All Chapters of Love, Life, and Other Stuff: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Addy looked up from the design she was drawing in her sketchbook when she heard someone knock on the door. Frowning, she put her pencil down and stood from the table. “I wasn’t expecting anyone,” she muttered as she walked to the door. “And no one else is home, so who could it be?.” She peered through the peephole to see who was on the other side. Her frown turned to an excited grin, and she hurried to open the door. “Troy!” she exclaimed when she saw him. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be away all weekend.” “I came home early and wanted to see you,” he told her, holding out his arms. She rushed into them, snuggling into his embrace. Then she lifted her head and brushed her lips over his. “I missed you,” she told him after they broke apart. “I can tell,” he said, smiling at her, then added, “I missed you too.” They went into the apartment, and she led him to the couch. He sat down, then held out his arm for her. “I have the most wonderful n

Troy sat in his bedroom, watching television but not paying attention to what was on the screen. He had his drumsticks out and was tapping away on the footstool in front of him. “Should I really try out for Cort’s band?” he muttered. “Is that something I want?” He pictured himself behind the drums while Cort and Bradford played in front of him. Grinning at the picture, he nodded and asked, “Why not? What would happen if I did it? I might enjoy myself? If I didn’t do it, I’d probably spend the rest of my life wondering what if I had joined the band?” Standing up, he reached for his phone and sent Cort a text, letting him know that he did want to audition for the band. He set the phone down and took a deep breath. “Man, I wish it was warmer,” he said. “I’m so full of energy right now, I’d love to kick the ball around the park.” His phone dinged, letting him know he had a text. Practically diving for it, he saw Cort had responded with a time to come by the band’s practic

“I can’t believe we’re finally at the film festival,” Kendall said, walking into the building with her arm linked through Lewis’s. “Me neither,” he said, swallowing and wiping his free hand on his slacks. “Are you nervous?” she asked him with a concerned look. He chuckled before nodding. “Of course,” he told her. ”This night could make my career or break it altogether.” Kendall squeezed his arm and said, “I know you’re going to kill it tonight.” “Of course, you will,” Troy said, stepping up to slap Lewis on the shoulder. “Your movie will be the best one we see tonight.” Lewis gave his roommate a sickly smile and said, “Thanks for the confidence boost.” “You know he’s telling the truth, bro,” Cort said, coming up behind them with Brooklyn on his arm. Brooklyn nodded and said, “I will be writing up a review of everyone’s film, but I’m sure yours will be the best.” Lewis smiled weakly at her and said, “You can’t know that for sure.” Kendall leaned closer and sq

“Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between,” the woman said. “My name is Denise, and I’ll be your host for our film festival this evening.” She looked over the audience and continued. “I see a lot of familiar faces here,” she said, smiling, “and some who are new.” Kendall nudged Lewis and smiled at him. He grinned at her and whispered, “But next year, I’ll be one of those familiar faces.” “That you will,” Kendall said before kissing him. On the stage, Denise continued. “We have quite a lot of films to enjoy this evening, so I’ll keep this brief,” she said. “After we have viewed the films, we’ll be handing out the awards, which I know is everyone’s favorite part of the night.” Everyone in the audience clapped and cheered, causing Denise to laugh. “I knew it!” she said with a grin. “You’re just here for the awards!” Laughter rang out across the room. “Well then, let’s just get those pesky films out of the way so we can get to the best part of the night,” she

Kendall squeezed Lewis’s arm as his film began. Her eyes never left the screen as his movie played out. Lewis looked around at his friends and the rest of the audience while his film played. Their attention seemed focused on the screen. He smiled and nodded. Once his film finished, he whispered to Kendall, “I think everyone liked it.” She squeezed his arm as she grinned up at him. “I know they did,” she said. Addy leaned forward, reaching over Troy to pat Lewis on the arm. “That was amazing,” she said, grinning at him. Troy nodded, giving Lewis a thumbs up. Brooklyn looked up from her phone to nod at him with a grin while Cort nodded once. Shea and Bradford both gave him a thumbs up. He grinned at his friends and nodded before returning his attention to the screen. Two more films played before Lewis leaned over to Kendall and whispered, “Carl’s film is next.” Before Kendall could respond, Carl whispered, “Now, you’re going to see some real filmmaking.”