The lunchbox was the last thing I’d placed in my suitcase. Aside from packing up my entire apartment, I was tasked with having to pack for a “vacation” as well. My flight was booked for the following afternoon, and I was cutting it close, hoping to make it to Newark airport in time after the moving trucks departed.
I was exhausted. The past few days had been a whirlwind of activity and emotional upheaval. Once I found Trip, explained myself, and then promptly jumped his bones, I was planning to sleep. For days.
I stopped channel-surfing, finally caving to check the TV Guide, and saw that Talk Soup was about to start. That dude with the grey stripe in his hair always cracked me up, and the clips of Jerry Springer were not to be missed. I flipped the station to E!
Only Talk Soup wasn’t on that night.
A special Live from the Red Carpet for the premiere of Swayed was.
I was practically giddy. How’s that for fate? I took a huge, greasy bite of my pizza and settled in to watch.
Arianna What’s-her-face stood outside of Grauman’s Theatre, amidst a sea of rowdy fans cordoned behind some velvet ropes and said, “Well, rumor has it that Swayed is set for a record-breaking opening weekend, and if this crowd’s enthusiasm is any indicator, I’d say the buzz was correct!”
The crowd played into her prompting and started whooping and cheering appropriately.
The cars pulled up to the curb one-by-one, and the director and some other cast members all took turns filing out of their limos, each stopping for a few minutes to speak with the show’s hostess.
After five interviews with the same, stupid questions, I was sweating, completely anxiety-ridden, waiting for Trip’s turn. I could never do what he was forced to do on a daily basis. I could never calmly answer questions for some invasive camera while a microphone was being thrust in my face. I thought about the very first day I had ever seen him, standing so confidently at the front of my English class, managing to charm the pants off every last one of us in that room. I calmed down a bit when I realized lack of confidence really hadn’t ever been an issue for him.
Arianna put on her best Star Search smile and said, “All these lucky people get to go inside and catch a private viewing of Swayed. Wouldn’t you all love to be in that theater?” The crowd answered with hoots and hollers, making her laugh and add, “Oh, I’m sure I know why you’re all really cheering,” Arianna teased. “It might have something to do with a certain actor…” The crowd started in again, but then she put a hand to her headset and added, “And oh, here he is now, folks… the star of Swayed, Mr. Trip Wiley!”
The crowd’s pitch turned positively fevered, going completely nuts as they waved over the velvet ropes, just screaming his name. It was a little scary, seeing the manic energy of so many fans. I guessed the people out there were already hip to his existence, more so than the rest of the world. But clearly, that was about to change. I’d seen his newest movie. I knew what was going to happen to his status.
The camera cut to a shot of a stretch limousine, and I felt my pulse speed up. Finally, I was going to see Trip in a tux! He emerged from the car looking beautiful, of course, and my heart swelled at the thought that this man was going to be all mine very, very soon. He gave a wave as the crowd got even louder, drowning out whatever Arianna was trying to say. He stood there for a quick moment, basking in the sound of the mob’s cheers.
And then I saw him turn back toward the limo and hold out his hand.
For Jenna Barnes.
She materialized from out of the car and promptly draped herself over his good arm. To say I was astonished would be a gross understatement.
I watched as they sauntered gorgeously up the red carpet, smiling ear-to-ear, and met up with Arianna at the entrance to the theater. Even with the microphone, she had to speak loudly in order to be heard over the thunderous noise.
“Trip Wiley! Good evening, sir. How are you feeling tonight?”
Trip was dazzling. His shiny white grin reflected the strobe of camera flashes as he returned, “I feel good, Arianna. Anxious to get in there and finally see this film, I’ll tell ya.”
You already saw it, Trip. With me.
I still couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing, but my eyes managed to slide toward the cast peeking out from under the cuff of his tuxedo.
It was stark white.
Arianna put a hand to her headset and said, “And we all know who this lovely lady is with you. Trip, care to introduce her to our audience?”
Trip and Jenna shared a smile before he smirked and answered, “Well, the lovely lady is Miss Jenna Barnes… Soon to be Mrs. Trip Wiley.”
Arianna looked surprised, but I was positively blown away. My ears started buzzing, and it felt like I’d just taken a knife to the brain, but I managed to hear Arianna offer her congratulations as the crowd just went crazy. “You heard it here first, folks. Trip Wiley and Jenna Barnes are engaged!”