Somebody to Love - A Joe Mazzello FanFiction

Chapter 8 - Seeing Joe Again

As everyone began grabbing some food and filling their plates, I couldn't help but look over at Joe. He looked really good tonight and I couldn't help but think about everything he had done in his career. It still blew my mind that he would hang out with someone like me. I grabbed a couple of spoons and put some food on my plate. I didn't take much food because I didn't know it was a dinner party and I wasn't that hungry. I ate my food quietly while I listened to the other guests sharing stories about time spent with Gio. They were all acting colleagues who had some fun stories from the sets of what they worked on. I finished my food and sat there for a little while. I looked at Joe and he also didn't seem interested in his food.

"So," he started, looking right at me. "Tell me about the music business." Gio's plan seemed to be working well.

"I wouldn't really call it the 'music business'. But, it is good, especially the gig I have going. I work on a cover once a week, upload it online, and then take whatever time is left in the week to do whatever I want. I can also book a concert if I want to in a small theater and know that people will show up; either fans or people who just want to hear a cover artist. It's pretty nice, but it is a bit nerve-racking." I loved talking about my job, especially the music part. But, I had to admit that the job wasn't everything it was chopped up to be.

"How so?" He asked, seeming completely interested in my career path.

"Well," I tried to think of a way to describe this to an actor in a way he could understand. "When you get paid, you get a flat rate for the work you have done, whether it's by the hour or by scene, you know what you're going to be paid by the end of the production, right?" He nodded his head in agreement. The other guests were still talking to each other and Gio, so they weren't listening to us. It felt like we were back at the first party. "Well, I don't know what I'm going to get paid. I get paid per a certain number of views. So, if a video does well, I get more money than a video that does poorly. But, I can never tell what will do well and which ones won't, so it's always a gamble." I looked into Joe's eyes and he still seemed interested even though I was babbling about something he probably didn't understand.

"That's not great, but at least you get paid every week, right?"

"Yeah, don't you?" I liked that he was engaging with me.

"Well, not when I'm not working." He laughed. "I'll be back to that soon enough. I'll just enjoy my break for now." He flooded his arms behind his head and acted like he was lying in a lounge chair on vacation. I had to think of something to ask him. I didn't want to talk about the Jurassic Park thing now because I didn't know if he wanted all these other people to know about that. So, I decided I would talk to him about it later; maybe in private.

"What's your favorite movie?" I asked. I had always wanted to ask a successful actor what their favorite movie was. I was like asking me about my favorite band or a chef about his favorite food.

"It's a Wonderful Life. I know it's a Christmas movie, but it's just so good. Every scene is wonderful and you feel for each character so much. I end up crying every time I watch it, but it's that good kind of crying. Like happy crying, you know?... What about you? What's your favorite?"

"Some Like It Hot. It's an old movie too, but it's just so brilliant. It balances comedy and drama so well. I also really like Forrest Gump, but everyone likes Forrest Gump." We both chuckled at my joke. We were both more relaxed now and we kept talking. Everything from other movies we loved to ones we hated. We ended up getting to the topic of music.

"So, now I have to ask, what's your favorite band? You know I had to ask at some point, Miss Musician." He smiled while I thought.

"I can easily say the Beatles because they completely changed my life and introduced me to classic rock. They will always have a special place in my heart, but my day to day favorite changes all the time. I think, and I'm not just saying this, right now it might be Queen." I couldn't help but smile as I said this. There was something about the band that drew me in. Something about the charisma of each member and their ever-changing line of music that stuck with me. Plus, they practically had a song for every occasion. Happy or sad, you could listen to a Queen song.