The Reunion by Kayla Olson(13)
“You don’t?”
“I mean, I read them if we move forward on the project but never when we’re trying to settle on one— What? My team reads them and sends over the summaries—?”
“I just can’t imagine committing to a project without reading the whole thing,” I say, laughing. “Don’t you feel like you’re missing out on all the subtle things about the characters? How do you know which ones are right for you?” I sip my chardonnay, watch as he takes a bite out of his roll, leaving neat teeth marks behind.
Suddenly his teeth are all I can think about. And his full bottom lip, and how the last time I tasted it, it tasted like the mint ice cream we’d just eaten before filming our final scene together, and—
“Roles in my queue aren’t necessarily known for their subtleties, if you know what I mean,” he says, pulling me out of my head. I quickly avert my gaze before he notices how hard I’m staring at his lips. His eyes are bright, but past the surface, I see a flash of something else, something a bit… unsatisfied.
Having seen his last few feature films: he’s not wrong. Knowing some part of him is unsatisfied? I never would have guessed.
“You, though—” he says, changing the subject before I can dig too deeply. “You’ve had some great roles, Liv, I mean it. You were absolutely killer in Love // Indigo.”
My heart swells at the compliment, and not just because it was my favorite film I’ve worked on yet—Ransom saw me in it.
Ransom thought I was killer.
“You saw that one?” I take a quick sip of water to cool the heat rising in my face.
His eyes catch mine, and it’s like he’s looking straight into me—and I can’t look away.
“I’ve seen all your films, Livvie. You’ve been fantastic in every one.” His voice is as smooth as honey, and it stirs something in me. I need another sip of water, fast.
Before I can thank him, a swell of music fills the speakers as the lights dim overhead. A spotlight focuses on center stage, where Fanline CEO Shine Jacobs takes the podium.
“Good evening, everyone!” she says, her smile bright and beaming. She projects ease and power like she was born to lead—it’s not at all hard to imagine why she was listed at the very top of a recent “World’s 50 Most Influential Women of Color” feature in Time.
“It’s my pleasure to welcome you to our kickoff dinner for the Fanline Girl on the Verge reunion special!” She pauses to make space for the applause that rises up in the room. “Like all of you, this show has a special place in my heart. I was an intern in a talent agency mail room when your pilot premiered, and I didn’t know a soul out here in LA. One of the other interns knew someone on set over at Girl, so I ended up joining their weekly watch parties. By the time we’d all moved on to other industry jobs, your show was so popular, so respected, that one of my stodgiest old professors was teaching a writing course on it—he was that impressed with the work you were all doing. Side note for a moment, can we just take a second to honor Dan and Xan, the heart behind all of this and the reason we’re here in this room today?”
The applause now rivals the first round of it, and one by one, everyone stands. At the next table over, Dan and Xan Jennings share a loving glance with each other. I’ve always found them so inspiring; they are the perfect example of partners who love and respect each other, both as a writing team and as husband and wife.
“Thank you, Dan and Xan, for all you’ve done,” Shine continues, once we’re all seated again, “not just for those of us here in this room but for everyone at home who felt better equipped to navigate their world after falling in love with your show. It was certainly invaluable to me on both a personal and professional level—I’m honored to be spearheading the reunion special, and to be face-to-face with all the people who brought the original series to life.”
I don’t know if it’s the chardonnay, or the way Ransom’s eyes light up when he glances my direction, or the fact that the CEO of Fanline is so personally invested in our success—probably all of it—but I’m buzzing with hope and anticipation. Signing on for the reunion special brought up so many complicated feelings for me, but right now, in this moment, I can’t believe I ever considered saying no. The idea of a full-on reboot still feels complicated, but at least this is a good chance to test the waters of how it might be to do the show again. Tonight is a promising start.
Shine speaks for a little while longer, and then our showrunner takes the stage. Bryan is the closest thing to a cyborg you’ll find in the director’s guild: he’s got a photographic memory and exceptional attention to detail, and is notorious for his no-nonsense attitude on set. He’s got plenty of heart beneath his machinelike exterior, though, which makes his more intense moments feel worth it. He directed nearly every one of our episodes, and his specific gifting and personality type brought the show to life in ways he rarely gets credit for.
Bryan takes a few moments to echo Shine’s praise for Dan and Xan, then introduces the short montage we’ll be watching. The stage lights dim, and the boppy melody of our theme song streams out from the speakers. I haven’t heard it in ages—it’s not like I sit around watching old episodes—and the nostalgia of it all hits hard.
“Holy crap, Liv, we were infants!” Ransom whispers as our barely-even-teenaged faces grace the screen.