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“I think so. It took me like seven months, but I’m finally starting to break out. The main Frills office is excited. This little experiment is successful.”
“I knew it would be. You’re amazing.”
Leila blushes. “Well, thank you.”
“Now, how about you go take a seat in my beautiful dining room, and I’ll bring the food out.”
“Sounds good.”
I add the sauce to the spaghetti and mix it up, then take the chicken parm out of the warm oven. Leila is right; it smells delicious. Maybe I should start cooking more often. I carry out all the food to the dining room and find Leila has already set out two plates that she found in the pantry.
“I hope it’s okay to use these.”
“Yeah, it’s perfect. Thanks for setting the table.”
“Thanks for making dinner.”
I serve it up, and we start eating. Leila compliments my cooking, which is further evidence I should use my newly designed kitchen more often.
“Have you been doing new auditions this week? You said you had some.”
“Yeah, I did. I’m hopeful about them but still annoyed with Randy.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about getting a new agent. He used to be great, but I feel like he has given up on me. He got me those auditions this week, but I’m pretty sure he only did that because I gave him shit.”
“If the agent relationship isn’t working, you should move on to someone else.”
I sigh. “That’s the thing; I’m not sure if I can. Randy stuck by me when literally no one would work with me. I haven’t done much in the last few years. Randy says I’d be hard-pressed to find someone else.”
“And you believe him?”
“I do. That’s how this business works.”
“Well, that sucks, but maybe you should still try.”
“I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. I’m still hoping to audition for that big-screen movie Candy’s dad is producing. I heard rumors that they’re going to start casting soon. If Randy can get me into that, maybe he’s not so bad. It’s just his attitude I’m getting sick of.”
“I thought you were thinking about doing more TV?”
I nod. “One of the auditions this week was for a TV show, and I honestly think I’ll get it. Plus another movie, as long as they’re not filming simultaneously. The other three auditions didn’t go as well as I’d hoped, but they were for indie stuff, so it’s not that big a deal. What I really need is something on the big screen in terms of movies. No more of these low-budget made-for-TV or streaming things.”
“I hope you get the one with Candy’s dad. As long as she’s not involved. She’s the worst.”
“I know she cornered you the other day. Did I tell you she told me you were out on a date?”
“What? You didn’t mention that. I wasn’t, for the record.”
“I didn’t think you were. Candy just sucks. I can’t wait to be done with this movie and to be done with her. The director even said we should never work together again.”
Leila laughs. “I’d be fine with that. I get a bad vibe from that girl.”
“So do I.”
We keep getting to know each other as we eat our meal. When our plates are empty, and most of the food is gone, I lean back in my seat.
“Are you ready to go see a movie?”
“I think that would be nice.”
“Perfect. I have a hat and sunglasses you could wear so we can stay incognito.”
“Ooh, that sounds fun!”
I laugh. “If you say so.”
“I’ve never worn a disguise before.”
“Then I guess it will be fun.”
We put on our hats and sunglasses, and I drive us to the movie theater. We enter through the back and pick any random movie that’s playing.
Leila is giggling like a little girl as we find seats in the middle of the theater.
“This has been a great date. I’m glad we’re doing something calm again, but we can’t always do the things I like. There has to be a balance.”
“I was actually thinking about that earlier.”
“I’ll go out to the club or whatever with you once in a while as long as we can also unwind with dates like this.”
I smile at her. “That sounds perfect.”
We seal the deal with a kiss. It’s hard to cuddle in a movie theater, but Leila leans close to me as the previews end and the random action movie we ended up in begins. My arm falls over her shoulders. No cameras took our pictures outside, at least that I noticed, so we’re enjoying this movie like two regular people on their first date.
After the movie, I drive back to my house. I offer to have Leila come in, but she insists we treat this like an actual first date. I’m disappointed, but I’m not going to push her.
“This was really fun.”
“We’ll do it again soon. My weekend is a bit full, but we could get together during the week if you’d like.”
