Electric Moonlight Shuffle

2. Fools Rush In

Flynn opens the door for me, and we go outside into the parking lot. My Mustang glitters in the sunshine. We walk toward it.

"Whatever you've got on might be the best thing I've ever smelled," I say. I lean against him and inhale. "Good enough to eat."

"Oh yeah?" Flynn looks at me. "Is that a promise?"

I laugh and smack him playfully. "Nope."

Flynn looks away, but when I look up at him, he's still smiling. He squints into the sun. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pair of Ray Bans, and I so wish I was the one reaching into that pocket, getting to touch that man ass.

Across the parking lot, a man in a suit gets out of a black Mercedes. He wears reflective sunglasses and yells into his phone. "How many times do I have to tell you, Felipe? It's not a real unicorn. It's just a horse with a plastic headband. It's not going to impale you."

Flynn squeezes my hand and laughs. "Can you believe this guy? What's his deal?"

"Sharpest tack in the box," I say.

The man stops, holds up a finger. "Hey!" he barks "Man bun!"

Me and Flynn stop dead in our tracks.

Flynn says, "Me?"

"No, not you Felipe," says the man into his phone. He points at Flynn. "Yes—you—Parking-Lot Man Bun. Come here."

Flynn hesitantly walks toward him. I follow. I feel his bicep tense. Ooh. He ought to be beckoned more often.

"Are we in trouble?" whispers Flynn.

"Maybe, but it's more fun that way," I say.

"True," says Flynn.

The man looks Flynn up and down: it's hard to tell because of the sunglasses, but his head nods, so that's what I imagine he's doing. He smiles and holds out a hand. "Tanner Flash. You're not in trouble. I don't even work here."

Flynn shakes his hand. "Flynn Grayson. Thank God."

Tanner says, "Who are you with, Flynn?"

Flynn blushes and squeezes my hand. "Wren Snow, but we're not together. But not because I don't want to be—"

Oh no, I think. Don't be in love!

"No, no, no," says Tanner. "I mean anyone picked you up? Anyone own you?"

"Um," says Flynn. "Hopefully Notre Dame, but if I make it to the NFL right out of high school, it'd be sick to play for the Eagles. I throw—"

Tanner shakes his head. "MODELING. ACTING. Are you with an agency? Do you have an agent?"

"Oh," says Flynn. "No."

Tanner yells into the phone: "No, not you Felipe! You're already hired. Go back to work." Tanner hangs up. "Sorry about that."

"It's cool, man," says Flynn.

"Look, here's my card," says Tanner. "I'm with Electric Moonlight, ever heard of them?"

"The band?" says Flynn, taking the card.

"Yes," says Tanner.

"Yeah, man, I don't live under a rock."

Tanner laughs. "Great. I'm their casting director. We're shooting music videos for their new album. They're doing something...special. And they want 'real people,' but they want those real people to look like models...You see where this is heading."