“I’m so sorry I’m late. I spaced out and didn’t check the time.”
He narrows his eyes. “Are you sure that’s all?”
I fidget where I stand. “What do you mean?”
“I know you were high yesterday,” he whispers.
Merda.
“That was an accident. I didn’t mean to get stoned. I’m not a pothead.”
He lifts his hands. “Hey, I’m not judging. But I do take my studies seriously.”
Josh’s implication makes me mad. But I can’t fault him for thinking the worst about me.
“So do I. Can we go now?”
“Sure. Ladies first.” He motions with his arm for me to go forward.
I choose the nearest free desk, keen for this meeting to be over already. Pulling my laptop out of my bag, I drum my nails against the desk. I don’t make eye contact with Josh while I wait for my computer to boot up.
“Chiara, I’m sorry, okay? I swear I’m not a jerk.”
I glance at him, surprised by his apology. My irritation simmers down.
“I’m sorry too. First impressions are important, and you didn’t have a good one of me.”
He smiles. “Start over?”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
He extends his hand. “Hi, I’m Josh Flannigan.”
“Chiara Moretti. Nice to meet you.”
We both laugh at the silliness of this scene, but it does help lighten the mood.
My computer is finally on, so I open a browser window. “Do you have a screenplay in mind that you’d like to analyze?”
“I was thinking we could choose one from a successful blockbuster, an independent movie, and maybe a comedy?”
“All successful, right?”
“Yeah, I want to learn from the best.”
“I have a movie in mind. I’m not sure it’s considered independent, but it was super out there.”
“What’s the name?”
“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.”
Josh’s eyes light up. “Oh, that’s a great movie. And so different. Yeah, we definitely need to analyze that.”
I download the screenplay from the school’s database.
“What else?” he asks.
“Since I picked the first movie, why don’t you choose the blockbuster?”
He groans. “You had to give me the hardest one.”
I chuckle. “Why is that hard?”
“There are so many good ones. How about Avatar?”
“Really? You want a rip-off of Pocahontas as your pick?”
Josh frowns at me. “I don’t agree, but okay. How about Aliens, then?”
“I’ve never seen it.”
“What? That’s a classic. Better than the first movie in the franchise—which was great, by the way. We’re definitely analyzing that screenplay.”
“Okay. That leaves us with the final pick. The comedy.”
“How about Election with Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon?”
I tense immediately. Reese’s character has an affair with her high school teacher in that movie. My thoughts wander to Alistair, and I feel a sharp pang in my chest. I haven’t recovered from yesterday’s encounter. He looks even more alluring in his serious teacher persona. Why does he have to make me feel like I might combust on the spot with a single glance?
