Stranded (23 page)

“I wasn’t pushing, and I told you to take your time.” Johnny was right behind him. “Give yourself time. Sal knows you aren’t going to get back to him right away.”

Kendall nodded. “What if I’m never ready? What if I can’t do it anymore?”

“I know you can,” Johnny said. “You can do anything you set your mind to. Now let’s leave that for a while and go to dinner and then the theater. I bet as soon as you sit down and the overture starts, you’ll wish you were up on stage with everyone else.”

“Is that what you’re doing? Theater therapy?” Kendall asked as he grabbed an umbrella. It had been raining all day, and while it seemed to have stopped for the moment, he wasn’t taking any chances.

“I guess that depends,” Johnny answered, and Kendall tilted his head slightly waiting for more. “On whether it works.” Johnny chuckled. “Let’s go.”

Johnny guided him out the door and locked the apartment behind them. They descended the stairs and stepped out on the street. Kendall realized this was the first time he’d been outside since they got home. The rain had made everything seem fresh, the scent of the city muted. Kendall stood still and took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

“I bet it’s good to be out,” Johnny said softly.

Kendall nodded. “Yeah, it is,” he said. “I think I’ve been a bit of a fool.”

“No, just a bit unnerved, but I knew you’d feel better once you went out to places that were familiar.”

“So where are we going for dinner?” Kendall asked, intrigued.

“No place fancy. Just the little Italian place we always go to. But I bet they’ll be glad to see you,” Johnny said with a smile. They opened their umbrellas as the rain began again and slowly walked the couple blocks to the restaurant.

Of course Johnny was right. As soon as they walked in, the couple who owned the place hurried over, and they were both hugged and kissed. “It isn’t every day we have a movie star in the place,” Mrs. Gianetti said as she fussed over them.

“He’s not a movie star yet,” Johnny countered before leaning close to the short rotund woman who’d obviously spent years eating her own incredible cooking. “I don’t want him to get a big head,” Johnny stage-whispered, and Mrs. Gianetti laughed warmly before taking Kendall’s arm and guiding him toward the best table in the place.

“You’re way too nice to get that way,” she said to Kendall as she patted him gently on the arm. They took their seats, and Kendall expected to be handed a menu. “You two just sit, and I’ll cook for you.” She smiled and then bustled away. Within minutes they were poured glasses of white wine.

“Feeling better?” Johnny asked with a grin. “I knew familiar places and people would be just the ticket.”

“Now who’s getting a big head?” Kendall quipped, and Johnny squeezed his knee under the table. “Okay, I do feel better and I’m glad you’re right.” Kendall looked around at the familiar little restaurant, seeing the older couple in the corner with the bowls of what had to be minestrone. They were a fixture in the place, always eating the same thing, and from their expressions, having the same argument they always had. The servers they always saw waited on the tables and talked with the patrons like old friends, which most of them were. “It’s good to be home.”

“It’s good that you’re home,” Mrs. Gianetti said, surprising him, but he didn’t start the way he had the past few days. “It’s always good when you come home again.” She smiled at Kendall. “We really missed our darling boys.” Kendall thought there might have been a tear in her eye for a second. “I’m sending over some nice antipasti and then a little pesto, and for you I’m making my special veal and then a bit of tiramisu. I made some of Johnny’s favorite, and there’s just a bit left for you.” She patted Kendall’s shoulder. “Not to worry, I will not overfeed you so you can keep your movie star looks.” She pretended to swoon, and Kendall laughed, a deep sincere laugh he hadn’t felt in a while.

“Thank you,” Kendall said. “That’s just what I needed. Good home cooking. We’re going out to see my mother soon, and she’ll feed me until I can’t move.”

“Well, this will tide you over until your mama can feed you properly. I promise,” she said and then hurried away. The servers brought a plate of appetizers, and then the scent of rich pesto filled the entire restaurant. Kendall smelled one of his favorites well before their plates arrived. Thankfully, Mrs. Gianetti kept her word and didn’t make the portions enormous, just huge, and Kendall dug in, forgetting about his diet for one night.

“Maybe tomorrow we can go to the gym for a few hours,” Johnny said as they ate.

Kendall leaned close and lowered his voice. “I think we’ll need to do that for the next week to work this off,” he said. But every calorie was worth it, and Kendall would walk the treadmill, ride a bike, use the elliptical, and lift weights until he couldn’t see straight for food like this. “But who cares?”

Mr. Gianetti stopped by the table and talked for a few minutes. He was the polar opposite of his wife, tall and thin with a shock of white hair. “How was Hollywood?”

Kendall laughed. “Fine, Mr. G. In some ways as fake as you’d expect, but by and large, the people were wonderful.” He thought about Juan and Barbara, both of whom had turned out as good friends. Both of them had called at least twice since he got home to see how he was. Even Lyman had turned out to be a much more upstanding guy than their first meeting had indicated. “But there’s no place like home.” Kendall did his best Judy Garland, and Mr. Gianetti laughed.

“I did commercials when I was young and handsome,” he told them.

“You did one commercial for hair tonic,” his wife teased as she brought plates to the table. She motioned to one of the servers, and their pasta bowls were cleared before she set plates down in front of each of them. “That was before I met him, but I remembered the commercial. That’s why I agreed to go out with him.” She glanced at her husband and giggled. “Sometimes I still see him like that. Young, a real looker, with scads of dark hair, standing in nothing but a towel in front of the mirror.” She grinned. “Then I wake up and wonder who the old man is in my bed.” She scooted away with her husband right behind her, both of them laughing until the kitchen door cut off their mirth.

Kendall’s laughter shifted to a smile that lasted a long time. He sighed for no reason other than sheer contentment. With their dinners before them, veal in a richly scented sauce that made Kendall’s pasta-filled stomach rumble as if he hadn’t eaten in days, they finished their wine, and Mr. G brought fresh glasses and poured them a rich red wine. They ate and talked for the rest of the meal, and by the time they were done, neither of them felt much like moving.

“I’ll have dessert for you in just a few minutes,” Mrs. G told them.

“I can’t eat another bite,” Kendall told her.

“Then I’ll make it to go for you,” she said and hurried away, returning a few minutes later with a small container in a bag for each of them.

“Thank you so much,” Kendall said as he stood up and hugged Mrs. G. “You have no idea how much this meant.”

She hugged him back and then stepped away. “Go on with you,” she said and guided them toward the door. They were both on the street before they realized they had never been given a bill.

“I’ll wait for you,” Kendall said, and Johnny went back inside. He came out a few minutes later.

“They wouldn’t take anything,” Johnny said, and Kendall nodded, not surprised.

“Of course they wouldn’t,” Kendall said as they started back toward the apartment. It had stopped raining, but they were careful on the wet pavement. “Mrs. G once said she loved Abba. I don’t know how that came up, but it did. I’ll see if I can get them tickets to
Mamma Mia
. She’ll be thrilled.” They arrived at their building, and Kendall waited in the lobby while Johnny raced upstairs to put the food away. After he came back down, they hailed a cab and made it to the theater five minutes before the curtain rose.

Kendall’s contact had managed to get them good seats, so they were right down front. They settled in, and Kendall relaxed as he waited. The overture began, the curtain rose, and Kendall spent the next two and a half hours laughing so hard his sides ached, and then he laughed some more. At the end of the performance, Kendall was the first person on his feet, clapping and grinning as the actors took their bows. The cast did one more quick number, took a final bow, and then the curtain came down for the final time. Kendall gathered his things, and they waited for the others to filter out before walking toward the exits.

“So did it work?” Johnny asked with a grin.

“Yes,” Kendall said. “You were right. I’m energized and ready to read through scores and figure out what I want to do next,” he declared as they stepped out into a throng of people gathered by the sidewalk. Members of the cast were accepting donations for Equity Fights AIDS, and Kendall dropped a bill into one of the buckets.

“Kendall?” one of the nearby ladies asked tentatively, and when he turned, a woman he knew named Cherie practically leaped into his arms. “You’re back. I heard you made a movie,” she said.

“Yes. I got back a few days ago,” he told her. “Cherie, this is Johnny. Cherie and I were in the chorus together ages ago.” He shifted his gaze back to her. “I recognized that kick of yours on stage. You were great,” he said, and she thanked him before turning back to let exiting patrons make donations.

“Are you back for good? Or has Hollywood stolen you away from us?” Cherie asked.

“I’m back for now, assessing my options. I think I’d like to do another film, but they’re going to want to see how this one does,” Kendall said as the crowd began to thin around them. “We’d better let you get back to work, but call me and we’ll have coffee.” Kendall kissed her on the cheek, and then he and Johnny walked down the sidewalk, away from Times Square so they’d have a better chance of catching a taxi to take them home.

“You’re really feeling better?” Johnny asked again.

“Yes, why?” Kendall asked, and Johnny stepped closer as they waited to cross the street. Kendall felt Johnny slide his hand down his back and then lightly cup one of his butt cheeks and squeeze gently. “Oh, that’s why,” Kendall said dramatically as he pressed back slightly into Johnny’s touch. It was good and felt right to have that portion of their relationship back.

Johnny managed to hail a cab, and they got inside and rode back to their building. For some reason, traffic was a bit backed up on their street, so they had the cab stop on the corner, and after paying the driver, walked the half block.

Kendall stopped as soon as they got close. “Jesus,” he whispered.

“What is it?” Johnny asked. Kendall slowly walked up to the stairs and stared at two pink roses. “Someone left flowers.”

“They’re from him,” Kendall said, his insides quivering, and for a second he thought he might throw up. “Those are the exact same kind of flowers he left me all the time.” The traffic had cleared out once the light changed, and Kendall looked around. “He’s around here somewhere, I can feel it. He’s watching me.”

“Are you sure?” Johnny asked as he untied the flowers, freeing the small note wrapped around the stems. “
You’re mine
,” Johnny read.

“That’s the exact same note I got in LA just before my dressing room was destroyed,” Kendall took the flowers from Johnny and ripped off the heads, then threw them and the stems into the wet street. He then took the note, crumpled it, dropped it onto the concrete, and stomped it to oblivion. “If you’re watching, go away,” Kendall said and then unlocked the door and went inside. Johnny followed, and Kendall made sure the door was closed and locked before stomping up the stairs.

In the stairwell of each floor, there was a small window, and Kendall pulled the shades on each one of them as they climbed. He even went up further, making sure they were all pulled before coming back down. Then he and Johnny unlocked their door and went inside. “Don’t turn on the lights,” Kendall said. “If he’s watching, he’s probably trying to figure out which apartment is mine, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to give him the satisfaction.” Kendall heard others coming and going, and he peeked out, waiting until one of the other tenants had gone to the floor above theirs. Then he turned on one of the lights and the light in their bedroom.

“I’m sorry,” Johnny said, and Kendall nervously stayed away from the windows.

“I thought changing coasts would discourage him, but obviously not.”

“We’ll keep our eyes out and not leave you alone, and tomorrow I’m calling Sal to see what he can do to help,” Johnny said. “For now, I want you to get ready for bed. I’m going to sit up for a while. I’ll probably work and make sure nothing happens.”

“Are you sure?” Kendall asked.

“It’s okay. Go to bed, and I’ll join you in a while.” Johnny kissed him, and Kendall went into the bedroom. He cleaned up and then turned out the lights, getting undressed in the dark. Then he sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the lump on the top of his dresser. He knew it was the scores, but the excitement he’d had an hour earlier was gone. The lights in the other room dimmed, and he heard the gentle clicking of Johnny’s keyboard. Then nothing.

“Are you okay?” Johnny asked, and when Kendall didn’t answer, the sofa springs squeaked slightly and then footsteps sounded, getting closer. “Honey, I’m here, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“But what if something happens to you?” Kendall asked. “He already kidnapped me, presumably because I spurned him. What will he do to you if he thinks you stand in his way?” Johnny came into the bedroom, and Kendall clutched him around the waist. “What if he hurts you?”

“Should we call the police?”

Kendall laughed. “I destroyed the evidence. They’re really going to appreciate that.” He shook his head. “We will next time.” Kendall wanted to cry, because he knew there would be a next time. Something was going to happen; he could feel it.

“And we’ll be a lot more careful,” Johnny said.

“How?” Kendall asked painfully. “We were having such a good night. For a few hours I even managed to forget about all that crap, and then he shows up again. I don’t know what to do.”