Find a quiet spot, turn the page, and let’s see what this story has been hiding 🌙 ✦ “You’re really not getting up?
It’s almost nine.
Normally you’d already be back from your run by now.” On the narrow bed, Naomi lay on her side with one arm propping up her face, smiling at the man beside her.
The sheet was pulled high enough to keep the moment private.
“Skipping once won’t kill me,” Adrian said, staring at the ceiling.
“You only missed your first television appearance.
You don’t have to look this devastated.” Naomi tapped him lightly on the head with her fist.
“You said it yourself.
My first television appearance.” Adrian rolled toward her, slid an arm around her waist under the sheet, and pressed close.
“So comfort me again.” “Last night was enough.” His closeness made her smile despite herself, but Naomi laughed and pushed his head away.
Then she got up and turned her back to him to dress.
Adrian watched the clean line of her back and sighed again.
Since that night, they had begun sharing the bed.
It was not every night, but it was not rare either.
Their daily life had become more intimate too.
They still had not clearly defined what they were to each other.
When Adrian finally landed a role, completed the shoot, and knew it would air, of course he wanted to share it with Naomi.
The problem was that his apartment had no television.
He had dragged her out the previous night to find somewhere to watch it.
Because he wanted the broadcast to be a surprise, he waited until they had reached a neighborhood restaurant with televisions over the counter before telling her what they were looking for.
And that was how they missed it.
The explanation was painfully simple.
Some neighborhood restaurants had televisions, but unless the news was on, those screens usually showed sports: football, baseball, basketball, hockey.
People who could not go to the stadium went to sports bars or restaurants, ordered food or drinks, and cheered for their teams.
If you wanted a sitcom, you went to a coffee shop, a diner, or a small restaurant where the television was there for atmosphere instead of betting and yelling.
By the time Adrian understood his mistake and started looking for a place airing Friends, it was already too late.
A sitcom episode ran barely more than twenty minutes.
A short delay anywhere could cost half of it.
Waiting at the restaurant until the episode started had been fatal.
He had missed the first chance to see himself on television.
Naomi had laughed at him for a long time.
“I still can’t believe you didn’t know that, Adrian.” Whenever she mentioned it, her gray-green eyes curved with amusement.
‘I’m not omniscient.’ That was all Adrian could say to himself.
No matter how annoyed he was, the fact remained: he had missed the premiere.
That was why he had decided to sleep in this morning.
“They’ll rerun it,” Naomi said as she set a simple breakfast on the coffee table.
“You can watch it then.” “I know.” Adrian still sounded deflated.
A rerun was not the same as the first airing.
Besides, how many people watched reruns compared with the premiere?
“Don’t worry,” Naomi said, reading him more clearly now.
“Your performance was probably perfect.” “Thanks.
I hope so.” Adrian shrugged, then glanced toward the old computer in the corner.
In the end, the reason he was so frustrated about missing the broadcast was that he wanted to know how he had done.
He thought he had done well.
The director had praised him.
Jennifer and the others had said good things too.
But what about the audience?
Most people, when they achieved something, wanted to share it and hear what others thought.
Praise, criticism, reaction – all of it mattered.
Some would call that vanity, but it was also ordinary human life.
People were social animals.
How many truly did not want recognition?
As long as a person knew his own limits and could hear criticism without collapsing, there was nothing wrong with wanting a response.
Adrian wanted badly to know what viewers thought.
He was also afraid to know.
What if they disliked him?
That was normal too.
Every first time came with fear, and this was his first role, a chance he had fought for, lost, and somehow won back.
The computer was right there, connected to the internet.
He still hesitated.
“If you care that much, you could buy a few magazines and see what they say,” Naomi suggested.
“A normal sitcom episode gets reviews?” Adrian was surprised.
“The biggest newspapers and magazines probably won’t cover every episode, but smaller entertainment magazines or television-focused ones might.
It’s Friends, after all.” There was a little teasing in her voice.
Adrian rubbed his chin, then suddenly stood and headed for the door, abandoning his half-finished breakfast.
“I’ll be right back.” Naomi stared after him for a moment before shaking her head with a smile and returning to her milk.
Ten minutes later, Adrian came back looking far less excited than when he had left.
Without waiting for her to ask, he handed Naomi a copy of TV Show Weekly and collapsed onto the sofa.
Naomi opened the magazine and quickly understood.
“Last night on NBC, we saw the newest episode of Friends season five.
Unfortunately, it was business as usual.
Yes, this remains a wonderful series, and yes, it is still loved by audiences, but its unchanging style has begun to hold it back.
The clearest example is character overlap.
At the beginning, every friend had a distinct personality.
Over time, they have started to blur together.
The new character last night, for example, seemed to carry traces of both Ross and Joey…” “All right, Naomi.
Let me cool down for a minute.” Adrian grabbed his hair and groaned.
“He didn’t say your acting was terrible,” Naomi said after thinking about it.
“He just didn’t say it directly.” Adrian spread his hands with a bitter smile.
“Hey.” She sat beside him and took his hand.
“This is one review in one magazine.
Why not look at others?
One bad review isn’t enough to send you into a spiral.” “I know.
I know.
I just…” He made a useless gesture, unable to find the words.
Then his pager vibrated.
The number belonged to Frederick.
Adrian almost did not call back.
He had taken enough blows since last night.
But remembering the agent’s earlier warnings, he eventually borrowed Naomi’s phone and dialed.
“How does it feel, Adrian?” Frederick’s exaggerated laugh came through the moment the call connected.
“Seeing yourself on television for the first time.
Did you shake?
Did you cry?
Did you feel your soul leave your body?” Adrian had no difficulty imagining his agent’s smug expression.
“No,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“I didn’t see it.
I don’t have a television.” “You don’t have a television?
You could have…” “Fred.
Get to the point.” Adrian did not want to repeat last night’s misery.
“Fine.
The ratings are out.
Want to hear them?” The excitement in Frederick’s voice was impossible to hide.
Adrian almost said no.
Then he changed his mind.
“All right.
How many?” “17.64 million viewers.” Frederick laughed.
“Buddy, you just took one very solid step.” Adrian drew in a breath.
He had only been in the business a month, but he understood the basics.
A television series drawing around fifteen million viewers was a hit.
Around twenty million made it a monster.
In this altered timeline, the fifth season had been moving through a softer patch, with recent episodes hovering below that number.
A jump to 17.64 million meant this one had landed.
That was enough to prove the episode had worked.
Only…
“Yeah,” Adrian said, scratching his head.
“They’re very popular actors.” “Of course they are…” Frederick paused.
“Wait.
What are you saying?
Did you read today’s coverage?” “I saw TV Show Weekly.
It said…” “TV Show Weekly?
You read TV Show Weekly?” The agent’s voice rose sharply.
“Is there a problem?” “Is there a problem?
Genius, do you know who publishes that magazine?
Dabble Publishing.
Do you know who owns Dabble?
News Corp.
Do you know what else sits in the News Corp universe?
20th Century Fox and the Fox network.
Time Warner has Entertainment Weekly and People and half a dozen better places to look, and you picked that?” Frederick was talking so loudly and so fast that Adrian had to move the phone away from his ear.
Even then, he could almost see the agent’s face in front of him: furious in the way only someone who thought he was saving you from stupidity could be furious.
“Listen.
Listen to this.
‘The strongest episode of season five so far, with joke after joke landing cleanly and the Rachel-Marco date producing some of the night’s biggest laughs.’ And here.
‘Friends has introduced many guest characters, but this one leaves a sharper impression than most.’ And here…
and here…
There are too many.
Go out and buy the magazines yourself.
See how they’re praising you.” Paper rustled on Frederick’s end as he shouted.
Adrian’s heart, already unsteady from worry, began beating harder.
Something he had never felt before rose through him.
Even after he hung up, he stood there with the phone in his hand, dazed.
“Are you okay, Adrian?” Naomi asked, worried now.
He slowly lifted his head.
“I’m fine.
I just…” He had succeeded.
Yes.
He had succeeded.
“I won, Naomi.
I won.” He suddenly jumped up and swept her smaller body into his arms, laughing with pure, unguarded joy.
A brand-new door had opened.
✦ ✦ ✦ Ready for more?
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS TheBacklot Thank you for reading.
I hope this chapter drew you further into the story.
Stick around, because there’s still a lot waiting just ahead.