For The Ages

“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to the Connor Pratt Show! I’m your host, Connor Pratt, and joining us here tonight are two very special guests—one a complete unknown making his grand debut at this year’s awards season and the other a living legend with one of the most extensive filmographies in Hollywood history, starring in ‘The Baroness in Barcelona,’ Mister Ace Hart and Little Miss Gracie Belleview!”

The audience roared, and that was their cue. Grace, holding Ace’s hand, guided him gently onstage, using her free hand to wave elegantly to the crowd. Ace grinned, his face bright and genuine. It was the thing the public loved most about him, that sincerity that most actors were trained out of by his age. It was also the trait Grace couldn’t stand. It was too unpredictable, in her opinion. One wrong word and Ace’s lack of media training could blow the whole operation. They both sat in the empty armchairs next to Connor Pratt, and the applause died down.

Connor launched directly into the conversation. “Yes, yes, quite the journey the two of you have had this year,” he said. “Now, before we talk shop, do you mind telling me just how long this has been going on?” At ‘this,’ Connor waggled his finger, pointing in the general direction of Ace and Grace’s intertwining hands.

Grace took the question. She let go of Ace’s hand and patted him affectionately on the shoulder. “Well, you know how quickly things move in this business; of course, I can’t speak for Mister Hart here, but I can firmly say it was love at first sight for me.”

Grace heard the audience coo and gush over her statement, and she knew she’d nailed it. She felt like the world’s greatest con artist. Connor tilted his head and said, “Isn’t that just darling? And how about you, newcomer? Not too hard to fall in love with the Little Miss Gracie, eh?”

Ace shuffled his shoulders and sat up in his chair in a fantastic display of discomfort. It was a delicate balance to pull off, but Grace thought he managed to perfect the level of bashfulness in his face—it was nothing short of charming. “Well, it’s true, I’ve been a fan of Grace’s early work ever since I was a kid. Who doesn’t love those old song-and-dance pictures, ya know? But honestly, my first meeting with her was pretty jarring.”

The audience fell dead silent. Grace felt her blood run hot, remembering the cold way she’d greeted Ace when they’d met on the first day of shooting. It certainly hadn’t been love at first sight, like she claimed. But surely Ace would know better than to admit that on national television!

“Jarring, you say?” Prompted Connor, leaning forward in his seat.

Ace nodded his head. “Ya see, I grew up far away from all this glitz and glamour, and the only impression I had of Miss Belleview was what I’d seen onscreen. I’d built up the idea of Little Miss Gracie, with her singing and dancing and gold ringlets, in my head. I was wholly unprepared to come face-to-face with this stunning young woman you see before you, and I think I was a little too stunned to register any romantic attachment to her at first. It wasn’t until I got to know her, the real Grace, that I fell in love. But let me tell you, Mister Pratt, when I fell, I fell hard! And I think that once you see this picture, you’ll all fall too. It might be a little jarring, at first. She’s no Little Miss Gracie, not anymore. But Grace’s performance is truly a sight to behold. She’s a real, serious actress, and I believe this picture is going to elevate her to stardom.”

For a moment, Ace was met with silence. Everyone was hanging on to his every word. Then, one young woman in the back of the crowd started clapping. Once she did, the entire studio broke out into wild applause. Grace had to look down; her entire face had gone scarlet and she couldn’t bring herself to look her co-star in the eye. It would be one thing if he’d said something polite but sentimental, like she had, but this was too much.

The audience certainly didn’t seem to think so, however. The rest of the interview was a smash, thanks to the tone they’d successfully set.

The next day, Grace and Ace had a scheduled outing at their “favorite” spot: an outdoor cafe on a busy street, where plenty of photographers were sure to snap a picture or two of them.

“Did you hear what Mister Pratt called us?” Ace was asking, all smiles.

“He called us lots of things,” Grace pointed out, trying to match his energy. It was so difficult; how could one person be so damn cheerful all the time?

“I mean when he dismissed us,” Ace elaborated. “He called us ‘a romance for the ages.’ That’s got such a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” He picked up his spoon and dug into his sundae. Grace thought it looked somewhat childish, a grown man digging into a hot fudge sundae like that. She didn’t say anything, just picked at her croissant, slowly peeling back the flaky layers of the pastry while she zoned out in the direction of the street sign half a block away.

Ace eyed Grace’s food and put down his spoon. He cleared his throat. “Are you alright?” He looked over his shoulder, in the same direction Grace was staring. “You’re doing that thing again.”

Grace blinked. “What thing?” she asked, a little more sharply than she’d intended.

“You know…” Ace shrugged his shoulders. “Every so often, you just kind of… disappear. You stop listening, and it’s almost as if you leave your own body. That thing.”

Grace furrowed her brow. “I… hadn’t realized. I’m sorry. I’ll try not to do it again.” She looked back down at her croissant.

Ace reached out and touched her hand. “It’s not that I want you to stop, Grace. I was just wondering if you’re feeling alright.”

Grace smiled perfectly. “Of course I am.” She gracefully pulled her hand out from under Ace’s.

“Look.” Ace drew his hand back and leaned his elbows on the table. “I know I’m new to the concept of this whole P.R. relationship, but you know, I do see you as a friend. I had hoped you might see me the same way.”

Grace looked up at Ace, softening. “Thank you. I see you as a friend, too.” She blinked several times, straightening her posture. “I’ve just been distracted recently. I’m used to the media blitz, but with this fake romance for publicity on top of it, it just all feels so… overwhelming. I’ve never been overwhelmed before. I don’t enjoy it.”

Ace laughed lightly. “I don’t think anyone does,” he said, leaning closer. “Grace, can I tell you something?”

Grace sighed and put the peeled remains of her croissant back on the plate. “Actually, I need to tell you something, too,” she admitted. “Since we are friends and all. And I hope this won’t change that. I do care very much about our friendship, Ace.”

“Of course.” Ace nodded his head eagerly, a grin spreading across his face. He blushed slightly. “Actually, I get the feeling we might be admitting the same thing. Why don’t we both say it on three?”

Grace raised her eyebrows. “Really? I never would have guessed,” she breathed. “This is incredible; I should’ve known.”

Ace glanced down bashfully. “Well, what can I say? Even I have my secrets.”

“Yes, that’s evident.” Grace couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Alright. On three. One…”

“Two…”

“Three.”

“I’m in love with yo—”

“I’m a lesbian.”

Ace stopped cold, staring wide-eyed at Grace. Grace suddenly realized what he’d said and covered her mouth with her hands, horrified. “Oh no,” she whispered, breathless. “I am so, so sorry, Ace. I thought you were going to tell me—”

“That’s alright,” Ace interrupted. He reached up and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Oh, wow. That’s… quite the confession.” Then, his eyes widened. “Now wait just a minute, you thought I was—?”

“Not until you said something!” Grace exclaimed hurriedly. “You said you suspected we were going to say the same thing, and since I was going to say—”

“No no, of course you thought—”

“I promise I wasn’t under the impression—”

“It would have been fine if you were under the impression—I mean, I’m not, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I was, I don’t mean to offend—”

“I’m not offended, but your confession—”

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine—”

“Are you sure?!”

“Oh, gosh.” Ace ran his hand through his hair, heaving a very big sigh. “This sure is a lot, huh?” He breathed out a short, ragged laugh.

Grace reached out to hold his other hand. “I’m sorry I can’t return your feelings, Ace,” she said gently.

“Oh, that’s alright.” Ace sighed. “I’ll recover.” He patted Grace’s hand and leaned back. “Although, now that we know each other’s secrets, maybe we ought to call each other by our real names.”

Grace steeled herself a bit, her lips tight. “I’m sure I don’t understand, Ace.”

He shook his head. “Robert. My real name is Robert Hartford. ‘Ace Hart’ is a stage name. Are you going to tell me that ‘Grace Belleview’ isn’t?”

“It is, but—”

“But? You’ve just confessed to being a homosexual, surely you can tell me your name.” Ace crossed his arms, grinning. He looked so amused by the whole thing, Grace felt a twinge of annoyance.

Yet, she couldn’t help a small smile of her own. “Fine,” she conceded. “My real name is Gertrude.”

“No last name?”

“My last name’s always been Belleview.”

“Lucky.”

“Yes, it is.”

With this out of the way, Robert and Gertrude went back to eating. They chatted every now and then, but not about anything important. At the end of their “date,” Robert walked Gertrude home, and when they got to her door, she hugged him. She’d never hugged him before. Kissed him, of course—that was gold to the press. But that was always just for show; this was the first time she showed him real, genuine affection. Robert hugged her back tightly, whispering “I’ll always be here for you,” into her ear.

Gertrude laughed. “Thank you.” She pulled away and walked inside. Robert closed the door after her and walked home with his hands in his pockets, whistling a cheerful tune.