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“That’s exactly what I was trying to explain. Thank you.”
“I think it’s healthy that you have these boundaries,” she said. “Especially with part of your life being so public, it’s good that you hold on to some control. I just…like you a lot…”
Chris flashed his real, big smile. “I like you a lot, too.”
“So…” she rubbed her hand on top of his, “I respect you, and I respect your process, and to answer your initial question, yes, I would like to give us a try. And I suppose I can wait just a little longer.”
“Exclusie?” he asked with anticipation.
“Exclusie,” she confirmed.
He kissed her hand and then leaned over the table. She met him halfway for a soft, sweet kiss.
“You better not be just sweet talking me to get me to take it easy on the movies,” she said.
“Ha!” He chuckled. “Now that’s thinking like a producer.”
“So I’ve earned a producer credit?” she joked.
“Well…” he tilted his head and hesitated. “I’ll have to check with my people.”
- 38 -
Premiere and Panel Day
Maye slept in on the second day at the Christmas convention. On account of the late night and drinking more sangria than she normally would, but also because she slept so deeply and so soundly. When she woke up, her mind was filled with joyful and optimistic thoughts. She was excited about the day, but also the days, weeks, and months ahead. Since Tracy had already ridden to the convention center with friends, Maye was able to bask in the relaxation and take her time getting out of the hotel.
The pace at the convention center was the opposite of relaxing. The crowd seemed to have quadrupled from the previous day, and some of the photo booth lines even had designated staging areas where people were waiting to wait in line.
Maye wandered around the vendor area, looking at retro ornaments of characters from her favorite TV shows and movies, taste testing hot sauces, and sampling so much fudge that she had to cut herself off. She heard a mildly convincing pitch for a sauna and tried the massage chairs she knew Tracy loved so much. An hour before the premiere, Maye went to the green room where she found Jayce and Chris.
“There she is,” Chris said. “Jayce was just telling me about a Christmas special idea for the show. Jayce, tell her.”
“Right, picture this,” Jayce said, holding his hands up in the air, “a special live Christmas day episode.” Jayce looked back and forth between Maye and Chris, seemingly anticipating an enthusiastic reaction.
“Live on Christmas day? That’s crazy, right?” Maye said. “Who is watching something like that on Christmas day?”
“In my business,” Chris added, “it’s actually quite common to have events like that on Christmas day.”
The emcee poked their head into the green room. “You all about ready? I will signal Jayce when we intro you, Jayce will signal you, then you head out to the stage. Cool?”
Maye stood outside the green room door with Chris, waiting for Jayce’s signal.
“Don’t roast me too hard up there tonight, okay?” He said as he grabbed her hand.
“I might have a little crush on you but that doesn’t mean I’m going to take it easy on you,” she squeezed his hand.
“Okay, time to go,” Chris said as Jayce waved them on.
The lights on the stage were so bright that it was hard to see anyone in the crowd, but Maye found Tracy and a few of her friends sitting near the front. She waved to them as she sat down next to Chris on the side of the stage.
“We are so honored to have the star hosts, Chris and Maye, for the premiere of their brand new show!” The emcee announced. “So let me tell you how this is going to work. We’re all going to watch the episode together, and then we’ll do a Q&A with them and answer all your questions. Sound good? Great, let’s get started!”
The auditorium lights faded down and the screen on-stage lit up displaying her and Chris in a proportion so large that she instinctually inspected her skin for embarrassing blemishes. Once she heard a few laughs from the audience, she relaxed and was able to enjoy the show. At first, she watched Chris. It was funny. They were funny together. But then she started to see things that she hadn’t been aware of while they were recording. The way she was looking at him way back then.
Her eyes were transfixed on him, and she was leaning so far in his direction she was surprised she didn’t fall out of her chair. Is anyone else seeing this? She thought, quickly scanning the audience as they watched. It was more than fun banter and a good connection between two people. She felt something unexpected. She loved him. It was all over the screen. In her face, in her body language. In her eyes and the way she held eye contact with him and looked at him when he talked, and the way they smiled together at each other. She was in love with Christoffer Robert R. Walker.
The whole premiere seemed to go well. There was only one spot during the show that gave Maye pause. She noticed something in the edit that looked off. It was some silly prescriptive diagnosis she said in jest. After Chris described a character making repeated phone calls to a love interest, they cut to Maye saying, “Now that’s some moderate-to-severe OCD with a side of emotional fixation…” She cringed. It was obvious to her that the clip was from another part of their recording. Fixations were not something she joked about. As she looked around, no one seemed to pick up on it except her. People were actually laughing and seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves right up to the end of the episode.
