While Dylan and Samantha are busy swaying, I call Arthur. It rings once before going to voice mail. It’s immediately followed with a text: Be there in five mins, sorry!
Yay! I type back.
I’m watching the Pac-People finish their set when Mario comes back and drags me to the front door with the biggest smile on his face.
“I have news,” Mario says. “I have the news.”
“The show—”
“The show sold in a bidding war! It’s all happening!” Mario bounces around, almost like someone hammering the jump button in a Super Mario game. He stops and grabs my hands. “Alejo, I feel like my dreams are coming true. I’m going to get to work on a TV show and help bring some androids alive. Power them on. Whatever. Wow. WOW! I can’t believe this.”
He stands there, frozen. Like he’s imagining his amazing future.
Now I’m doing the same.
Mario will go to Los Angeles and I’m going to follow him. This is the most exciting fresh start ever.
He grabs my hand. “There’s more, Alejo.”
“Oh my God. What?”
Maybe he’ll be more than an assistant on the show.
“So Tío Carlos has a lot of industry contacts, obviously, and he’s friends with this one film agent at UTA—the United Talent Agency. The agent Dariel is this queer man who loves fantasy stories. Carlos brought up The Wicked Wizard War.”
I’m almost sure I’ve heard him wrong. “Say what? Your uncle knows about that?”
“Of course. I told him how much I love it.”
Mario really does have me on his mind, even when I’m out of sight.
“But I’m not done with my revision.”
“You’ll get there. Dariel is really into the premise and could recommend some literary agents, too, if he likes the book.”
This is really exciting and also really overwhelming. I feel like I should run home and get to work in case this offer has an expiration date.
I’m so grateful that I want to kiss him. When I lean in, I hear my name—out of Arthur’s mouth.
“Sorry I’m late, but surprise!”
Arthur is holding Mikey’s hand—the same Mikey who’s supposed to be in Boston. My stomach drops. Seeing them together makes me want to cling to Mario even more.
“Wow. Hey, Mikey.”
“Hi!”
I lead Arthur, Mikey, and Mario back to our table, right as Dylan and Samantha are returning to their seats. Dylan does a double take before he launches straight into Mikey’s arms.
“Triple date!” Dylan shouts. “The very first in the history of the world!”
“That can’t be right,” Mikey says.
“What brings you back?” Samantha asks. “You here for another Broadway show?”
“I wanted to surprise Arthur. Just because.”
“And surprise Arthur you did!” Arthur says.
“I’m going to grab a drink,” Mikey says. “You want a Sprite?”
“Perfect,” Arthur says. Then after Mikey walks off, he stares blankly at the next comedian to come onstage.
“Hey, you okay?” I ask.
“Perfect,” Arthur says again, even though there are tears forming in his eyes.
I inch closer to him. “Do you want to go somewhere and talk?”
It’s heartbreaking to see him like this.
Arthur shakes his head. “I can’t. I mean, I don’t need to. Everything is fine. I’m like that GIF of the dog in the hat who’s saying everything is fine even though there’s a fire. Except there’s no fire.”
I want to stop time and only talk to Arthur. No Mikey, no Mario. No one else. I want him to be honest with me so I can be there for him like he obviously needs right now. But he’s not letting me.
He’s acting like he’s listening to the comedian, fake-laughing to jokes that Mario and Dylan are genuinely reacting to.
Mikey returns with drinks. “Sorry I took so long.”
“No need to say sorry. You’re banned from apologizing forever,” Arthur says.
Seriously, what did Mikey do to him?
Or what did Arthur do to Mikey?
I can’t get comfortable during the next couple sets. Someone sings “Jingle Bell Rock.” Mikey remarks how that’s a choice and praises her singing. Then two people do improv, which is hard to watch, and Dylan is not having any of that shit either, so he turns his back on them.
When the host comes back to the stage, he says, “Next up is Mikey!”
Arthur’s eyes widen. “Oh wow. Yay!”