Member-only story
A Taste of Things to Come
What’s real, and what’s not?
It was a mistake to have that last glass of wine. But I had been having too much fun at the party for our crew that had just wrapped up production for the first episode of a brand-new series called Love in Small Bites. I still had my work ahead of me in the writers’ room, but that would hopefully come later. We had to see if the network would even pick up the show past the pilot. It was a little unnverving to think all the hard work our crew had put in could turn out to be for naught. Thus, the wine.
Desiree Morning, our director, had booked the back lounge of the ritzy Meridian Terrace hotel for our wrap-up party. As I mingled with people familiar and those who were only passing faces, I tried to keep a smile on my face for the group. Maybe it was a form of toxic positivity taking hold, but I felt like I needed to keep up a good front for the crew. This labor of love had come from all of us. I wanted all of them to feel appreciated.
Maybe that was why I had agreed to cover half the costs of the party. Pricey, yes, but it was worth it to see the people I had come to adore look so thrilled with a job well done.
“Your smile looks stuck on your face, Max,” came an irritatingly charming voice from behind me. Fighting the urge to cringe, I turned slowly to find myself faced with…
