“Why do you think she asked you to edit it?” I wonder.
Charlie laughs and blows out smoke. “Because I’m me.” We reach the front doors that lead out into the bustling city. New York is always moving, but he stops a foot short and glances at his phone.
“What does ‘because I’m me’ mean?” I ask further.
He shrugs with one shoulder. “I’m a genius who doesn’t give a shit.” His yellow-green eyes flash to me. “I’ll edit her tentacle smut without batting an eye, and I don’t think the same thing can be said for her older brother.”
I’ve been filming Maximoff Hale long enough on We Are Calloway to know he isn’t judgmental. He’s empathetic to a fault. But he does get in his head a lot. So if Charlie is saying his cousin would over-analyze everything his sister writes, then he’s probably right.
But I don’t know if that’s what Charlie is saying.
And I don’t know how to ask him to clarify without a leading question. So I stop asking. We’re not shooting right now, anyway.
Charlie sticks his cigarette between his lips. “Car’s here.”
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“You’ll see.”
“It’d be better if I knew the location,” I say, hoping to have some idea. I can hear my crew complaining and griping already.
“I never said I’d be easy to work with.”
“But me filming you is also helping you somehow, right?” I say lightly, trying to be friendly about this. “So let’s help each other, Charlie.”
He relents. Partially. And just tells me, “We’re going out of the country.”
Shit.
Fuck, I didn’t even pack a bag.
“Bye, Jack!” Luna calls from the stage. She waves with Tom, who yells goodbye to Oscar.
I make the shaka brah hand gesture, and then Oscar and I turn to each other.
Oscar adjusts his earpiece. “Told you to grab a toothbrush before we left, Long Beach.”
“I thought you were joking.”
“Some days, I wish I were.”
It’s beginning to be clear that diving into Charlie’s life means I’ve just put myself in the passenger seat to Oscar Oliveira’s.
8
OSCAR OLIVEIRA
After talking with the flight crew, I gather enough information about the spontaneous trip.
Destination: Paris.
Me: Unshocked.
The small private jet hums, and I pass Jack a Gatorade from the cooler on the wall. We sit across from each other at one of the tables. I glimpse over my shoulder to check on my client. Charlie sleeps three rows back, a Cobalt Diamonds-branded mask covers his eyes and bright pink earplugs cancel out all noise.
Jack follows my gaze, and I meet his eyes when I turn back to him. “He’s got the right idea,” I say. “You should get some sleep now, if you can.” He couldn’t have slept that much after Charlie and I left his apartment. He had to meet me at my studio in New York like two seconds later this morning. And since then, we’ve been on-the-go chasing Charlie’s shadow.
He uncaps the Gatorade and takes a swig. “It doesn’t annoy you that he keeps you in the dark?”
I rarely talk about Charlie. With anyone. It feels too personal.
My reservations must be written all over my face because Jack winces. “I’m not asking as a producer of a show,” he clarifies. “I’m just…asking as a friend.”
I laugh a little. “Is that what we’re calling this?” I dig in my backpack and pull out a bag of Doritos. Snacks are a bodyguard’s best friend. Charlie and I keep overnight bags on the plane for his impulsive trips, and I almost wish I knew Jack would be joining. I would’ve packed more clothes for him.
Then again, Highland loves to wear my clothes. And I’d be a Liar with a capital L if I said I didn’t like him in them.
Jack frowns. “What would you call us?”
Us.
That word spasms my muscles like I just got zapped in an electric fence.
“Co-workers,” I answer. “Production. Security. We’re not employed by the same company, but we deal with the same rich, white east coast families, blue-check-marked and verified WASPs.”
“Co-workers,” he repeats like it’s settling in.
“Yeah,” I nod.
“Do you ask all your co-workers for a kiss?” he shoots back.
I smile, trying not to disintegrate in my seat from this conversation. “Only the cute ones,” I say, popping a chip in my mouth. As smooth as that was, I regret it. Oliveira, stop flirting with the straight boy. Holy fucking shit, I’m hopeless.
My phone rings, a saving grace really. Thank the Lord for in-air Wi-Fi.
Caller ID: Donnelly
I nod up to Jack. “Sorry, I’ve got to answer this.”
“Yeah, no problem, dude. I’m just going to take your advice.” He gives me a smile, and it takes me a second to realize what Jack means. And then I see him pop in a couple earbuds and close his eyes.
I retreat to the jet’s bathroom, which resembles a fancy powder bathroom with a rose gold faucet and a shiny rose gold toilet. As a kid, I was just happy to be on a commercial plane flying international to Brazil. That was and still is a luxury for a lot of people.