Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2024 19:56:44 +0000 (UTC)
From: Don Cornelius <doncornelius69@yahoo.com>
Subject: Heartbeat, Chapter 13

2024 All Rights Reserved by the Author. This is a work of fiction. Any
similarities between the story and reality are purely coincidental. Please
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Chapter 13

TATE

Having sex on an airplane is far more fun in first class than in
economy. We were both prior members of the mile high club (I joined on a
red eye flight to London the year before, Zach joined when travelling to
Colorado to ski with his older brother when he was a sophomore), and
neither of us had made a big deal about it. However, an hour into the
flight, we both started thinking that it was a great idea.

For my part, I was actually nervous and needed to relax and clear my
head. Zach didn't need an excuse, he was always ready. I think he'd carry
me around, impaled on him, if he could. Part of us running a little late
was some preparation I'd done while we were still at school, anticipating
the possibility of sex on the flight and I was thankful I did because for
the brief time we had, Zach drilled it home and then some. I was quite
relaxed after and quickly fell into a much-needed deep sleep.

I didn't wake again until Zach nudged me to tell me we were about half an
hour from landing in London where we'd transfer to Nice. I made a very
brief trip to the bathroom then made it back to my seat in time for our
descent.

I was actually pretty calm but I knew going into Nice I would be a bundle
of nerves. Tom had someone picking us up at the airport then waiting for us
as we checked into the hotel, changed, and came back down to head to the
premier. Everything was tightly scheduled and we'd have no time to
ourselves until the wee hours of the morning.

Heathrow was as busy as I remembered. Zach had been through it once as a
child and was just amazed at the activity compared to SFO. We had about an
hour to get to our plane for Nice and thankfully, since our bags were being
transferred, we didn't need to go through customs which saved us some
time. I had time to check messages which included a note from my mother,
two from Ben and one from Jimmy to call as soon as I was able.

The first person I called back was Jimmy since he was the most recent and
he scared me the most. He answered, gruffly, "How was the flight?"

"Good. Very smooth and I slept most of the way," I told him. "What's up?"

"I have advance copies of two wire service reviews and they're
excellent. There was also press overnight in France about the movie and the
fact that you'll be there for the premier."

"Wasn't that kind of expected?"

"Yeah, but it's created a thing on Twitter and Instagram since someone
leaked your itinerary."

"Oh, fuck..."

"Yeah. You should expect a lot of people at the hotel, probably some at the
airport."

"OK, OK," I said, starting to hyperventilate as Zach started to stroke my
back. "What do I do?"

"Stay calm and try to conceal identity. A hat can do wonders. You hide in a
bathroom and wait for Zach and the car. Once the car is there, you make
quickly for it, get it in, and go. You don't talk to anyone."

I sighed, regaining some control, "Ok, we can do that."

"The hotel is going to be problematic. You want to let the staff grab the
bags and you get into the lobby with Zach as quickly as possible."

"Got it. Anything else?"

He laughed, "Sure, but I'm dealing with that. Everything is going to be
fine. The premier is pretty well locked down and studio people will set up
press for you."

"OK, thanks for the heads up."

"You're welcome. Tate, you're going to do fine."

I quickly filled in Zach on what he'd said and he was surprisingly calm
about it, which calmed me down until I really looked at him.

"Babe, you're not here to be my bodyguard."

He smiled, "I promise, I'll follow Jimmy's advice and we'll be OK."

Right then, Ben called.

"Hey Ben."

"Who've you talked to?"

"Jimmy."

"OK, I talked to Tom and everything from the airport on is secured. He said
there were people outside the hotel, but they are keeping the crowd under
control."

"The crowd? Please don't tell me..."

"They're not all for you, that hotel is filled with celebrities. However,
the stuff online has really blown up and there will be a sizeable
contingent of people there FOR YOU."

"OK, but there's security?"

"Sure. When you land there will be a text to call the driver. Tom is going
to be at the theater and he apologized for not being there to pick you
up. Call him when you get to the room. The hotel already has you checked
in, you or Zach can get the keys and they'll take you up."

"Thanks for the call, Ben."

"You're welcome. Now, go have a good time enjoying the payoff of all the
hard work you did to get there."

I sat back, eyes closed and said a silent prayer of thanks for the people
around me who were anticipating me and laying out a path for me to move
down. I opened my eyes to see Zach smiling over at me.

"I'm here. We're together and this is going to be great."

I laughed, "Thank you. That's what I needed."

I noticed a woman looking over at us as we sat waiting for the plane and
mentioned it to Zach who glanced over at her, no doubt doing a low-level
threat assessment. This was yet another side of Zach I'd never really seen
and it was really endearing. No matter what may come, he was going to be
ready for it.

As they opened the door to start boarding, I got up with Zach and the woman
made her way over to us. She held out her hand to me.

"Tate, I'm Deborah Hayes. I work with Gloria Imdahl and I wanted to
introduce myself."

I smiled, taking her hand, and told her, "It's very nice to meet you. I
guess you're heading to Cannes, too?"

She laughed lightly, "I think everyone on this flight is. We're all the
stragglers who actually have to work. I'm surprised you're on this flight."

"Well, and I know this will sound crazy, but my mother has me on a strict
schedule with regard to how many days of school I can miss."

She laughed, "Yeah, I remember Gloria resetting our schedule to accommodate
your graduation!"

"It was the only way I could say yes," I replied.

"Well, I'm glad we did. Gloria told us all you were an amazing actor and
we're all thankful you decided to come onto the project."

Right then they called first class and we made our way to the door. We
continued talking a bit and I found out she was an associate producer and
made a mental note to ask Ben to break down the order of producers for
me. Deborah was flying out for another film she was an investor in, a
Turkish film that was going to premier tomorrow night. She had also landed
a ticket to Love Story.

"... and that was anything but easy. Gloria had to promise Tom an exec
credit on our project to get it."

"I hope that didn't create too many problems," I told her.

"I'm teasing. He was part of the package to bring you on and Gloria and I
are excited to work with him. However, I did make him get me a ticket
because I'm DYING to see it. Your movie has some big momentum behind it."

I glanced at Zach who nodded and smiled, then turned back to her.

"How big? What am I walking into?"

She looked at me curiously, trying to determine if I was for real. I think
at some point I needed a serious talk with Ben and Jimmy about how this
world works because I kept getting the feeling I was coming across as some
kind of dipshit.

"Love Story may make or break the studios profit and loss this
year. There's so much buzz around the project, I mean with Davis directing
there was always a ton of attention, but then people started talking about
the cut and then you started doing press. You have no idea what your face
has done in markets all over the US. There are kids walking around in
t-shirts with that picture of you kissing him," she said as she nodded at
Zach. "If the movie is even half as good as people are saying, you're going
to be a real star and what we agreed to pay you for Summer Moon is going to
be the steal of the century."

I laughed, "So I should have asked for more?"

"If Love Story is really that good and you do a good job on Summer Moon,
you won't even look at offers for less than 10."

"Million?" Zach blurted out a little too fast.

She nodded at him and then looked back at me, "He catches on quick." Then
to Zach, "Your boyfriend is going to do very well."

By that point we were at our seats and said our good byes. I sat by the
window and smiled nicely while people stopped to say hello and handed me
their cards, saying some variation on "I'd like to talk to you at some
point about a project I'm working on." I politely told them to contact Ben
and he'd set it up.

Once they sealed up the plane, I looked over at Zach who was smiling.

"Why are you so happy?"

"Because the man I love is going to be a star and I get to share my life
with him."

He then leaned over to kiss me as the plane started to taxi down to the
runway. For the first time I felt a little bit of the excitement I think
everyone had expected me to be feeling.

ZACH

I felt shockingly good. All the hard work my man had done with such care
was paying off. America was going to go see a gay reimagining of Love Story
and they were going to LOVE IT. Everything I'd been nervous about was
likely going to happen and I was no longer nervous about it. Now, it felt
like he'd earned it.

Fuck the money. The way Deborah talked to him, not to mention the retinue
of movie people who were intent on saying hello as they passed by our
seats, made it clear to me that our lives were going to change in a big way
and that Tate was getting his due, some mad respect.

I sat back thinking about the work he'd put into the movie and school, how
tired he'd been and realized I was seeing all that pay off in real
time. What really impressed me was how well he was handling it all. I knew
he was nervous because it was so new to him, but he wasn't letting that
nervousness run him. To anyone on the outside looking in, he was calmly
confident.

We ended up watching Halloween Ends during the flight as he was intent on
educating me about the what he called the finest in horror movies. We'd
watched Halloween, the 2018 sequel, Halloween Kills, and now this. I liked
the original and the sequel, not so much Halloween Kills. This one I didn't
have high hopes about, but he was dedicated to it and I sat and watched
like a good boyfriend. To be honest, I less watched the movie and more
watched him. His eyes sparkled as he stared at the iPad screen and I loved
seeing the emotions play out on his face.

I thought a little about the future and was happy I'd come to the
conclusions I had early on about where I would be with him. In our
relationship, we were equals, but he was going to be a public figure and
that was something I'd prepared for and accepted. I never thought it would
be quite like this, but after our talk with Deborah Hays I knew how things
were going to go.

Before we landed, we made a plan. I had a snap back in my bag that he was
going to put on along with his sun glasses. I also told him to pull his
coat out of his bag and wear it out of the bathroom once I texted him that
the car was here.

As we exited customs, we embraced quickly and parted. I made my way to the
pick-up area and called the number he'd been texted to tell them where we
were. The airport was busy but there didn't appear to be photographers
around. I let my guard down and started to feel OK about things. I went to
the curb to meet the driver who arrived not long after. And then I texted
Tate.

We waited only a brief time before he showed up and, as he came out the
door undisguised, he had his first encounter with a fan who wanted him to
autograph a copy of a magazine. He smiled, chatted with them a bit, then
made his way over to me.

"No hat? No glasses?"

He smiled, broadly as he got into the car through the door I was holding.

"Fuck it. Let's see how much I'm actually blowing up."

I hopped in next to him and closed the door, then kissed him deeply.

"Are we ready to go?" the driver asked in French accented English.

"Oui monsieur!" I replied, finally able to use the French I'd learned over
the last three years.

I looked into Tate's eyes and saw the adoration which was a constant when
he looked at me. Despite everything going on around him, at moments like
this he was still focused on us. It's a hell of a feeling knowing the
person you love is so very much in love with you that nothing is going to
distract them, not even a fan asking for an autograph.

The drive to Cannes was pretty brief but the crowd around the hotel made it
difficult to get to our first stop. Finally, some police waved us in and we
were able to get out and into the hotel. Tate went to the desk to grab our
keys while I grabbed the bags. A bellman showed us to our room, a suite,
which we explored and marveled at. THEN we noticed the champagne with a
note attached to it.

"Tate-Enjoy this, but don't go overboard. We have a big night ahead of us!
-Tom and Davis," Tate read aloud and then put the note down and opened the
bottle, pouring a glass for each of us.

He looked at me, holding up the glass, and said, "To my amazing boyfriend."

I laughed, "And to MY amazing boyfriend who the world is about to see as
the star I've always seen!"

We kept drinking as we unpacked, laughing and joking about the event. 30
minutes later, we were clean, suited up, and ready to go. Tate was having
problems with his tie and I helped him.

"I'm sorry, I'm so nervous it's just not working out," he told me, sweetly
explaining his predicament.

"I know, baby, but you don't need to be. This is going to be amazing!"

I finished up, then stepped back to take him in. He stood there with the
most amazing smile.

"What?" he asked.

"You look so good, baby," I told him, softly.

He quickly crossed to me and hugged me tightly, then looked up at me.

"Thank you for everything, Zach. I just..."

"...don't need to say anything, ever. I'm here and I'll always be here,
right next to you." I grabbed his hands and continued, "All you ever need
to do is to reach out for me and I'll be there."

He started to tear up a bit and I softly cupped his head, pulling him in
for a kiss.

As I pulled away, he slowly opened his eyes.

"I really needed that!" he said, laughing just a little. "I guess we should
go, right?"

I nodded, "You ready?"

He took a deep breath, "Yeah. Let me call Tom."

On the elevator ride down to the lobby, he kept glancing at me in the
mirror and smiling, catching my eye every time. It made me so happy,
because, once more, while his world was exploding and people were dying to
see him, his focus wasn't on them... it was on me. While there had been
many similar instances, they were all special and unique, a moment in time
when I was once more reminded that my boyfriend was just as into me as I
was into him.

The lobby was busy and I recognized a few people, but was trying
desperately not to come off as a starfucker (a term I borrowed from Tate's
mom) so I didn't stare much. However, the stares directed at us were a
little harder to ignore. This was my first real taste of being with an
actual celebrity and it made me feel amazing. They're all looking at my guy
and, though childish, I was kind of excited by the idea that while they
could see him and fantasize about him, he was with me.

The ride over to the theater was short but, as we approached the theater,
we noticed the crowd and the driver made a comment that people had started
to show up last night.

"What's the movie about?" he asked in heavily accented English. My
sophomore French teacher had noted that if we plan to travel to France, we
should learn French because the French only speak English grudgingly, which
the driver by his tone was tacitly admitting.

I answered in my best French, "Le film une histoire d'amour." His response
was to make eye contact with me in the rearview mirror and nod.

He got us up to the front where there was a space to drop us off. We opened
the door to the SUV and the noise was unreal, cheering and shouting,
creating a overload of sound. I stepped out and stood looking around for a
second before turning and offering my hand to Tate who took it and stepped
out. As soon as his face was visible to the crowd, the noise leveled up and
became deafening.

Tate was blushing, completely unable to hide how blown away he was by the
everything. He shyly raised his head, smiling, and then waved to the
crowed, which went ever wilder. He mouthed `thank you', put his hand to his
heart, and then turned to walk to the line where the photographers were
located, with me in tow.

It's weird, but as soon as I stepped onto the pavement, the entire thing
felt like an out of body experience, like it wasn't happening to me, it was
happening to two people I knew, but I wasn't one of them. It took a second
for me to realize Tate had taken the lead and I didn't fully get my senses
back until I was blinded by a flash from a photographer. I quickly put on a
smile and put my arm around Tate's lower back as we made our way inside,
occasionally stopping so a photographer could get a picture of us together.

Once inside, Tom pulled us into an anteroom and closed the door. He turned
to us with a smile.

"OK, I'm going to give you both a second to get your bearings. This is all
real, it's all happening, and it's all VERY organic."

I looked over at Tate to see him looking at me with a questioning look on
his face, `are you OK?'

I took his hand and gently squeezed, "I'm fine, just a little blown away. I
promise, I'm here now."

He gave me that smile that always made me melt and then squeezed my hand
back. He then turned to Tom who was standing there smiling, "We're
good. What's next?"

Tom nodded, "I'm going to take you around to meet some distribution
people."

"You want me to find a spot and stay out of the way," I asked, earnestly. I
was here to support Tate because I knew this was work for him. Whatever
else this was and would end up being, he was here to work and I didn't want
to get in the way.

Tom laughed, "Nope, you're part of the package, too. Come on!"

He guided us through the crowd stopping to make small talk with a few
people who'd been `the money' behind the movie. A few congratulated Tate on
a good financial decision to ask for a part of the box office, to which he
nodded. Then we met distributors from some of the big theater companies,
individually. Tom introduced Tate, who then introduced me and after all the
hand shaking, thanked them earnestly for their interest in the movie and
told them how much he personally appreciated them being here to see it. He
concluded by saying they would be an integral part of its success.

The first time he did it, I maintained my cool but inside I was thinking
`Holy Fucking Shit, my man is a fucking BEAST!'. He played it all so a
smoothly I was blown away and I realized he must have been prepped by Tom
and probably Ben.

None of them paid anything but cursory attention to me, until we got to the
one for CineArt who ran a chain that dominated the southeastern US.

As we shook hands, after Tate introduced me, he asked, "So, you're the
linebacker who is going to help take Stanford to a national championship?"

I didn't miss a beat, "Well, sir, that's my father's expectation and I will
do my best meet it!"

He laughed, "I'm class of 1989, I think I was a year or two before your
father. I'm really looking forward to seeing you play next fall!"

I nodded, "Well, I promise to make the games memorable. If you decide to
come to any, I'd love to introduce you to my father."

He nodded, "It would be my pleasure, son."

Tom led us away and when we were out of earshot turned to me, "I think you
just sealed the deal with him. We're been DYING to get them on board at
release to hit the Florida and metro Atlanta markets."

Tate laughed, "Does this mean the studio will reimburse me for his ticket?"

Tom snickered, "I WILL if CineArt comes through."

We spent the next hour doing basically the same thing before we found Tommy
who was all smiles. Like Tate, he was already under contract for his next
role, an action movie. Tate congratulated him and he stepped up and hugged
Tate, then pulled back.

"You made this possible for me. This," he said, waving around himself,
"wouldn't have happened without you and I will always owe you."

Tate smiled, "You're welcome, Tommy, and thank you for bringing me in."

We talked for a bit before Tom showed up to guide us to our seats. As we
made our way into the theater, the lights dimmed twice. We sat down as the
crowd filled in behind us. A few minutes later, Davis stood up and walked
to the front of the theater and grabbed a microphone.

"I want to thank you all for coming. I know there's been some light buzz
about our little movie," he deadpanned, to laughter and some applause, "and
I'm sure you're all anxious to see it rather than me. I just want to thank
everyone in LA, Oakland, and Berkeley who worked with us on this. Without
the expert crew and supporting actors we had, this project never would have
been as much fun as it was. I particularly want to thank Tom Hendry who
believed in me, and finally Tommy and Tate for putting their lives, and
careers, in my hands. The greatest gift I've ever received was getting to
know and work with you."

After some applause the lights went down and the movie started.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw on that screen. Tate
performed so well it was easy to stop thinking of him as Tate and more as
Preston. The interaction between him and Tommy was flawless and I couldn't
help but notice how amazing they looked together. I also couldn't stop
myself from feeling rage when Tate's character came out to his parents,
especially since I knew he used his own experience with his father to do
that scene. I tried watching with a critical eye, but it stopped about 10
minutes in as I got sucked into the story and the acting. Davis, for all
his abrasiveness, got an amazing performance out of two people who'd never
done more than high school plays.

When it ended, I got up and started clapping, tears that had fallen during
the funeral scene still moist on my face. Luckily, everyone else was moved
similarly. About 30 seconds after we started clapping, Davis motioned Tate
and Tommy to come up front and they all took a bow as the crowd applauded
and cheered. People began making their way up front to congratulate them
and I stood off to the side watching. It was magical seeing him interact
with the people who were clearly touched by his performance.

I'd been there about a minute before I heard a voice next to me.

"He's the real deal, isn't he?"

I turned to see Deborah Hayes standing next to me, smiling while she looked
over at Tate.

"Yeah, as real as it gets."

"You meet so many fake people in this business, it'll be refreshing to work
with someone who's a decent human being," she said. "Especially one who is
as good as he is."

"I'm assuming you liked the movie?"

She laughed, "Loved. I loved the movie. What I told you guys earlier in
London wasn't even close to what you can expect. This movie is going to be
huge and it's all him. The other lead was good, but Tate's fucking
captivating."

I sighed, "Yeah, he really was. I thought it was just me being in love with
him, but he really was good."

"Yes, he was," she exhaled smoothly. "Can I give you a piece of advice?"

"Sure," I replied.

"Whatever you're doing, keep doing it. Don't get weird about any of this as
things get bigger for him. I saw the way you looked at one another in
London and you're perfect together. Hold on to each other and you're going
to be amazing together."

I couldn't help it; I got a little choked up.

"Thank you," I told her, as my eyes rapidly filled with tears.

She clapped my arm and said, "You're welcome. Now, I'm going to go
congratulate the stars and director. I'll see you later."

I watched her walk over to the line that had formed and hoped she and her
boss would be every bit as good with Tate as Tom had been.

I patiently waited until the last people were congratulating him to walk
over, finding him lit up with a smile.

"My face hurts," he said, which made Tommy, Davis, and Tom all laugh.

Davis looked at me and asked, "So what did you think?"

I glanced at Tate and then looked back to him, "It was amazing."

"You really liked it?" Tate asked.

I pulled him into a hug, "I loved it, baby!"

He looked up at me, "Good, now let's get something to eat. I'm starving!"
which made Tom and Davis laugh. We ended up at a restaurant near the shore
where Tom had made reservations. It was good to sit down and relax a bit
despite the people who kept coming by to congratulate them. Tommy had run
off to a party hosted by the producer of his next movie, so he was
noticeably absent.

As yet another producer dropped by to congratulate everyone and hand yet
another card to Tate, I noticed Tom get a little irritated. After the well
wisher moved on, Tom asked Tate how many cards he had.

"I don't know," he said casually, "I think 20 or 30 at this point?" he
asked looking in my direction, and I nodded back.

"He picked up a bunch on the plane into Nice, too."

Tate looked back at Tom, "Why?"

Tom leaned back in his chair, "Don't respond to any of them. Don't call and
thank them or ask what they want to talk to you about."

Tate laughed, "OK. Why?"

Davis quickly leaned forward, "Because it's beneath you."

Tate smiled, "I've only done one movie! I was at least going to hand them
off to Ben..."

Tom shook his head, "No, you shouldn't even do that. If nothing else sinks
in, this needs to: Your movie is going to be a hit. It's going to vastly
exceed expectations, but that's just the money. Your performance IN IT is
shockingly good for a first-time actor. It's so good people will be talking
about awards. People like you don't bother calling people who hand you
cards, you only talk to those who know you or are introduced to you."

Davis nodded, "You're mint. Look, I like Tommy but he's someone who'll have
to chase opportunities. You won't."

I decided to step in, "They're right. Before the crowd cleared, I talked to
Deborah Hayes again..."

"Again?" Tom asked.

"We met her in London before we boarded the plane for Nice."

"And what did she have to say tonight," he asked.

"That she loved the movie and that Tate was captivating. She said it's
going to be much bigger than what she mentioned earlier today."

Tate looked at me, "You're serious?"

"Yeah. Babe, she did and they're right," I replied, nodding at Davis and
Tom

He sat there, staring down at the table before looking back up, smiling.

"I get it and I'm taking your advice," he said. I looked at him and for the
first time since we'd started dating, I couldn't read what he was
thinking. He winked at me and went back to his salad.

TATE

We went to the party Tommy was at after dinner with Davis. I don't know if
it was the tiredness or the energy of everything, but I was overwhelmed in
a way I'd never been modeling. I was always energetic, ready for
afterparties and after-afterparties, but tonight I was feeling a little
off. The director of Tommy's new movie, Dan Rogers, was really excited to
meet me and wanted to know about my next project. When I told him Summer
Moon, his eyes went wide.

"That's a big role."

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm really excited."

"Well, I look forward to seeing it and hopefully we can work together in
the future."

I knew the kind of movies he did, they were all blockbuster fun stuff. I
wasn't averse to that, I just wanted something with more substance. Sounds
weird coming from someone who's just made his first movie, but it was the
truth. I wanted things that captured me, as Summer Moon had. I wasn't
averse to money, but I figured as long as I took my time and let
opportunities come to me, I could find projects that not only suited me,
but that I would be proud of when I looked back on things at 50.

We ended up talking to Mary Wagner who had been at Love Story earlier and
she was AMAZING. Zach and I were thrilled to even meet such an amazing
actress and gay icon, who just happened to be really funny. She was down to
earth and just hilarious. Granted, we were pretty slap happy and everything
seemed kind of funny, but she was SAVAGE.

We were getting along well, then she suddenly turned to Zach and asked him
to get her another drink because she needed it and needed some time to talk
to me personally.

He smiled, "I can do that." He got up, winked as he glanced at me, then
walked away. Mary then turned to me.

"You blew me away. I didn't think it was possible for me to be impressed by
a performance at this point in my life, but you did it. You're going to be
a star and I'll pass along some advice I got from someone when I was first
breaking. Do not let the success and fame change you. Dance with them that
brung ya, and if you have to do a shitty movie to make some money, do your
absolute best. If you don't find yourself in the red, be picky. People will
still remember you, even if they haven't seen you on a screen in a year or
two."

I nodded, "Thank you. I needed that."

"Been feeling a bit overwhelmed?" she asked, taking a drag off her
cigarette.

I nodded, "Off and on. Today's been the worst, we didn't expect anyone to
really care."

She laughed, "You've been doing press all over the country. You didn't
think that was having an impact?"

I stared back at her, "Well, yeah, I hoped it did, I just didn't expect any
of it to cross the Atlantic."

"Shit. Europeans can be every bit as celebrity obsessed as Americans. Your
ads are all over Berlin, Paris, Rome, Milan, Amsterdam. They see you every
day. It didn't take them long to figure out that the guy dressed in a Prada
suit is the same guy in a new movie with a lot of buzz. Half the teenage
girls in Italy think they can convert you."

That made me laugh, "Oh, come on! You're just making fun of me now."

"No, I promise I'm not. You may not realize it, my dear, but you're already
a hot commodity. After what I saw tonight, you're going to be hot like a
nuclear blast. You ready for that?"

I sat back, "No. I think Zach is actually better prepared for the attention
than me."

She smiled, "Tell me why you decided to do Love Story."

"I read the script and loved it. It was human, you know? It wasn't jammed
with an agenda; it was just about two people in love. I wanted to be part
of it because I thought it was great and I thought I could do well in it."

She smiled, "That's a good answer. So many people think of what their first
role can do for them, not what they can do for it."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. I wanted to be part of something
special, that everyone could look at and say `THAT was a good movie'. I
thought, maybe, it'll turn people from the focus on sexuality and bring
them face to face with the one thing we all have in common, love."

"Well, you accomplished your mission. It was fantastic and at no point was
my focus on anything other than the characters." She took a sip of her
drink, then continued, "Can I give you a little more advice?"

I almost fell over myself.

"Yes, please!"

She laughed, "I'm still working long past the age where women are usually
placed on the discard pile because I only take roles that speak to
me. Could I make more money? Probably, but I want to do things that matter
to me. The paycheck is just money but what I do on film is forever. Do the
same thing and you're going to have a fantastic career."

I nodded, "That's why I picked Summer Moon, but I'm having problems getting
into the character."

"When I get that way, I take a few days to read anything other than the
script, then come back to it. You like the script, right?" I nodded. "Then
put it aside for a few days and come back to it. You'll find your way."

We ended up talking, with intermittent interruptions from other industry
people and a few celebrities, for another hour. We exchanged phone numbers
and then parted ways.

I found Zach talking to Jake Hanson and Tommy after and told him we needed
to go. I was exhausted and I wanted to actually try to enjoy Cannes some
tomorrow. Jake and Tommy both understood but warned me that I'd be
exercising my hand tomorrow signing stuff if we ventured out of the hotel
or other events.

"Dude, you have no idea how you're blowing up."

Zach handed me his phone and it was a picture of me and Mary talking on
Instagram. It couldn't have been taken more than an hour ago and it already
had 200,000 likes.

"Fuck," was all I could think to say, which prompted laughter from the
others.

Jake slapped my back, "Welcome to the show!"

On the way back to the hotel, Zach filled me in on the people he'd met
including a producer who'd been dying to get a few minutes with me and whom
he very tactfully, but unequivocally, referred to Ben.

"Did you have fun?" I asked him.

"While you were talking to Mary? Oh yeah. I had a blast with Tommy, Jake,
Eric Crawford, and Anna Stone."

"THE FUCK? THE Anna Stone?"

He laughed, "Yeah, she made me promise to call tomorrow morning. She wants
to have lunch with us."

I sat back in the seat, "Oh, sure, lunch... if we have time."

Zach laughed, "I know, right?"

"It's weird but we're never going to see any of these people."

"I don't know, I think we will. Anna made some comment about a Fourth of
July party she's having in LA. Two minutes later, she asked for my number
and texted me the invite."

"We got invited to a party Anna Stone is throwing?"

"Yep."

I sighed, "I guess this is our life now. We should book a flight..."

"Oh, I already did. She made me while she was standing there."

When we got back to the hotel, we walked into a room filled with flowers,
bottles of champagne, and all kinds of stuff. Cards attached were all
congratulating me on the success of Love Story. Zach opened a bottle and we
sat down to drink and decompress.

"You know, I could totally get used to this," he laughed out. Then he
looked at me, "It's going to be fine, you know?"

"Yeah, it's just an adjustment. I'm so fucking glad you're with me."

 "That gives me an idea," he said, getting up from the chair and putting
down his glass. He walked over to me, taking my glass and putting it on the
table, then turned back to me and grabbed me, picking me up in his arms. We
start kissing as he walked quickly to the bedroom.

Zach was savage as he stripped of my clothes, then his own. He lubed up and
knocked me into a new level of ecstasy, sliding straight away through my
second sphincter. As had become his new normal, he dominated and fucked for
all he was worth.

An hour later, I was falling asleep in his arms.

ZACH

It's a different world for celebrities. More flowers came the next morning
with breakfast and Anna had already called with lunch plans for 1pm to
which we eagerly agreed. That was the second multiple Oscar winning actress
we'd met in less than a day and we were absolutely floored. The cool thing
wasn't those meetings, it was how Tate was handling them.

He was overwhelmed, but he wasn't in his head. He was finding his legs in
this new life as it was happening to him. Watching it happen made me so
proud of him I was bursting. He didn't freak out or develop an
out-of-control ego, he just calmly took it all in and processed it, only
occasionally looking to me for affirmation and support. My
man... FUCK. There was nothing he couldn't handle; he just sometimes needed
a little time to adjust and figure out what he wanted.

We had breakfast in the room, then spent the morning slowly getting ready
for our lunch. At noon, we left the hotel to wander around for an hour
prior to meeting Anna was the restaurant. Tate was incognito, wearing a hat
and sunglasses. When I asked him about it, since it was a change from his
decision at the airport, he shrugged.

"I've never been here and I'd like an hour of relative anonymity," he told
me. I agreed with him and, thinking that I might be a big tell as to his
identity, decided a hat and sunglasses would be a nice touch for me as
well.

The restaurant was only about a mile from the hotel and we walked down the
quaint streets holding hands and observing. The day was just starting to
warm up and the breeze off the coast made everything feel good, alive and
happy. We ducked in two different stores, a chocolatier who was thrilled to
ship some of their confections to California, and a small book store.

The place was about a five-minute walk from the book store and had a
fabulous patio. We walked past some people gawking and told the maitre'd we
were part of the Daniels party, using the fake last time Anna had given
us. He immediately lit up and escorted us back, through the very busy
restaurant. Tate was careful not to make eye contact with anyone, but I was
only too happy to show nothing but violence and aggression with my eyes
which made sure no one was going to look closely at either of us.

When we walked up, Anna came over and gave me a big hug, then immediately
shifted to Tate.

"It is a pleasure to meet you!" she gushed.

Tate blushed, "Seriously, it's amazing to meet YOU! Thank you so much for
the invite!"

She laughed, "I wanted to meet you last night, but you were so in deep with
Mary I didn't want to interrupt. Thankfully Zach was kind enough to
entertain me and I'm thrilled you guys accepted today!"

We sat and chatted some more. It was weird, but I sensed there was
something Anna was holding back and it didn't take long to get there. We'd
just ordered drinks and she dropped the bomb.

"I need to come clean on something," she said to Tate. "I really wanted to
meet you because we're going to be working together."

"Really? I thought the cast was set for Summer Moon?"

She smiled, "It was, but Andrea Ford has a contract dispute with Sony and
there is no way they're going to let her do it. Gloria called about a week
ago and we just wrapped up my deal before I got here."

"Wow. No one said a word!"

She laughed, "Welcome to Hollywood where the talent is always the last to
know. Honestly, I passed on it last year because I wasn't excited about the
script, but Gloria's kept me updated and when things went south with
Andrea, I was excited to jump at it, especially with you attached."

Tate laughed, "Oh, stop!"

"No, really. We couldn't make it last night, but I heard nothing but good
things!"

"Well, thank you! So how far into the script are you?"

She smiled, "I'm done." I couldn't hide the look on my face, "What's
wrong?"

Tate smiled tightly and shrugged, "I can't find the character. I've got the
lines down, but the..."

"...heart's missing?" she offered.

"That's the perfect way to put it," he responded.

She smiled, "What brought you to it in the first place?"

He didn't hesitate, "Gloria. She was at the screening for the studio people
and afterward walked me through the story. I was so into it that I said yes
on the spot."

"What's changed?"

"I can't find the character. I mean, I know it and I can do it, but I don't
feel it the way I did with Love Story."

"That's acting, noob!"

Tate laughed, "I know and Mary gave me some good advice last night. I
thought about reading the book..."

"Don't. It'll mess with the movie because it's different and you're too new
to this. Just take a break for a few days and then read the whole thing,
fresh, all the way through. You'll find it!"

"That's the same thing Mary said!"

She nodded and took a sip of her drink, "That's because Mary gave me that
advice when we did A Perfectly Good War 8 years ago."

"HOLY SHIT! You're kidding me?"

"Not at all. I'd just done my first movie and I got the offer to do that
with her and I jumped at it... and then read the script and couldn't find
it. Mary pulled me out."

"But you won an Oscar for that!"

She smiled, "I did. My first. And I'm telling right now, it wouldn't have
happened without Mary as my co-star and her advice. Listen to people like
us, we won't steer you wrong."

Tate sat back and relaxed, "Believe me, I trust her and you. I promise,
I'll get there and be ready when we start production."

Anna laughed, "He's always this way, isn't he?" she asked me.

"When he's working, yeah. We started dating when he was on hiatus from
modelling so I've never seen him do that, but the way he talked about it
made it clear it was a job and he was going to do it right. Then, with the
movie, I got to see that up close and personal. He has fun but he's also
very aware there's a job to be done and a lot of people are counting on
him."

"I'm being too serious, aren't I," he said to me.

"Not at all," Anna replied. "It's actually refreshing and matches with what
I heard about you from Davis. I made some calls before I took the job and
when I say I'm excited, I mean it. But today I just wanted to hang out with
you both and get to know you."

We talked as we ordered, making a meal off appetizers before her husband,
Rogerio Sanchez showed up to join us. He'd been up the coast at a meeting
with clients.

"The life of an investment banker," he told us, which made Tate laugh.

"So, an actress and an investment banker. How did that happen?" he asked
them.

"Well," Rogerio started, "It's really quite simple. I stalked her."

Anna died laughing, "He's only kidding a little. Every time I had something
in New York, he managed to appear. We'd talk a little and finally, after
about 6 months of running into one another, he asked me out."

"You bribed her scheduler, didn't you?" I asked, smiling.

"The best investment I ever made," he replied.

"Oh my God," Anna exclaimed, "You never told me!"

Rogerio laughed, "And I'd have taken it to the grave had this very
perceptive young man not figured it out."

"Should I fire him?" she asked.

"I wouldn't. It took me a month of daily calls to convince him I wasn't
planning something nefarious. I also promised him $100,000 if you found out
and fired him."

She laughed, "Well, at least he didn't come cheap."

Rogerio took her hand, and kissed it. "No, he was protective of you and I
had to actually meet him twice to let him know I was sincere."

She looked over at us, "Three years married and I had no idea."

I laughed, "I had to go through a friend to get to Tate. Even then, I
almost lost him on our first date."

"I have to hear the story!"

I told them the story, from my perspective, leaving out nothing, including
Tate's bout of weakened legs when we kissed. Anna loved it.

"That is so sweet. Seriously, you should think about..."

"Writing it?" Tate asked.

She nodded, as Tate reached for my hand.

"No way. Some things we're keeping for ourselves."

We continued to talk, and finally eat, for another hour before we went down
to the beach. Tate was the most relaxed I'd seen him in days, pretty
comfortable even with the people who recognized him and asked for pictures
and autographs. It was a taste of things to come, especially as more people
saw the movie which was going to be on most of the screens in France this
weekend.

About 4 we returned to the hotel to freshen up for dinner which was at a
really nice restaurant at 7. As we sat in the living room of the suite, I
noticed him looking at this phone.

"What are you looking at?"

"Insta. Jimmy's posted some things."

"How many followers do you have right now?"

He laughed, "You're not going to believe this but I'm up to 621k."

"FUCK!," I screamed, "It was only 26k a week ago."

"I guess I really am blowing up," he laughed. "You think I should send the
pictures from today to Jimmy?"

I nodded, "Oh yeah, I'd do it now."

"Done," he told me, smiling, the look on his face one of happiness. "I want
to take a nap before tonight," he said as he stood to walk into the bedroom
we shared.

"I think I'll join you," I said, rising quickly and obnoxiously grabbing
him up to carry him into the bedroom.

TATE

I stretched as I woke up, looking to see the windows open and feeling the
slightly warm breeze blowing into the room, mixed with late afternoon
light, and it felt magical. You could still hear people outside, and some
traffic, but it wasn't too much.

The light coming in was just perfect and I felt amazing, completely relaxed
and very happy. It wasn't just the sex, it was... everything. We'd had an
amazing day so far and were about to go do more this evening. It made me a
little excited as I smiled to myself, thinking about how this had all
happened, just five short months ago.

I remembered Tommy's call, as I sat eating a burger in a mall, and now I
was laughing in bed, in a very expensive suite, in Cannes. It felt like a
year had passed between then and now.

Zach walked in from the shower, toweling himself off and looking every bit
the man he was. His body continued to shock me, especially at moments like
this, since it was not at all what you'd expect an 18 year old kid to look
like, even an athletic one. And he owned it so completely you'd think he'd
been born like that.

"What?" he asked, noticing my gaze and the smile on my face.

"You're just amazing to look at, babe. I can't help it."

"Oh really?" He said, flexing for me.

I stood up and walked over to him, hugging him tightly as we
kissed. Unsurprisingly, he got hard and I toyed with him a bit.

"You know, if you keep playing with it, I'm going to need to you help me
out," he said, slyly.

I stoked him softly, gently, watching his face as need swept over him and
he pleaded with me, "Please?"

Being the absolutely amazing boyfriend I am, I gave him a champion worthy
blowjob that I was hoping would help him hold out a bit longer. His stamina
was more than impressive, it was enviable. At one point, I wished mine was
just as high, but quickly thought better of it since we'd never leave the
house.

After, I went to take a quick shower and we dressed to go out. Our first
stop was dinner with Gloria, Tom, and Deborah. We arrived a little early
and made our way to the bar, enjoying our time in a country where the
drinking age is 18. We were there about 10 minutes when Tom made his way
over.

"Well, hello strangers!"

I laughed and stood to give him a hug.

"Hey Tom! Good to see you!"

He quickly extended his hand to Zach and said, "I think we better shake, I
don't think I could survive a hug from you!"

We chatted for a bit before Deborah walked in and waved us back to the
front of the house so we could join Gloria at the table. She rose and gave
me a hug as we walked up.

"It's so good to see you!" she said, holding me tightly.

"You too! And you'll never guess what I did today!"

Gloria pulled back and looked me with this very serious, as if she was
accessing from database in her head.

"I know! You had lunch with your new, and unannounced, co-star!"

I looked over at Zach and Tom, who both shrugged, then back to her. "You
talked to Anna?"

"I did! She said she had a wonderful time and that you were looking forward
to filming!"

I laughed, "Did she?"

"Yeah, she did," she said, patting my upper arm and smiling. "There's
nothing to worry about, you'll find it."

We had a great time and I got some more, very direct, advice. I was a
sponge at that point, trying to suck up everything from people who were
kind of enough to share their wisdom and give me some gentle guidance. In
fact, out of everything this weekend, it was the most valuable thing I'd
received.

Gloria told a story about her first real production credit, on a movie that
was made in the early 1980s when women producers were few and far between.

"I worked my ass off, but it was worth it because I learned a lot about
working smarter, not harder. Everything since has been a piece of cake."

I smiled, "That resonates with me. When I started modeling, I was way too
keyed up about it. It wasn't until my third shoot that I realized I could
relax, that..."

Deborah broke in, "... you already had the job?"

I nodded, "Exactly. I kept thinking I needed to be on point, and it didn't
occur to me that I was already what they wanted and needed. I could relax."

At that point, I noticed Zach texting something and I looked over at him,
"Who is it?"

He smiled, but didn't look up, "Nothing. I promise I'll tell you later."

Dinner was a fabulous experience, having three industry veterans tell their
war stories was something not to be missed and I realized how lucky I was
that Tom had taken more than a cursory interest in me. Without that, Gloria
probably wouldn't have been at the screening and wouldn't have wanted me
for Summer Moon.

After, Zach and I decided to walk down to a party Anna told us about which
was in the penthouse of a building, hosted by Rand Delano and his
wife. Anna had told us she'd make sure we were on the list, so we walked up
like we totally belonged... and we didn't. No name on the list and I looked
at Zach.

"Fuck it, let's just go."

The concierge looked at me strangely for a second, then his eyes went
wide. "Love Story?" he asked.

I smiled, "Yes, that's me."

"I'm so sorry about the list, but may I please have your autograph?"

Zach, not a missing a beat, "Sure, as long as you let us into the party!"

I laughed, "Zach, stop it." Then to the concierge, "He's joking. Sure, I'll
be happy to sign something for you."

I quickly signed a piece of paper with the building's logo on it, "Dear
Rene, best wishes – Tate Douglas" and then he came around to take a
selfie with us, which made Zach REALLY irritated, like I'm giving him
something of value.

We talked a bit more and he promised he was going to see the movie soon. We
decided to walk back to the hotel and, maybe 10 steps from the door, heard
Anna screaming at us.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

We turned around, walked back to her, and explained what happened. She
laughed and thought we'd left because it was lame or something. She
convinced us to come back in with her.

She spoke briefly to our friend Rene and we quickly realized, they'd not
added our names but had instead added "+2" to Anna's.

At that point we went up and walked off the elevator into one of the
coolest spaces, and parties, I'd ever been to which was saying something
considering the places I'd been while modelling. It wasn't just the
celebrities, it was the whole scene and Zach and I, while well dressed for
the Bay Area, looked mid as fuck.

We basically stayed attached to Anna, walking over with her to thank our
hosts who congratulated me on the success of the movie. I was getting
better about how I reacted to that and thanked them. I also told them I
hoped it would be as commercially successful as it was critically
successful. Rand, not missing a beat, asked how much of the movie I had.

I smiled, "3.5% of the box office gross."

His eyes went wide, "That's a big cut for your first movie. Who is your
agent?"

"Ben Rabinowitz."

"I'm not familiar with him, is he in LA?"

I smiled, remembering briefly how little Nina and Ben thought of agents in
LA.

"No, he's in New York. He was a contact from my agent at Daladier."

"Oh, that's right! You modeled for a while, didn't you?"

I laughed, "I did and I will be again in a few months."

"That's awesome!" Then he glanced at Zach, "You OK being with a celebrity?"

Zach deadpanned, "As long as I get to be with him, I'll happily endure
everything that comes with him."

Rand's wife, Ellen, spoke up, grabbing her husband's arm, "Good
answer. It's a pain in the ass at times, but," she paused, glancing over at
her husband, then back at Zack, "it's worth it."

The rest of the night went kind of like that, meeting new people and
hearing, more often than not, `what a cute couple we made.' I mentioned to
Zach my turn would be coming and he just smiled and told me no matter how
well he performed on the field, it would be nothing like what I'm getting.

About 3 am we left to go back to the hotel and crashed. I knew Zach could
have gone further, but I was worn out and tomorrow was going to be a busy
day, then we'd have to get back on the plane to head home. Plus, I was
pretty drunk and realized if we stayed too much longer, I'd be a mess.

The next morning, I woke to sun streaming in through the window and felt
surprisingly good considering the quantity of vodka I'd had the night
before. As I stretched, I heard Zach say, "Good morning" and I looked to my
right to see him sitting up looking at me with one of his fabulous smiles.

"Good morning to you!"

"How do you feel?"

"Actually, pretty good. What time is it?"

He laughed, "9:31"

"Oh, wow, you let me sleep! Thank you, babe," I told him as I raised myself
up to give him a kiss which he quickly took control of and made me moan.

After some amazing sex, we quickly got ready and packed up to leave. We
took our bags down to the lobby and asked the desk to hold them, then
checked out of the room and went to meet everyone for lunch in the
hotel. We walked into the restaurant to hear Tommy say, "You made it!"

Tom smiled as we walked up, "How was Rand's party?"

"How did you know we went?" I asked, stupidly, which made Zach laugh as he
discreetly tapped his phone.

"Oh, shit. There are pictures?"

They all laughed and Tom said, "There are. A lot of good ones on Insta!"

I quickly took out my phone and turned it back on, then scrolled through
what we'd been tagged on and didn't see anything really objectionable, just
a bunch of shots of us talking to people and some selfies people had taken
with us. Then I saw the texts from Jimmy which were a variation on `next
time give me a goddamn heads up that you're going to one of Rand's
parties'.

I quickly typed out an explanation, then we ordered lunch as Tim and Davis
walked us through what had been going on. The movie had opened across
Europe yesterday and the LA premier was next Thursday.

"As of midnight, we've pulled in almost 6 million euros across the EU and
UK. That's just for yesterday."

"Holy shit."

Davis just laughed, "Yeah, and a lot of it. It's probably going to do 40
million in Europe alone!"

I quickly did the calculation in my head and realized, yesterday, I made
close to around $240,000.

Zach patted my arm, "Babe, are you ok?"

I looked at him, seeing the concern in his eyes, and smiled, "Yeah, I just
didn't expect..."

Tom laughed, "Well, no reason you should have. We," he waved to Davis and
himself, "thought maybe 2 or 3 million yesterday. This is absolutely
amazing."

"So it's an actual hit?" Tommy asked.

Davis responded, "Oh yeah. In a huge way. We did more yesterday across
Europe than we thought we'd do in the entire run."

"I needed to get this out so you both know what you're walking into when we
do the press avail at 1:00. They're going to ask about the success of the
release, just tell them that the response, and the reviews, have been
overwhelming." Tom paused for a second, taking a look around the room, then
continued, "They're going to ask about personal lives. If you feel like
it's too personal a question, don't worry about answering it."

I thought to myself that was directed at Tommy. There were going to be
people who were upset by a straight man playing a gay man, and I understood
the argument even if I didn't particularly agree with it.

Tommy nodded, "I'll be on my best behavior."

We finished lunch, the made our way to a private room. The reporters and
photographers, guided by the studio people, made their way in about 10
minutes before 1 while we sat quietly.

Tom took the lead, then handed it off to Davis who reused the script from
the premier. Then the studio people starting calling on folks to ask
specific questions. The first was directed at Davis, something about the
project and why it was so important to him to make it. Davis had told me
the story about a friend from film school and for whom this was a passion
project. He died during COVID 19 and Davis decided to take it forward. For
him, the movie was a labor of love, a final tribute to a dear friend who
meant the world to him.

Then it turned quickly to the Tommy's sexuality and that went for several
questions, one of which ended up being `what would you say to a gay actor
who didn't get the part?' and I couldn't keep quiet.

"Acting is acting. That he convincingly played a gay man is no more
surprising than any number of gay men who've played straight
convincingly. There is a lot to be said about prejudice across any number
of industries, not just entertainment, but this isn't a case for that. For
this project, they cast a straight man to play gay man and he did a great
job. This was about the quality of the performance, not the sexual
orientation of the performer."

And you could have heard a fucking pin drop. The studio people looked
stunned, then quickly closed everything down. I knew I'd stepped in it, but
that question led only one place in my mind because if they're saying THAT
about Tommy, they'd just as easily say I only got my part because I'm gay.

And that completely marginalized the work I put into the movie.

After everyone was out of the room, the studio people asked to speak to
Davis and Tom alone.

Davis looked at Tom who quickly replied, "No. You start preparing for LA
and you better be ready to hear that statement again and let it run. Don't
you ever shut down another press avail until I tell you to shut it down..."

"TOM! You have to..."

"It's MR. HENDRY and I understand more than you apparently. This young man
just broadsided a bullshit attack on his co-star and you shut the avail
down like he'd done something wrong. You didn't even realize he was jumping
in to save the movie. Not another word, we are done here."

The press people cleared out and I just sat there, kind of stunned until I
heard Tom repeat my name, then felt his hand on my shoulder. I turned my
head to look up at him and said, "Sorry."

"No need to be, Tate. You handled it beautifully."

Shortly after we said our good byes and then made our way to the airport
for the first leg of our journey back home.

We sat across from one other at a table in a little café, waiting for
our flight to board. I was looking at my phone, catching up on emails from
Ben and Jimmy, one of which was a fabulous review for the movie that gushed
about my performance. As I finished, I looked up to see Zach looking at me,
smiling.

"What?" I asked, slightly self-conscious.

"I love you, Tate. I know I say it all the time, but I'm so madly in love
with you I'm ready to burst!"

I don't know why but I felt this tremendous sense of relief, and found my
eyes tearing up.

"Babe, I don't know why, but I really needed that right now."

He quickly responded, "Because you need someone to go through this with
you, right?" He leaned over, extending his hand to me which I took. "I'm
not going anywhere. I love you too much."

I nodded, "I love you, too."