‘Laura … honestly, it’s too much. I … don’t know what to say.’ Kelly put a hand on her shoulder.
‘You don’t have to say anything. Jonathan’s my little man, aren’t you?’ He nodded up at her and clutched the tickets to his chest.
Laura let Jonathan play in her lap and stare at her in wonder when Kelly applied her make-up and did her hair. Laura changed and gave Jonathan one last squeeze before she was collected by one of the assistants. They had a brief read-through with the rest of the cast, where Deb sat next to her and gossiped about the new actor she described as a ‘total hunk’. Laura watched with a detached curiosity as he sat across from Laura and gave a loud ‘Good morning’ to the rest of the cast.
Laura listened half-heartedly. ‘I’d just like to say, how honoured I am to be …’ He droned on and on with fake gratitude. She finally caught his name, Alex Levi. The name sounded familiar in a far-off Days of Our Liveskind of way. Laura looked away when she noticed him staring at her.
Laura scoured the catered lunch table, picking at the fruit and sandwich pile. She felt someone standing too close to her. She turned to see Alex watching her closely.
‘Hi.’ He grabbed for an apple by her side.
Laura took a step back. ‘Hey.’
‘You know,’ he leaned in close, like he was about to tell her a secret. ‘I’ve never been on a show with someone like you.’
‘Like me?’ Laura raised her eyebrows.
‘Someone of your distinction.’
Laura didn’t like the way he looked at her, like he was stripping back parts of her. Cataloguing her in some way. He gave her the creeps. ‘Is that so?’ She silently prayed that someone, anyone, would call for her.
‘Hey, maybe we could get some coffee some time?’
Laura’s eyes widened in shock. She watched him bite into the green apple. A bead of juice ran along his chin and dripped onto his pressed shirt. The bead expanded and pooled. She felt her feet carrying her away, leaving her lunch on the table.
Laura found Deb outside on the lot, with a cigarette between her manicured fingers. Through a daze, she explained what had just happened.
‘You know why they got him, right?’ Deb asked, a cloud of smoke drifting outwards. ‘He’s your kiss in the finale. Weren’t you in the meeting we just had? Maybe he wanted to establish some chemistry before then.’
‘Great.’ Laura crossed her arms.
‘Just do your job and go home. We pretend, we go home and you, my dear, are very good at pretending.’
Eve slid into the elevator and leaned back against the cold interior. She pressed PENTHOUSE and slipped in the card Laura had given her. Once the elevator doors opened, Eve waited outside Laura’s door. She checked her watch. It would be another half an hour before she got home. Her eyelids grew heavier and, within a few minutes, she was fast asleep.
The black sedan rolled to a stop in the underground parking garage. Laura thanked her driver and took the elevator up to the top floor. She pulled at her clothes, happy to be rid of them soon. Laura was taken aback when she saw Eve asleep at her door. She’d slumped and fallen slightly, her dark lashes flickered slightly as she dreamed. Her head angled to the side, her lips parted. Laura knelt in front of her. The stress of her day washed away the closer she got to Eve. She stirred in her dream. Laura whispered her name.
Eve’s eyes fluttered open. ‘Sorry.’ She mumbled, getting to her feet. Laura kissed the side of her sleepy face and opened the apartment door. Laura changed into an old pair of cotton pants and a T-shirt, while Eve slung herself on the lounge. She stretched out next to her. Eve pulled her into a tight embrace and littered soft kisses on the top of her head. Laura laughed. She kissed the side of Eve’s wrist and matched her arms with her own. A mix of milk and olive skin in a tangle of arms.
Laura settled back into Eve. ‘I was thinking about your tattoos today.’
‘Which ones?’
‘All the ones I haven’t seen.’
Eve lifted up her right foot and peeled back the sock with her left toes. She turned her foot inwards to reveal a string of black block letters: If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles.
‘It’s Whitman.’
Laura touched the words with her own foot. ‘I like it.’ She lowered her foot. ‘I was distracted by you in a meeting today. I started doodling down questions to ask you.’
Eve readjusted her shoulders. ‘What did you come up with?’
‘You don’t seem like a ballet dancer.’
Eve smirked. ‘Is that a question or an observation?’
‘I just … I’ve been thinking about it. That’s all.’
‘You need some evidence?’ Eve straightened. She stood by the front door, staring straight ahead. Eve pointed to a vase on the counter, needing a focal point. Eve overlapped her feet, curved her left arm and held her right one out as if in the position of an imaginary partner. She lifted and spun effortlessly through the air, turned and landed in the same position, over and over. She finished by swooping down on one knee, her arm quickly following.
Eve grinned at Laura’s gaping mouth. ‘And you thought this girl couldn’t spin. I’ve got moves you don’t even know the names to.’
‘What else can you do?’
‘To show you properly, I’d need a studio.’
‘I definitely need to see that.’
They ordered room service. Laura’s hand lingered on Eve’s when she handed her a plate. ‘Could you teach me … something simple?’
Eve ran her thumb over Laura’s knuckle. ‘Mmm … maybe, you seem like a tough student though.’ She joked. ‘Stubborn and bossy.’
‘Eat your pasta.’
In between mouthfuls, Laura asked Eve about her own apartment, what it was like.
‘Not like this.’ Eve shook her head.
‘Still, I’d love to see it.’
‘Why? I mean, look at this place.’ Eve motioned to the vast space around her.
‘I want to know more about you.’
Laura watched as Eve weighed up the options.
‘Fine, but don’t be expecting much.’
Eve stood from her stool. She eyed the long longue. Eve took off sprinting towards it. At the last second, she lifted her legs through the air, landing in a heap. She disappeared from view.
‘How was that, judge?’ Eve’s voice came out muffled.
‘A three, it looked like a potato trying to fly.’
Laura took the conventional route and walked around the lounge, lying down next to Eve. Eve pressed herself against the back of the lounge so Laura wouldn’t fall off. They both stared up at the ceiling, their short breaths the only sound. Laura imagined time to stretch on, with the only presence being Eve’s body next to her. The warmth of her body could be her blanket. They could stay locked in her apartment, denying the existence of the outside world and giving into their own need to be understood completely by another person, through whispered secrets, untold memories. They fell asleep without realising they were tired. Eve was the first to wake, hours later, the night still present. She stood; Laura didn’t stir. Eve combed her hair back against her scalp, wondering what she was doing. She knew she was getting too close, but she wanted to be around Laura. She gave her hand one last kiss before pulling on the door.
Eve bolted against the pavement. The cold night air whipped against her face.