I glance up to see Leslie watching me, a questioning look in her eye.
"You want a name people can pronounce," I say. "What about Leslie Ann Layne?"
"Leslie Layne," she says slowly, trying it out.
There are murmurs of approval throughout the room.
A wide smile spreads across her face. I grin back. I can't help it. I haven't seen that smile the entire time she's been here.
And I gave her that.
The moment passes and someone mentions the time. We have to get to work. Everyone refills their coffees and juices, grabbing their bags before trekking over to the theater.
"Thanks," Leslie says, falling in step with me. I'm walking with Don and Jen, two of the other band members. They glance from Leslie to me and back again. We might be adults now, but there's still a separation between the actors and the musicians. Don and Jen slow their pace, letting Leslie and me walk ahead.
"Still the 38th parallel?" she asks, looking back at my pit bandmates.
"Apparently. See? I told you you were a rule breaker."
"I'm still not. I'm still just someone who works hard and tries to play by the rules." She's quiet for a minute. "I feel like changing my name is breaking the rules."
"You gotta do what feels right for you." That's my advice on most things. I think gut instinct is a very underrated commodity, and that most people don't listen to theirs nearly enough.
Like right now, mine is saying I should give her a second chance, but my brain is reminding me about how she abandoned me at the absolute worst time in my life.
My brain wins.
"I gotta talk to Don and Jen about something." I start to slow my pace to drop back. "See you later."
There's an awkward moment where she stops walking altogether and then we practically run into her.
"What's with her?" Jen asks once Leslie's out of earshot. "Is she trying to kiss up to you or something?"
"Trying to kiss him is more like it. Do you see the way she looks at Josh?" Don jests.
"What are you talking about? You must be smoking something good. She's just another needy actress. You know how they are."
"Mark my words. She's got a thing for you, Josh," Don doubles down.
"Everyone has a thing for Josh. He just doesn't know it. Hell, you could probably even turn me," Jen quips.
I raise my eyebrows. "Really? Let's go." I jerk my head in the direction of the dorms, trying to call her bluff. Jen and her partner Bev are two of my pit band members. And there's no way in hell I could turn her, as if such a thing actually existed.
Jen laughs. "Oh, Josh. If only you didn't have a penis."
Don nearly chokes laughing. "I think that may be my favorite quote of the summer. It definitely goes in the book."
To keep us sane, as well as laughing our asses off, the musicians keep a notebook of the hilarious things that are said all summer. At the end of the season, someone types it up and sends it out. It's a nice memento and guaranteed to bring a smile to even the darkest of days.
We do have a lot of fun here. And I haven't felt that since Leslie arrived. She's cramping my good time.
We've reached the theater, so I hold the door open for my fellow musicians. I think I'm in the clear as we make it to the pit and begin setting up our instruments. Jen can't let this go though. "I see her looking at you. I can see it in her eyes. There's something there."
"You think?" It doesn't make sense that Leslie would be interested in me. She's the one who ended things. Cold turkey, I might add. But who knows? Jen might be a good judge of this.
"Definitely. Why? You interested in her?"
This is a question I do not know how to answer. "You know, she's an actress. There's a lot of drama there."
