Truthfully, she hadn’t prepared herself for the extra attention she was receiving as Bianca, and now she felt the pressure to impress more than ever. The last thing she wanted was to be a disappointment in her first starring role.
“I’m Micki Fredriksson.” A woman with a blonde pixie haircut stood in front of her. “I’m playing Melissa.”
“Hi Micki. I’m Julia Vega, but please call me Jules.” Micki pixie. Jules was so focused on committing Micki’s name to memory that it took her a moment to realize what Micki had said. She was playing Melissa. This was the woman Jules would be kissing every night on stage.
“Excited to work with you,” Micki said. “I guess we’ll get to know each other pretty well, won’t we?” With a wink and a wave over her shoulder, she walked away. Strutted was more like it.
That was…odd. Jules frowned as she turned to introduce herself to another group of actors. She was deep in conversation with a man named Amir when a familiar face entered her line of vision. Sophie stepped onto the stage wearing jeans, a black jacket, and a confident smile, her brown hair hanging loose and curly over her shoulders.
“Excuse me,” Jules told Amir. “I see someone I need to say hello to. I can’t wait to read with you later.” Amir would be playing Trevor, Bianca’s wannabe love interest.
“Sure, yeah. Great meeting you.” He turned to the woman beside him.
Jules ducked out of the group to intercept Sophie as she crossed the stage. “Hey, stranger.”
“Hi,” Sophie said, glancing around the stage, distracted.
“I was excited to see your name on the casting list,” Jules told her.
“Congrats on landing Bianca,” Sophie said, polite but distant, not at all the way she’d been the day they met, when she’d invited Jules for drinks after their audition.
“Thank you. I still can’t quite believe it.”
“I bet it’ll feel a lot more real after today,” Sophie said.
“Probably,” Jules agreed. “Anyway, I’m glad we’ll get to work together.”
“Mm,” Sophie said with a nod, but she didn’t look very glad. If anything, she looked…annoyed was the first word that came to mind. Was she still upset that she hadn’t gotten the part of Bianca? Surely she wouldn’t hold that against Jules. This was just part of the business. Neither she or Sophie had any control over it, and it wasn’t like this meant Jules was a superior actress. She’d just been a better fit for Kari’s vision for the production.
“Well, I’m sure I’ll see you around,” Sophie said. “Congrats again.”
And she walked off, leaving Jules standing there, somewhat baffled and definitely irritated. What the hell, Sophie?
Sophie let her pissy mood spoil her first morning of rehearsals, and as she returned to the stage after lunch, she felt terrible about it. She’d had a shitty start to her day, first sleeping through her alarm and then getting hassled by some asshole on her way to the theater. When she walked in and saw everyone fawning over Jules, for a minute, all she could think was…that could have been me.
But she’d given herself an attitude adjustment during her lunch break, and as she sat in one of the chairs onstage to read through the script for the first time, excitement burned away what remained of her earlier bitterness. The initial read through was always a thrill, and while Sophie didn’t have any lines to read today, she would be paying close attention as Jules’s and Micki’s understudy.
She sat between fellow ensemble members Elena and Tabitha, across the circle from Jules, who had obviously already done her homework. She barely looked at her script as she read and sang. She had a pretty voice, much richer than Sophie had anticipated. With her Pantene commercial hair and shimmery green sweater, she certainly looked the part of the star.
As they reached the pinnacle scene at the end of the first act, Jules blew Micki a kiss across the circle, a substitute for what would be their onstage kiss, drawing laughter from the cast. The rest of the read through went smoothly, and when it was over, everyone had smiles on their faces. The actors all seemed to share a good rapport, with the possible exception of Micki, who was a bit of a drama queen.
Kari Wong promised to be a solid director, casually tossing out suggestions that had already sharpened their performances. Their stage manager, Andrew Marshall, also seemed competent and easy to work with. If this was any indication of the rest of rehearsals, Sophie was in for one of the better experiences of her theater career.
As everyone stood to gather their things and head out for the evening, Jules asked, “Anyone want to grab a drink?”
Almost immediately, she’d gathered the whole group of actors, except Elena, who had to get home to her kids. Sophie loved going out for drinks with her castmates, and it would be a good chance for them all to get to know each other better. Plus, she probably owed Jules an apology for the way she’d acted earlier.
“I noticed a pub next door, although I have no idea if it’s any good,” Amir offered.
“It’s very good,” Andrew told him as he headed for the door. “I wish I could join you guys, but I’ve got to get home to the family. Have a good time, and great job today, everyone. I’m looking forward to working with you all.”
Sophie followed the group out the back door, and together, they walked to the pub. They were seated at a big table in the back, because, as it turned out, they were hungry as well as thirsty after a long day of rehearsals. Several people had already crowded around Jules. Between her charming smile, matching personality, and status as the lead, she had quickly become everyone’s favorite.
Sophie took a seat at the other end of the table, between Amir and Tabitha. They chatted through burgers and beers, sharing plenty of laughs.
“Seems like a great group,” Tabitha commented as she drained her beer.
“It does,” Sophie agreed.
“Sometimes it’s nice not having any stars around,” she said with a conspiratorial grin. “No big heads causing drama. It’s refreshing.”
Sophie snickered. She’d worked with her share of divas, of all genders. “Tell me about it.”
Several hours—and even more beers—later, Sophie made her way outside, hoping her roommates would have already retired to their room for the night by the time she made it home. It was past nine, and they often watched TV in bed together to give her some privacy in the living room. Sleeping on the couch was really an unglamorous life.
A hand tugged at Sophie’s jacket, and she turned to find Jules behind her on the sidewalk.
“Didn’t see you much today,” Jules said, her eyes searching Sophie’s.
“It was a busy day,” Sophie replied, fighting the urge to take a step back, putting a little distance between her and Jules, because standing this close to her, Sophie could see the golden flecks in her brown eyes and smell the floral scent of her perfume. The wind blew a lock of Jules’s hair over Sophie’s arm, and even through her jacket, she shivered at the contact. She’d hoped her attraction would have faded since the day they met, but apparently, it hadn’t.
“I just thought I picked up on a funny vibe from you today,” Jules persisted, falling into step beside Sophie as they walked away from the pub. “You aren’t upset about me playing Bianca, are you?”