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I make my way down the hallway, hearing the distinct sound of thumping music a few doors away. I follow my ears, and sure enough, they lead me to the room number I’ve been given. I take a deep breath and tap my knuckles against the solid grey door. After a few seconds, it swings open, filling the hallway with music from inside.
Nick, holding a beer in his hand, gestures me in. “Ah, guys! Lamont’s here! He brought more beer!”
Brent crosses the room and pats me on the back as he hands me a cold one. “Hey man, glad you made it!”
Nick takes my six-pack and tosses it into the refrigerator in the immaculate kitchen to our right. The suite is vast, with two connected seating areas, a dining table for at least ten, and floor-to-ceiling windows on most of the walls. There are six or seven others in the room besides Nick and Brent. A few of the guys are splayed out on the sofas watching the end of a basketball game on the gigantic wall-mounted TV, but I don’t see Sophie anywhere.
I take a swig of beer and stroll across the room toward them. Basketball isn’t really my sport of choice, but I’m curious, nonetheless.
“Who’s playing?” I ask, squinting at the screen.
“Lakers and Pelicans,” one of them replies, not tearing his eyes away from the TV.
I nod as I try to catch up. I know enough about basketball, but not enough to make any valuable observations.
“LeBron’s already put up thirty points, man,” another one of them says. “Might not be enough, though.”
I watch the tall man with the number 23 skillfully shoot from the 3-point line. The ball sails through the air and into the net with a swoosh.
I take another drink and walk over to the large windows to study the view. From the 38th floor in one direction, you can see right past many of the other downtown buildings to the expansive Central Park. From another wall of windows, the glow of Times Square and the theatre district.
Just yesterday, we were there at the studio, running lines over and over, blocking scenes, and getting fitted for costumes. Just yesterday, Sophie and I rehearsed our walk in the park…and our kiss.
I was so much more anxious about that kiss than I should have been. I know it was just an act, just the professional business exchange I promised her it would be, but when she looked up at me with those big eyes, they danced with honey and amber in the studio lights, and my heart beat so hard she probably felt it against her hands when they touched my chest.
“Hey Kai, you finally made it!”
I turn to see Maureen beaming at me with her usual, eager smile. “Oh, hi.” I lift my bottle to hers with a clink. “I didn’t realize you were back in town.”
She raises an eyebrow. “I was just off for the week.” She nudges my shoulder. “Remember, I told you that a few times already.”
I nod. “Well, I didn’t know when you’d get into town.”
She takes a drink. “I could have sworn I told you I’d be here at the party.”
I look down at my beer. For all I know, she probably did tell me, but I can’t remember.
“Have you been here long?” I ask.
“Yeah, we were just checking out the rest of the suite. I came with Sophie and her friend.” She points behind her toward the kitchen, where Sophie and Leah now stand at the large island chatting over their drinks. Sophie is wearing a yellow dress that falls well above her knees. Her legs are smooth and fair beneath the hem, crossed casually as she leans against the counter.
I glance back at Maureen, who has turned her attention to her phone. I clear my throat. “I should, uh, go say hi.”
“Ok,” she replies simply.
I leave her to join Sophie and Leah. They both smile as I arrive.
“Leah, it’s great to see you again.” I come to stand across the counter. Just the sight of her brings back so many vivid memories from that night in Long Island. I actually spotted her first then, with her smooth dark hair and the accentuated curve of her hips, but she wasn’t the one who really enticed me.
Her face brightens as she taps her bottle to mine. “Who would have thought we’d be running into each other again? Crazy how life is sometimes.”
I smirk and glance at Sophie. She smiles back but quickly looks away. I wonder if she’s still thinking about our kiss too.
The day of her audition almost two months ago, when she stood on the sidewalk outside that very studio and told me it would be weird, I scoffed and reminded her that we would just be ‘acting,’ but I failed to foresee the way my feelings for her would evolve into something I still don’t understand. The fact that she’s untouchable makes her even more enticing to me, and still, after all this time, I feel myself remembering that night in my hotel. The soft skin of her waist, the warm pulse in her neck as my lips pressed against it, and the goosebumps that spread across her arms as I slid my hand lower and lower, and her breath grew faster and faster. The memories of her smooth, full lips against mine as I pressed her against the wall were all I had—until this week.
I keep my mouth shut and my emotions in check when I’m around her, but she smiles at me more now. She jokes, she makes me laugh, and I’m starting to see her true personality without the thick shield of armor she wore in the beginning. I love the way her nose crinkles when she giggles, and I love the way her brows pull together with determination when she listens to George instruct her on a scene. She is so multi-faceted, and I’ve only begun to peel back the layers. She will be a treasure to whoever she finally gives her heart to; whichever man will be patient enough to give her the kind of relationship she’s looking for.
I’m not that guy.
