“You didn’t think what was possible?”
“For you to be unattractive. But behold”—Dev flourishes his hands—“the power of the hat.”
Charlie rips the beanie off his head and is immediately assaulted by the icy breeze coming off the water. They’re at Golden Gate park to film his reunion with Angie, and there’s still a morning fog hanging over the bay. It’s late July, and Charlie has to put the hat back on despite Dev’s mockery.
“You look bald,” Dev observes. “Like, I knew your hair was one of your best features, but I’m not sure I realized just how much it was doing for your face.”
“You are aware of the fact that you’re also wearing a hat, right?”
Dev cocks his head to the side. “Yes, but I happen to look incredible in a hat.”
Charlie takes a risk and discreetly reaches out for Dev’s hand. “You look incredible all the time.”
“I thought I could say the same about you before today.” Dev doesn’t pull his hand away, and Charlie marvels at this moment, holding Dev’s hand in a park, in public, almost like normal people （if you ignore the cameras, lights, and production crew）。 The lump in his throat is golf-ball size.
“You boys seem like you’ve really bonded.”
Charlie turns and sees Maureen Scott wading across the park in her heeled boots, her silver bob completely unrumpled by the wind. Dev takes a giant step back until Charlie’s hand is only holding empty air. Charlie knew the showrunner was scheduled to rejoin them again at Home Kingdom dates for the final two weeks of filming. He also conveniently tried to block this fact from his mind. Set is immediately different under her watchful gaze; Skylar is back to popping antacids while she screams at PAs; Ryan’s decisions seem a little more calculated; Jules’s movements seem a little more nervous, her eyes constantly darting between Dev and Charlie, then flickering to Maureen.
Dev’s change is the worst. He’s stiff and formal and always so eager to please her. “Charlie’s ready for the intro shot whenever Angie is, Maureen.”
Maureen cuts her eyes between the two of them and flashes a smile. “Wonderful.”
When Angie appears on the other side of the park, Charlie does exactly as Dev instructs: he runs toward Angie, scoops her up, and twirls her around in delight. “Good to see you, too,” she says in his ear, surprised and confused.
Charlie cuts his gaze over to Maureen Scott, hovering behind Skylar’s shoulder. Angie follows his gaze. “Ah. Got it,” she says. Then she grabs the back of his neck to pull him into a kiss. “Then let’s sell it, boo.”
Angie certainly sells it. She hangs all over him as they eat lunch at her favorite burrito place in the Mission. She holds his hand as they tour the UCSF School of Medicine, where she’ll be starting in the fall. She kisses him at the top of Lombard Street and, in a heartfelt moment, confesses she’s in love with him. At first he feels guilty, but when the cameras are off, Angie winks and presses a friendly kiss into his palm.
“She’s good,” Dev says once they’re in a town car together driving out to Berkeley to meet Angie’s family. “It’s too bad she won’t be our next princess. Even if we could convince the network, Angie actually wants to be a doctor and not a reality television star. Go figure.”
A phone buzzes, and Dev stares down at the screen in his hand. “You got a text.” Dev’s voice is vacant as he pushes the phone into Charlie’s hands.
Charlie glances down at the screen and sees the name right there in bold letters. Josh Han.
His hands sweat as he struggles to swipe open the text. The words swim and it takes his brain a few minutes to arrange them in their proper order, to parse out their meaning. He hasn’t talked to Josh in over a year, not since the midnight emergency vote of no confidence removed him from his own company, and he wasn’t even allowed to pack up his office. Strangers came to his apartment with a moving van carrying his leather chesterfield, his antique chess set, his books.