screen.
“She could fit on someone’s lap!” Chloe shrieks.
“Chlo.” I grab her arm and start to pull her away. “Drop it. I missed him, okay?”
“Wait.” Chloe holds up a finger. “When’s the next flight to New York?”
The man clicks a few more keys, then says, “In an hour and a half.”
“What are you doing, Chloe?” I ask, getting nervous.
“Babe.” She turns to me and holds both of my hands. “This is it. This is your romantic comedy. You have the sad backstory and the montage of ridiculous dating experiences and big career aspirations and the lovable family and, most importantly, the quirky and charming and super-cute BFF.” She points to herself. “And now it’s time for your grand gesture. Fly to New York and find Drew. Tell him how you feel.”
“Oh, my God,” I say as it slowly dawns on me. “You’re right. I guess I always thought I would be the recipient of a grand gesture, but maybe . . . maybe I have the power to do the grand gesture myself?”
Chloe starts jumping up and down, and then I start jumping up and down. “You’re your own Tom Hanks!” she squeals.
“Ladies,” barks the man behind the counter. “Are you buying tickets or not? You’re holding up the line.”
I give Chloe an uncertain look. Can I really do this? Fly to New York, when I’m not even sure if Drew wants to see me, when the only contact between us all day was one measly text I didn’t even respond to?
Chloe nods at me, and then says smugly, “Yes, sir. Oh, we’re buying tickets.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Apparently Uncle Don has been waiting for an excuse to go to New York because there’s some forum friend he wants to meet who lives there and he’s been “talking about Baldur’s Gate with this guy for ten years!” I’m pretty sure he’s referring to a game, but honestly, sometimes I don’t know.
Chloe somehow convinces Nick he needs to come along with us, and that’s how the four of us, after going through security, end up on our way to New York City. Paying for everyone’s ticket uses up most of the money I made working for Tommy, which might be a reckless financial decision, but I remind myself that the course of true love never did run smooth. That quote comes from the original king of the rom-com, Shakespeare himself, and I’m sure that if he were here right now, he’d approve of my actions (but also he’d be terrified of airplanes).
“I still don’t understand why Don and I are here,” Nick says as we sit at our gate. Although, by the way he’s looking at Chloe, I think he knows exactly what he’s doing here. “And couldn’t you have looked up tickets online instead of driving to the airport first? Also, how much did you have to pay for these tickets, because—”
Chloe turns to look at him. “Dude. Have you never seen a movie? Maximum drama means a ragtag group of supporters have to help Annie find her man. Her loving and kind uncle, her super-hot BFF, and some random guy who’s there because it’s funny.”
“So I’m the random guy,” Nick says flatly.
“You’re certainly not her uncle,” Chloe says.
We weren’t able to get four seats together, so once we get on the plane, I sit next to Chloe. Don and Nick sit several rows ahead of us.
“You’re doing it, Annie,” Chloe says, squeezing my hand.
My phone buzzes with a text notification.
ANNIE. READ THE SCRIPT. LOTS OF POTENTIAL. LET’S TALK SOON.—TOMMY
“Oh, my God.” I can hardly breathe.
“What?” Chloe grabs the phone out of my hands and reads the text. “Wow, he texts in all caps AND signs his name? He really must be ancient.”
“That’s what you’re focusing on? Tommy Crisante thinks my script has potential.”
“Duh.” Chloe hands my phone back. “I haven’t even read it yet, and I could’ve told you that. Speaking of which, when do I finally get to read it?”
I squirm a bit, and Chloe’s eyes widen. “Wait a second, you don’t want me to read it, do you? What, do you not trust me? Am I no longer your best friend? Did I or did I not make you pancakes this afternoon?”
She’s getting frantic, and the various families and businesspeople shuffling onto the flight are staring at us. I don’t want to get kicked off the flight for causing a scene, so I decide this is the time to tell her. “Keep it down, Chloe! I need to tell you something.