Page 14 of Cinematic Destinies (Red Carpet Romance #3)

“ S trike!” Ryan declared as his bowling ball knocked down all the pins. He high-fived Albert and said, “You may be the king of laser tag, but I’m the king of candlepin bowling. You’re up. It’s your last turn, so make it count.”

Albert selected a ball, lined himself up, moved forward, and released. He scrunched up his face as the ball flew into the gutter.

“Shake it off. Shake it off, Al,” Ryan said, clapping his hands.

Albert grabbed another ball, took aim, and released it straight into the gutter. He turned toward Ryan and laughed, his face bright red.

“You’ve got this. You’ve got this,” Ryan assured him, smiling and clapping. “The last one’s always the charm.”

Albert took another ball, stood at his mark, and then turned around, his back facing the bowling lane and his legs far apart.

He winked at Ryan, shut his eyes, and then bent down and pushed the ball backward through his legs.

He turned to watch as the ball rolled down the center of the lane and smashed into the pins, knocking eight over.

“Holy shit!” he said.

Ryan jumped up, hooting and hollering. Neither of them could stop laughing.

“Move of the night, Al. Bold. I may have won the game, but you won the night as far as I’m concerned.”

Albert smiled. “Figured I couldn’t be any worse if I literally wasn’t even looking.”

Ryan’s phone beeped with a new text. He read it and said, “My friend Lucy’s having some people over.

She graduated a year ago. That was before you and I met, so I don’t think you know her.

She’s this sweet, feisty little blogger chick with a pixie cut, kind of like Tinker Bell.

Wanna go?” Albert looked a little unsure, so Ryan added, “It’s just like seven or eight people.

A small chill thing, all good friends of mine, all creative types.

She’s right over in Brookline. We could hop on the Green Line.

We definitely shouldn’t go hungry. Lucy’s cupboards are either bare, or worse, she’s cooked.

What do you say we finish this pizza and stop by? ”

“Sure.”

THEY WERE ALL SITTING ON THE LIVING ROOM floor around the coffee table laughing hysterically after Lucy had convinced everyone to play with her Ouija board.

“I always suspected this place was haunted. My roommate never believed me. She’s in for an earful when she gets home,” Lucy said, her gold bangle bracelets clanking against each other as she ran her hand through her short brown hair.

Albert had liked her right away when she greeted him with a hug, whispered, “Ryan is so crazy about you,” and then launched into an overly personal story about her ex-boyfriend.

Her friends were just as cool as she was—outrageous and kindhearted misfits.

Ryan always fit in effortlessly, and on this night Albert felt like he did too.

“Okay, we’ve talked philosophy and politics, eaten that truly frightening dip Lucy made,” Greg said, “and now we’ve communed with the spirit world. What’s next?”

“Hey, that dip wasn’t so bad,” Lucy protested.

“Uh, it was chunky.”

She threw a pillow at him. “We need someone with a talent to keep us occupied. Who can play an instrument or tell a really good ghost story?”

“Al can draw,” Ryan volunteered.

Albert looked at him with trepidation.

Ryan whispered, “You’re amazing.” He refocused on the group. “He’s crazy talented. He can do portraits, caricatures, superheroes, anything.”

“Oh my God, I have the best idea. Al, will you do caricatures of us? But like, turn us into superheroes?” Lucy asked.

“Uh, yeah, sure. I don’t have anything with me. Do you have paper and something to draw with?”

“I’ll find stuff,” Lucy said, springing up.

Albert turned to Ryan with nervous eyes.

“You’ve got this,’ Ryan whispered, discreetly touching his arm. They smiled softly at each other, and Albert instantly felt more at ease.

Lucy returned with a large notebook of white paper and a handful of broken colored pencils. “Will this work?”

Albert nodded and took the supplies.

“Do me first,” Lucy said, plopping down.

Albert smiled and began sketching, glancing up as Lucy smiled and posed, turning from side to side and making dramatic expressions. When he finished the caricature, he carefully ripped the paper out of the notebook and handed it to her.

“Wow!” she exclaimed. “Everyone, look at this. It’s fucking brilliant.”

There were oohs and aahs as the group marveled at the drawing. Albert had captured Lucy perfectly and transformed her into a modern version of Wonder Woman.

“Al, you’re like super fucking talented. I don’t say that to a lot of people,” Lucy professed.

“Thanks,” he replied, his cheeks rosy.

The others started clamoring for him to do their caricature next. Ryan sat beside him grinning from ear to ear as Albert handed out drawing after drawing. When each person had one, Ryan said, “Al, make one of yourself, as a superhero.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I . . .”

“Oh, you have to. Do it, Al,” Lucy encouraged.

“Yeah, you need one too,” Greg agreed.

Albert smiled bashfully and started drawing. When he finished, Ryan looked at the drawing and said, “That’s awesome, Superboy.”

They were gazing at each other when Lucy said, “These are so dope. I’m hanging mine up. Thanks, Al. Best party trick ever.”

“Yeah, thanks,” others chimed in.

“Any time,” Albert replied, looking around at his new friends.

“LET MY BOYFRIEND GO,” RYAN TEASED as they stood in the open doorway, Lucy hugging Albert again.

“Okay, party pooper,” she whined, releasing Albert and saying to him, “Now I have your number in my cell to make sure we all hang this summer.”

“Got it,” Albert said.

“Catch you later, Luce. Thanks for the fun,” Ryan said as he and Albert finally made their way out of the apartment. He turned to Albert. “They’re the best, but that place can turn into a kind of vortex, especially when Lucy needs a distraction from her latest dating disaster.”

“She’s super nice. I like your friends a lot.”

“They like you a lot too. Come on. There’s someplace I want to take you,” Ryan said as they bounded onto the street, inhaling the night air.

“Now?” Albert asked.

“Do you trust me?”

Albert nodded.

“Then come on.”

They started walking down Beacon Street and Ryan said, “Everyone thought your art was sick. It made their night.” Albert blushed and he continued, “Why’d you pick Superboy for yourself?”

“I don’t know,” Albert replied with a shrug. “It’s just what popped into my mind.”

“He’s kind of tragic, the son of Superman.”

“All superheroes are kind of tragic. That’s what makes them interesting.”

Ryan huffed. “You have a point. Never thought of it that way.” He paused. “I didn’t want to ask in front of everyone, but I recognized all the superheroes except the one you made for me. I loved it. Just didn’t know who it was.”

“It’s one of my own. I created it just for you.”

“You made me an original?” Ryan asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re not like anyone else.”

Ryan smiled. “Neither are you.”

After a quiet moment, Albert asked, “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Hang a right up here.” They started walking up the steep road lined with Tudor houses and Ryan said, “There’s this really cool park. Up on the crest of the hill. When you’re on the swings, you can see all of Boston.”

“How do you know about it?”

“Discovered it my sophomore year. Lucy took me. After that, when I needed to escape, be alone, think, whatever, I’d hop on the T and go there. I haven’t been since we graduated and moved to Cambridge, but we’re nearby and I want you to see it.”

Once they reached the top, Albert noticed a sign saying that the park closed after dusk. “Don’t worry about that,” Ryan said.

Albert followed him to the swings, not a soul in sight.

“You still trust me?” Ryan asked. Albert nodded and Ryan said, “Take a seat, shut your eyes, and I’ll push you.”

Albert obliged.

“Are your eyes shut?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Keep them shut until I tell you to open them,” Ryan instructed as he began pushing the swing.

Albert held onto the ropes on either side as he began to fly in the air. The higher and faster he went, the more boundless he felt. It was exhilarating. He could feel the swing reaching peak height when Ryan said, “Open your eyes.”

Albert opened his eyes to see the sky bursting with stars and the Boston skyline illuminated before him. He was smiling so wide he couldn’t speak as the swing kept taking him down and up, the city sparkling before him.

“Keep up the pace,” Ryan said as he jumped on the swing beside him.

Soon they were swinging in unison. “Woo-hoo!” Ryan shouted.

Albert couldn’t stop smiling. Eventually, they slowed down and dragged their feet on the ground until their swings stopped.

They twisted to face each other, and Ryan said, “I just really wanted you to experience that. To feel like you’re flying in the air, and the city you chose is before you, and you’re so small and so big all at once, and everything is possible. ”

“Thank you for taking me here.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Ryan . . .”

“Yeah?”

“I feel really comfortable with you. More than I have with anyone else.”

“Me too.”

They stared at each other for a moment and Ryan said, “There’s no one here.” He held out his hand and Albert took hold of it, and they sat quietly, underneath the starry midnight sky.