshingly cold V8. Matt and Emma had joined Ryan to see her off at LAX. Emma had given her one of her priceless Italian shawls as a farewell gift, and Matt had brought her scented Indian Tea and an exclusive perfume from London. They hugged and kissed and waved. Emma, teary eyed, had asked her to call as soon as she got home.
Claire looked at Ryan who stood beside her anxiously. “I guess I’ll see you in two weeks” she said trying to hold back the tears
“I wish I could be there tomorrow” Ryan fixed her hair
“Me too” she licked her upper lip
“Ok, I’m taking the first flight tomorrow morning” he looked determined
“C’mon, honey… you know you still have work to finish off here. Spending two weeks apart is not going to kill us, you know?”
“Yeah, I know…” he breathed out
“What is it?”
“I’m going to miss you, Claire. I don’t even want to think about it” he looked sad
“Me too, Ryan”
He paused and gazed at her. His eyes, moist. He grabbed her face, lifting it slightly
“I love you, Claire. You know that, don’t you?”
She nodded as a tear rolled down her cheek and he wiped it off with his thumb.
“I love you too, Ryan” she smiled gazing back at him.
He frowned, licked his upper lip and pressed her face against his, losing himself in a kiss. They stood there, kissing and holding each other, hoping they could freeze time, as the rest of the world hurried busily around them.
Finally, Claire took the rucksack he was holding for her, grabbed her suitcase and walked away, waving back at him as he stood gazing in silence.
She turned to yell at him “Next time I see you will be on Eastern time!” and winked. He shook his head smiling.
Claire disappeared into the security check area. Ryan stood there for a while. Finally, he took a deep breath and turned for the parking lot.

“Look Mom! We’re here!” Claire turned to look out the window, as the unexpected outburst of a young kid sitting behind her, brought her back from her thoughts.
Manhattan looked just as stunning as when she had left; maybe more so now that she had been gone for such a long time. She stretched down, lifted her rucksack and opened in it in search for her wallet. She wanted to check how much change she had for the shuttle ride home. As her arm wandered inside it, she touched an unfamiliar shape. It was a small box. She didn’t remember having put a box in there. She struggled with the rest of the stuff around it, and was finally able to get a good grip to pull it out.
It was a small dark blue velvet box. She admired it for a while before opening it. As she did, what looked like a folded note dropped onto her lap, distracting her attention. She looked back at the box; inside it lay a pair of 18 carat diamond earrings. They were breathtaking and perfect in every way. Perfect shape, perfect size, perfect color. Simply perfect. Her eyes wandered as she tried to figure out how these precious little items had found their way in there. Then, smiling, she remembered how Ryan had insisted on carrying both her luggage and rucksack all the way from the parking lot. Reminded of the elusive note that lay on her lap unattended, she grabbed it and began to unfold it.

“But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”
I love you,
Ryan
Claire smiled at the familiar W.B Yeats quote he had chosen. It was almost as perfect as his gift. She put it back in the box, closed it and after holding it against her chest for a while, slid it into her rucksack’s front pocket.

La Guardia was as busy and crowded as it usually was. Claire stood next to the conveyer belt waiting for her luggage to show up. There was a cozy familiarity in the air. She thought of Bill and how much she looked forward to seeing him again. She thought of her friends and of her special bench in Central Park near the lake, where she usually sat to drink coffee and read. She was very happy to be back, and felt a twinge of guilt, thinking about Ryan’s lonely ride back from the airport. She wondered what he was doing now, and if George was with him. She could picture him playing his guitar while he smoked a cigarette sitting on his living room couch. Her memories felt so vivid she could actually recall smells and odd noises people’s homes usually have, that are almost exclusive to each of them. She recognized her suitcase as it moved slowly towards her. Lifted it, almost losing her balance, and rolled it off towards the exit.
As she walked through the arrivals sector, she thought she heard someone call out her name. She turned and looked around searchingly. Standing a few feet away was a slightly over weight man with a brown bushy beard. Bill, she thought, he came to pick me up!
She smiled and ran over to him. They stared at each other for a split second and broke into a hug, laughing
“Bill… it’s so great to see you! You shouldn’t have come, though… I could’ve managed just fine with the shuttle” deep down Claire was glad to see him there.
“Well, it was me who was desperate to see you! I couldn’t wait until you got home and settled before you decided to call me and let me know you where here.” Bill grabbed her luggage.
“By the way” he went on “You look stunning! I’m thinking you should go to California every three months or so. What have you been up to?”
Claire smiled “Oh, nothing much. Just sunbathing and hanging out with Em”
Bill studied her for a moment “Yeah, right! And I dated Heather Locklear! Something happened to you there… and I will torture you into telling me what it is”
Claire laughed as they walked towards the parking lot.

The ride to Claire’s was a blast. He told her about his moving to a bigger house and about how she had missed Tess’s wild birthday party.
Claire mentioned her movie script adaptation (carefully keeping Ryan out of it) and he was very impressed, telling her she had probably knocked those Hollywood producers off their feet. He then told her Tess was 8 weeks pregnant and how nervous he was about the whole thing. Claire couldn’t be happier for him. Bill was going to be a great dad.
He drove across the Park deliberately, and Claire sighed as she looked out the window. Rolling it down, she stuck half of her body out of the car and yelled “I’m back New York and I love you!”
Bill laughed hysterically.
They finally got to her front door entrance, W 60th St. between Columbus and Amsterdam. Bill asked her if she wanted him to help her carry her luggage upstairs, commenting on how thin she looked. Claire, refused, scolding him for leaving his pregnant wife alone, to pick her up so late in the evening.
They hugged and she got off just as her doorman ran to get her luggage. She got to her floor, opened the door to her apartment and sighed as she entered, stopping to lean at her front door. She was home, at last.

Chapter 39

It was pretty late and Claire wondered if she should call Emma to let her know she had gotten home ok (considering the Pacific Time Zone difference). She then remembered how much her friend had stressed the importance of it, and picked up the phone. She called Emma and they talked for a while, telling each other how strange it felt to be so far apart. She promised to keep her up to date with the upcoming events, and thanked her again for the stunning shawl.

As she hung up, she caught a glimpse of the moon, its reflection meandering into her living room. Still holding the phone, she opened the window and sat to stare at it. It was a full moon. She remembered the party at Chris’ and how she and Ryan had stood on the deck gazing at it and holding each other. She rubbed the side of her neck, thinking how much she missed him. These two weeks were going to be hell. She thought about how her life had changed now that she had found him, and about how, no matter what eventually became of their relationship, she was a different person thanks to him.
Her phone rang and she breathed in closing her eyes, hoping to hear his voice
“Claire, speaking”
“Hi, gorgeous” it was Ryan
“Hey…” she smiled
“Hey… how was your flight?” he was so glad to hear her voice
“It was ok… nothing out of the ordinary”
“Did you make it home, ok?”
“Yeah! Bill picked me up at La Guardia. His wife’s pregnant!”
“That’s awesome! You must be really happy for him”
“I am… honestly, he totally deserves it”
They paused
“Claire?…”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t think I’m going to make it, you know… two whole weeks. It’s too long a wait for me”
“I know… I feel the same way.” She wanted to tell him to get his ass down there now! “But we both have work to finish before the read throughs start”
“Yeah, I know… I just wish I could at least drive to see you if I wanted to”
“Well, I can see you whenever I want to… you tread on my dreams too, you know” she smiled mischievously
“Huh…” he chuckled “So you found them”
“They’re spectacular, Ryan..”
“Well, they pale in comparison to you”
“Thanks, Ry…” She took a deep breath “So, what are you doing?”
“Other than speaking on the phone with the most amazing woman in the world?” he teased
“Ha!… Yeah?”
“Just hangin’ …with George. What about you?”
“I’m actually sitting on the window sill, staring at a full moon. It’s really something tonight, Ryan. You should check it out”
Ryan stood up and walked towards the terrace “It’s true… quite a full moon out there”
Claire yawned “So you missed your workout today?”
“No” Ryan stretched still gazing at Claire’s full moon “I drove to the gym from LAX and worked out for a couple of hours”
“Take it easy Ry, I don’t want you to hurt yourself”
“Well, now that you won’t be around at night I’m going to have all this extra energy” he chuckled under his breath “So don’t worry about me”
Claire laughed “Ok… I won’t. Just look after yourself until you get here. Then I can look after you”
“I’d really like that” he smiled
There was a knock on Claire’s door. She looked at her watch: 11 pm. Who could it be?
“Claire, are you there?”
“Yeah… there’s someone at the door. Probably my next door neighbor, Sarah. She must have heard the noise in my apartment and came over to make sure everything’s ok”
“Oh, ok,… Claire?’
“Yep” she jumped off the window sill
“I love you”
“I love you, Ryan… I’ll call you tomorrow, ok?”
“Ok, goodnight babe”
“Goodnight, Ryan”
She rushed to the door, almost tripping on her suitcase. Now Claire, as any sensible woman of the modern era, usually checked who it was before opening. This time, though, she didn’t. She was in too much of a hurry.
She opened the door, expecting to find Sarah, the one person she trusted enough to leave a copy of her keys in case of an emergency. Sarah had volunteered to water her plants while she was away… That’s how cool she was.

Standing in front of her, carrying a bag full of Chinese takeout, was John. His green eyes, greener than ever and his perfect teeth sparkling as he stood smiling in her dimly lit hallway.
“Welcome back!” He said and then pausing for a moment, added “I thought you might be hungry and too tired to cook after the long flight” He lifted the bag.
Claire stood in shock. He was the last person she had expected to find standing in her doorway.
“Can I come in?” he made a gesture indicating the bag was getting pretty heavy
“Sure…” she stepped aside “You really shouldn’t have done this, John”
“Nonsense, what are friends for?” he walked into her kitchen and started pulling the Chinese takeout boxes out of the bag “Now, this is a new Chinese restaurant I discovered almost a week ago. It’s really good. You need to try it.”
He inspected her cupboards looking for dishes and glasses. Claire was fascinated at how at ease he seemed to be, in what she considered, was an awkward situation. She gazed at him as he opened a bottle of wine. He poured some and offered her the glass. Claire took it. “This is a really good Merlot. Now, I know you’re probably going to say you don’t like Merlot… but this one’s different, believe me” he went on as he poured himself some.
He then walked up to her and toasted “To a Multitude of Sins”. He sipped. Claire remained motionless “Drink up, you’re not going to regret it”
So she did. He was right. It was exquisite. She sensed an audacity she had seldom tasted in a bottle of Merlot before.
“Ok, now sit and let’s eat. I’m starving” he smiled as he set the dishes on the counter
Claire licked her upper lip and hesitated. She then smiled, sat, and grabbing the napkin he handed her, placed it on her lap.“Hmmm… this is really something, John!” she said pointing at her chicken chop suey with her chopsticks. She then paused to swallow “When did you get here?”
“Today, at noon. I took the morning flight.” He explained further “I only left New York for your farewell party”
“Did Emma invite you?” Claire didn’t think she had
“Not really. I called Emma’s on Saturday to talk to you. You weren’t there so I told her I would call back today. She then mentioned you were leaving and that I wouldn’t be able to talk to you until you landed in New York.” He pointed at her with his chopsticks “So I asked her if she was thinking about doing something special for your last day in California and, I guess I caught her off guard, cuz she told me about the party and I sort of invited myself over” he smiled while he chewed on his noodles.
“You must be really good, nobody can play Emma… she’s the player”
“Well, I guess it was just my lucky day”
Claire drank more Merlot.
“So… how does it feel, being back home?” he looked around her apartment
“Honestly? Great! I had no idea how much I missed Manhattan”
“Well, it’s an acquired taste” he leaned over offering her some of her noodles. Claire hesitated and finally opened her mouth, letting him feed them to her.
“Hmmm!”
“They’re good, right?”
She licked her lips, relishing “Yeah… it seems you also posses the quality of having a wise palate. I see now why women find you so irresistible”
He looked at her confused “Huh? Irresistible? Who said that?”
Claire put down her chopsticks and lifted her glass once more “Well, it seems to be all over the papers. You know, how you have dated every single - and non-single - model in LA…. and a couple of actresses too” gesturing at him with her wine glass.
“That’s just silly gossip, Claire. I’m not that much of a player. I admit I’ve dated a few women in my lifetime, but I’m no Warren Beatty, you know?”
Claire paused to consider this. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was gossip after all. I mean, Caroline had probably gotten all her scoop about him from the papers and the stupid gossip shows on TV! He had been pretty direct at the beginning, too direct, in fact; but they had sort of worked things out at her party. Maybe she was being prejudiced after all.
“Ok… if you say so, I’ll believe you” she smiled
“Has Ryan called yet?” he changed the subject smoothly
“Yeah, I was actually on the phone with him when you knocked on my door”
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to interrupt. It must be really hard for you guys to be apart”
She looked at him, studying him. He seemed honestly concerned. “Yeah, it is”
“Well… he’ll be here in two weeks, so you don’t need to worry about it for long”
“You’re right.” she grinned
After a while John started putting everything away; noticing Claire was already full, and began to wash the dishes
“You don’t need to do that, you know. I can wash those tomorrow”
“I like washing dishes; I actually washed dishes for extra money when I was in college”
“You did?” Somehow Claire had a hard time picturing him in other than expensive designer suits. Even now, as he dressed casually, you could tell he was wearing Ralph Lauren.
“Yeah, I highly recommend it. It builds up character” he cleaned the counter after he finished with the dishes.
“I guess…” Claire sat looking at him inquisitively
“What is it?” he dried off his hands
“You’re pretty extraordinary, aren’t you Hunter?”
“Nah… just a regular guy with a good paying job” he smiled
Claire licked her bottom lip and smiled.
“So...” he placed the cork back on the bottle of Merlot. “What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“I’m meeting my editor in the morning and… that’s just about all I have planned so far… maybe I’ll write, you know… try to work on my novel”
“Well, Mark and I are going scouting for places to shoot. It would be great if you could join us. I think Mark would really appreciate your input, considering you know the plot and the scenes better than anyone else does”
He had a point; she had to give him that. Claire had very specific ideas about each one of the scenes… and she was afraid Mark’s vision would be completely different to hers. In her mind, the story had always happened in Manhattan… it was the one big city she knew really well. When Ryan had told her they were shooting here, she was ecstatic, she could then work on the script picturing the characters and the situations in very specific locations.
“I’d like that” she said as John walked to the door
“Good. I’ll call you tomorrow around noon.” He got his car keys from his pocket
“Ok… Are you leaving already?”
“Yep, you need to get some rest.” He leaned and kissed her on the cheek “Take a shower, no matter how tired you feel. Advice from someone who has spent almost half of the last five years on a plane”
Claire nodded smiling.
He walked out “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Good luck with your meeting”
“Thanks” she waved at him as she closed the door.

Chapter 40

“You’ve been doing some serious work down there!” Bill was impressed as he finished reading the draft Claire had brought in that morning “You’re almost done!”
“Well… I guess you were right, all I needed was some rest” Claire smiled as she played with one of the numerous gimmicks that spread on Bill’s desk
“Remind me I’m going to have to recommend this to some of the other writers I’m working with. How much do you think Emma would charge them for food and lodging?”
She laughed
“Now, will you tell me or am I going to have to force it out of you?”
“What are you talking about?” Claire looked at him innocently
“Claire Brickwell, I’ve known you for almost 5 years now. Who is he?”
“Ok… if you insist” Claire put down the gimmick and lit one of his cigarettes.
She told him about everything. About the morning at the beach and meeting Ryan, about how she got to land the job writing the script for A Multitude of Sins, about Mark and John and meeting Bob De Niro… Bill laughed and clapped and sighed delighted as she described in detail the most relevant aspects of her stay in California. She told him about everything… but she didn’t mention Zach or his new novel. She was going to deal with that in a different way.
“Wow, Claire… you could write your second novel on this only! Let’s say, an autobiography? I know I’d read it” he was really excited
“Ha! Yeah, sure” she paused “Say, Bill… have you heard anything about Zach?”
“Zach?”
“Yeah… not that I care that much. I was just wondering if you knew what he was up to… you know… if he had published anything new?” …and the Oscar goes to…Bill paused and bit his lip “Hmm… well, now that you mention it. He has published something recently, but I haven’t had time to read it” he lied “You know, with the baby and all”
“Right… I see. Did you at least get to read any reviews?”
“I think so… I don’t quite remember”
Claire knew he was full of shit “Do you know what it’s about… his novel, I mean?”
“Well, you know Zach… you can never tell what his books are about. With all the existential bullshit her puts in them” he began to arrange the papers on his desk
“Yeah… I know what you mean” she paused “So… I guess I’ll look for it the next time I’m at Borders browsing for a good read”
“Sure” he swallowed nervously “… you do that. So… what are you doing for the rest of the day? You’re not planning to lock yourself up in a bookstore! It’s such a beautiful day!”
“I’m going scouting for locations with Mark and John”
“Wow! That must be exciting!”
“I dunno… first time for me… I’ll let you know what it’s like tomorrow” she grabbed her bag
“Ok! Good!” he pretended he had work to do “So… I’ll work on these and whenever you have more, just let me know”
“I will. Take care, Bill. Send my love to Tess” she kissed him and walked out of his office.

She met Mark and John at Columbus Circle, just a few blocks away from her place. They walked along Central Park, and Claire pointed out different spots she thought would work for some of the outdoor scenes. They walked all the way to Lexington and 5th, picking out impressive building facades for Seamus’ home; took the subway to Canal St. where they searched for a suitable area to fit Colin’s apartment building, and then northbound through Allen St. onto Stanton St., in the Lower East Side, where Colin’s bookstore would be. They stopped to have lunch at Soho and from there onto Penn Station for other shooting spots. Exhausted, but proud of what they had accomplished, they rode back to Upper West Side where Claire asked them over for some coffee and doughnuts.

“You have a really nice apartment, Claire” Mark looked around as he sat on her living room couch
“Thanks!” Claire placed the tray on the table next to them.
“It’s a really good location too” John added
“Yeah… I’m only three blocks away from Central Park”
“And it’s a safe neighborhood” John sipped his coffee
“What about your neighbors?” Mark asked as he dunk his doughnut
“They’re ok; I know some of the people that live on this floor. But the building is huge, so I can’t tell you much about the rest of the floors. My doorman’s incredible, by the way. Of course, having a doorman raises my rent a bit, but it’s totally worth it” she handed Mark a napkin
“Well,” Mark wiped his mouth and stood up “I’m going to have to leave you kids. I’m meeting the sound crew in 15 minutes and I have to get across town”
“Thanks for letting me participate, Mark” Claire walked him to the door
He smiled “We couldn’t have done it without you, doll” he gazed at her for a moment “Have you ever considered an acting career? The camera would love you!”
“Stop it!” she laughed and pushed him out of her apartment
She closed the door and shook her head smiling. John sat on her couch gazing.
“What?” she stuck out her tongue
“You’re quite a character you know?... and Mark’s right.. the camera would love you” he set his coffee cup on the table “So… are you going to sit down to work on your novel or are you going to follow me to this place I want to show you?” he looked at her inquisitively
“Do I have to change what I’m wearing?” Claire wore skinny grey jeans and a black tube top.
“Nope”
“Ok, then... I’ll follow you”
“Smart girl” he smiled as they walked out of her apartment.

They took a cab to the Meat Packing District. As they got off, Claire recognized a few clubs she had been in, a couple of years ago, with Scott. Many of them had new names now and their facades had been slightly altered, but they basically looked the same. She hadn’t been on this side of town in a while. Claire used to love coming down here. They got to what looked like a club. (Claire had never seen this one before). John took her hand and walked across a group of people towards the entrance.
“Hey Keith!” John waved at a massive young man that stood guarding the door
“John, my man from Hollywood… how’s it hanging?” Keith lifted his hand for a high five
“Same ol’, same ol’” he greeted Keith with a high five and pulled Clair next to him
“Wow! Who’s the hot lady?” Keith inspected her carefully, making Clair feel slightly self conscious
“Keith, meet Claire Brickwell, writer extraordinaire”
Claire shook his hand smiling “Hey Keith… it’s really nice to meet you”
“I see you’ve been busy, man. Good for you! C’mon in… please, allow me”
He stepped aside and they walked by him “Send my love to Gina” John yelled as they got in.
Claire was stunned. It was a club-slash-art exhibit-slash-live music bar. It was pretty dark in there (except for the odd spotlights that lit the paintings) and extremely crowded. She locked her fingers around John’s, tightening her grip. John pressed his fingers around hers and smiled at her “Relax… It’s totally safe in here”
She smiled, but kept a firm grip.
They walked up to the bar and got two beers. After looking around for a bit, John gestured her to follow him.They walked into one of the exits and up a flight of stairs to the second floor. He knocked a few times, in what appeared to be some kind of Morse code, and waited. The door opened and they walked into a completely different atmosphere. It was quiet up there, and the walls where covered with paintings. Also, there was a smaller, more selected crowd, lurking around and commenting on the paintings.
John led her across the room and told her to close her eyes as he guided her around a white wooden panel. She stood still, breathing anxiously completely unaware of what lay in front of her.
“Open you eyes” he whispered
She did. Claire gasped. Hanging on the wooden panel where at least 10 Rothko paintings, each one more beautiful and breathtaking than the next.
“Wow, John! This is amazing!” she paused for a second and turned to look at him as he stood beside her admiring them “How did you know?”
“Are you going to be mad at me?”
“No… I promise”
“Well, the first time we met… I sort of checked you out” he kept his gaze fixed on the paintings
“Meaning?”
“Let’s say I wanted to know what you liked and what you didn’t like… You know, so I made a few phone calls” he looked embarrassed
“And you found out that I love Rothko”
“Yep… “
“What else did you find out?”
“Just some stuff… about your past. Relationship wise, I mean”
“John, you couldn’t!” Claire was appalled
“I’m sorry… I was just struck by you… what can I say? I haven’t done anything of the sort since, I promise”
“Did you find out about Zach?”
“Yeah… I’m the worst, I know… but when I saw this guy had actually dedicated an entire novel to you… well, I felt relieved. Some one else out there thought you were as incredible as I did”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, John. Zach left me for another woman three years ago”
“And seems to regret it to this very day…”
“Nobody forced him to move to Paris” Claire walked closer to one of the paintings
“I guess the fact that he was in love with you didn’t stop him from being the fool he already was” he stood next to her
Claire wanted to change the subject. She didn’t feel like discussing Zack with him.
“John… this place is wonderful. But you know what my situation is right now”
“Hey… have I tried anything? Have I touched you or even tried to kiss you?”
“No…”
“Then let me just enjoy being with you. I know I might never have you, but at least let me zest on your company. Is that too much to ask? Am I that disgusting a person to be around?”
“Don’t be silly… you’re an amazing guy and being around you is very pleasant”
“Ok then… Let’s go dance now… I’m tired of talking” he grabbed her hand and hurried her downstairs.