AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No promises were made, no,” she confirms, focused solely on the pages in front of her. “So, I was wrong. It actually reminds me nothing of us.”
I continue to smirk at her, even though she keeps her eyes averted. “Well, I’ll let you get into it then.” I grab my script and begin to fan her. “Here, I’ll help. You know, in case you get too hot.”
She slams her book shut and stares at me pointedly, no longer embarrassed, but mildly annoyed instead. She shoves the book back into her bag.
“What? You’re not gonna read it now?” I raise an amused brow.
She shakes her head and crosses her arms. “I’m not gonna sit here and read it right next to you if you think it’s porn.”
“Oh, come on,” I chuckle, “I’ll give you your privacy. I’ll just have my headphones in over here.” I put my earbuds in and cue up “Lonely Boy” by The Black Keys.
“No, the moment has passed. I don’t feel much like reading anymore.” She keeps her arms crossed.
She’s so easily embarrassed. She always has been. It’s such fun from my vantage point. But I force a serious expression, removing one of my earbuds and holding it out to her. “Want to listen?”
After brief contemplation, she uncrosses her arms and takes it from me. We scoot closer so we can both listen, one earbud each. I don’t say anything while the song plays. It’s one of my favorites, so that familiar warm nostalgia sets in, just like always. And when it’s finished, I look at her to see a smile has spread across her lips. Her eyes are closed peacefully. So, I sink back into my seat and let the next song play, and the next, and the next, until the entire album is through and not a word has been spoken by either of us.
***
A week later, Brent, Maureen, Sophie, and I go to dinner at a restaurant just west of Central Park. It’s a small, modern, upscale place, and the four of us sit at a table near the corner under a colorful, blown-glass light fixture, finishing our meals and talking mostly about work and our upcoming shows, which are growing fewer and fewer as the days pass.
Maureen has diverged from our typical conversation though, regaling us instead with details about a project she wants to audition for, a period drama set like a fairy tale.
“And I’d get to wear these gigantic, overly extravagant gowns,” she sighs, clasping her hands together. “Pink ones, purple ones. Some of them have jewels. Some are silk, some are velvet. Might be some lace in there too. I’m not sure how many there are. Probably at least eight.”
I look at Brent, who’s staring down at his meal as if he’s trying to read it for something more interesting than Maureen’s list of fabric varieties.
Even Sophie looks restless. She shifts in her seat and clears her throat. “I’m going to go use the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
The restaurant is attached to a hotel, so the bathroom for the dinner patrons is located in the main lobby on the other side of a large archway. Sophie excuses herself and disappears through the arch while Maureen continues her story.
I pick at my meal, pretending to listen and giving short, agreeable vocalizations to keep her content. Brent asks her a few appropriate questions, feigning interest with much more success.
After a few moments, I feel nature calling me too, so I dismiss myself from the table and make my way out of the restaurant and into the lobby, searching for the signage. I spot the restrooms and cross the bustling room to turn down the small hallway, but I quickly stop in my tracks.
At the end of the hallway stands Sophie, hands on her hips, staring at the other lone person in the space, Nick.
Adrenaline surges through my veins as I get ready to put myself between them, but almost as fast as that urge appears, something else tells me to hold back instead. Sophie told me she was nervous about running into him again. I told her it would be an impossible coincidence in such a big city, but the vision in front of me is proving otherwise.
I shrink back around the corner and out of sight, pressing myself against the wall as I strain to listen. I know how badly Sophie wants to stand up for herself, and if I step in before critically necessary, she’ll think, once again, that I view her as weak and incapable. But it’s the furthest thing from the truth. She’s one of the strongest-minded, most stubborn women I know, and this is her opportunity to prove that to herself.
“I work here now. It’s temporary,” Nick says to her. “This is my cousin’s hotel.”
“Sure it is.” There is heavily laced skepticism in her voice.
“No, really, go ask the front desk and confirm. It’s about the only job I can get at the moment.” He sighs. “It’s been tough to find work after what happened.”
“Good, I’m glad,” Sophie says simply.
The corner of my mouth turns up at her response.
There’s a pause before Nick speaks again. “Sophie, I was drunk. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want an apology,” she replies. “What I wanted was to never see you again, yet here we are.”
“There are hundreds of restaurants in the city. I can’t help that you picked this one.”
“No, but you can go back to your little front desk over there and leave me alone.” The quiver in her voice has disappeared surprisingly quickly. She’s controlling the conversation this time.
