Chapter 10

No guy likes to have ‘the talk.’ It never ends well.

David followed Crystal into his bedroom and closed the door. She sat on his bed, so he took the office chair at his desk and spun it around so they were facing each other.

“Last week, I told you something, and once I did, you ghosted me,” Crystal said.

“‘I love you.’”

“Yes. What was that all about?”

David thought for a moment before answering.

“I honestly had the same thought when you said it,” he admitted.

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because with one of the first girls I dated, I blurted those same words out after we’d just had sex. She explained that you should give it 48 hours after sex because a good orgasm makes you say things you might regret in the light of day. That if you still felt that way once the time was up, then it might be true,” David explained.

“But why ghost me?”

David sighed, thought for a moment, and decided to tell her everything.

“Lexi Andon happened.”

“Your old PA?” Crystal asked.

“The very one.”

“What did she do?”

“Over Christmas break a couple of years ago, I traveled to LA to film a J-drama. At the time, I was with the girl I believed was the love of my life. Later, she broke it off due to some family issues, which caused her to move away. Lexi stepped into the vacuum, so to speak.

“She traveled with me when I filmed my James Bond and Star Academy movies. She made me a deal that she would act as my PA and join me in bed at night,” David shared.

“Why would she do that?”

“She said we were both young, healthy, and willing. Why not help each other with our needs? Plus, it would prevent me from hooking up with another actor or someone on set, which almost certainly would have happened because I was made several offers. Lexi saved me from being a cliché and following through with the hookups,” he said. “Between her working as my PA and sharing my bed, we were together nearly 24/7.”

“And you developed feelings for her?” Crystal guessed.

“I did, and Lexi did for me. She told me she loved me right before we were done filming, and I was caught off guard and sent her home early. See, I thought I was going to school at Oklahoma, so it made no sense to try the long-distance routine.”

“But you ended up at USC,” Crystal said.

“I did, and it gave Lexi and me a chance to reconnect. It was a little hit-and-miss because I’m a romantic at heart, and I take the whole love thing very seriously. If I were to commit to someone, it would be for life, not just for good sex. My problem is that Lexi’s actions have put me off marriage, and the funny part is, I was warned that would happen,” David admitted.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know who Jeremy Pike is?”

“That name sounds familiar.”

“He’s a TV psychic. When I was promoting one of my movies, he was the guest before me on a talk show. We met, and he told me he’d like to do a reading for me. Right before the MTV awards, I met with him.”

“And he told you about Lexi?” Crystal asked.

“Not specifically. He did tell me a few things about my life that I didn’t know, like I have five kids. I thought he was full of it when he said I had a girl, but that turned out to be true,” David said with a slight grin. “And he correctly predicted some others.”

“God forbid you have a girl,” Crystal said sarcastically.

“Dawsons only have boys.”

“Until they don’t.”

David thought of a couple of witty comebacks for Captain Obvious but shrugged instead.

“Anyway. As I said, Lexi and I had our ups and downs during the spring. Towards the end, I decided that she was the one. But stuff got in the way. I had finals, and she got the job as Ben Cowley’s PA for a movie being filmed in Paris. Jeremy warned me that someone would put me off marriage, and Lexi was that someone.

“When I discovered she was sleeping with Ben, it made me wonder if she really ever liked me or if she felt it was part of her job. That drove me toward the realization that I’m not ready for a serious relationship. Then Colleen cemented it when I caught her in bed with another man. After all that, I’m not ready for anything other than casual,” David explained.

“I’m not either,” Crystal said, looking relieved.

“So, I took a step back to figure out if I had feelings for you, and I do. Just not the forever kind of feelings.”

“What I want is to take the fake out of this relationship and agree to only see each other. I don’t want to get married, or anything like that, until after college,” Crystal said.

“Full disclosure time: I do see other women. Two of my best friends, one of whom is Coby’s mom, sometimes need me. And I’ve sort of had something going with Chloe,” David said.

“And Taylor, Wren, and Emily would like me to share you,” Crystal said.

“Oh, and I might have a thing for Rachel.”

“What if I said I had a thing for Lars?”

David didn’t get the vibe that Lars was a threat.

“Use a condom.”

His Alpha Male checked in, wanting to know if David had lost his mind. But he seriously didn’t think Crystal and Lars would ever hook up while she and David were dating.

“I’ve never before had a guy admit he planned to cheat on me,” Crystal said.

“I would understand...”

“No. It’s refreshing to hear you be honest with me. I just want to make sure it doesn’t interfere with our time together,” Crystal negotiated.

“Not unless someone joins us,” David said, waggling his eyebrows, then got serious. “I don’t plan to go out and see other women. If I know of a time it might happen, I promise to check in with you first so we can talk about it. For the most part, I prefer to be a one-woman man. But if something should happen, I want you to be prepared. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

“That does make me feel better,” Crystal said. “Do you want to date me, then?”

“Yes. Yes, I do,” David said as he stood up.

Crystal came to him and sealed the deal with a kiss.

“Can I admit I love you and not have you freak out?” she teased.

“I’ll try to do better.”

“Then take me to bed.”

Duke took to college life. David talked to his mom, and they agreed his parents would pick his Lab up after that week’s home game. USC was playing Washington State in a rare Friday-night game.

He took his dog with him when he went to get his weekly brain scan. Duke had been trained as a service dog, and David’s mom used to take him to the cancer ward back home. So when Duke entered the hospital, he fell back into his training and was on his best behavior while David got his scan.

Afterward, they went to the children’s oncology ward, where he found Sadie and her mom visiting her sister.

Duke ignored Sadie and her mom and went to Lisa.

“This is Duke, and I brought him to say hello,” David told Lisa.

“Can I pet him?”

“Of course you can,” David assured her.

A dog’s unconditional love made anybody’s day better. Lisa was smiling when David left, and her mom followed him out into the hall.

“I’m Janis, and I wanted to thank you for offering to pick up Sadie two days a week. I’ll admit, I was a bit wary when I first heard about this from my daughter. But then I had you checked out, and you seem to be a good guy despite being a famous actor. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I’d be more than happy to.”

They worked out the logistics, and David and Duke left to visit the other kids on the floor.

At lunch, David finally got a chance to read the script for The Young and The Wild.

“Oh, hell no,” he mumbled.

The description of his character read: ’Bisexual drug addict and con man... ‘

The first script described him having sex with a man and snorting cocaine. That was the exact opposite of the All-American boy image he’d been crafting since he began acting.

He realized Hollywood was recognizing ‘alternative lifestyles,’ as some called them, and incorporating them more and more. It looked as though even the next James Bond would be played by an LGBTQ+ actor.

While David considered himself a non-combatant in the culture wars, the bisexual part gave him pause; it was like the time Latest Obsession magazine wanted to photograph him in a sexy pose with a male model. That just wasn’t him.

But the drug-addict and con-man parts were the deal-killer. If David wanted to continue doing action films where he was the hero, doing a role where he was strung out and the villain wouldn’t work.

In short, he wasn’t comfortable playing this character as described. If that’s what they wanted, they’d have to find someone else for the role.

He called Kendrick Knaggy.

“KAP Agency, how may I direct your call?”

“Kendrick Knaggy, please.”

“And whom may I say is calling?”

“David A. Dawson.”

“One moment, please.”

He was put on hold. At least they had decent music to listen to.

“David! Did you get a chance to read the script?” Kendrick asked.

“I did, and I’m out.”

“What? Why?”

“Did you read it?” David asked.

“Uh ... I was told it was edgy and you would shine in the role,” Kendrick deflected.

“Call me back once you’ve actually read it,” David said. “And Kendrick, if you’re going to represent me, I expect better.”

David hung up on his agent.

Ten minutes later, Kendrick called back.

“You’re right. Let me talk to them and get your part rewritten. I let this one fall through the cracks,” Kendrick said, falling on his sword.

“Besides not wanting to play that character, I have another concern. They want full nudity, and I’m not doing that for a soap opera, even if it is on cable. Now, if this were a major motion picture, we could discuss it, but I’m not going naked if I’m not being paid,” David added.

“Got it. Anything else?”

David chuckled. This was the most agreeable Kendrick had been since David met him.

“No, we’re good. Let me know if they’ll make the changes so we can move forward,” David said and hung up.

He looked down at Duke.

“Come on, buddy. I get to start working out and practicing today.”

Dr. Liao had called and told him that he could resume working out with the team, with the only restriction being to have no contact this week. It looked like David would be back to full contact the next week.

Matt Long had just gotten word that David was returning to practice, so he called his dad.

“Dawson’s back,” Matt said when his dad answered the phone.

“That’s good.”

“No, it’s not. The press and the fans are calling for a change at quarterback.”

“Then it’s good that Coach Merritt makes those calls. Didn’t he tell you David’s redshirting?” his dad asked.

“Actually, no; I overheard some of the coaches talking. I guess Coach Merritt forgot to inform David of that. He found out from a couple of our boosters.”

“That isn’t good. If he pulled that with you, I would be in Coach Merritt’s office, reading him the riot act.”

Matt felt good knowing his dad was on his side.

“I have to wonder, what’s David doing talking to boosters? Why would he even know them?”

“I don’t know. What should I do when David comes to practice?” Matt asked.

“Just what I’ve said before: be a good teammate and welcome him back. I would also ask him if he has any advice to help you. If he does, take it to heart. Even though the two of you are fighting for the same job, in the end, if you want to play in the NFL, you at least have to go through the motions of being a good teammate.”