Page 17 of Directing You
Chapter 8
Hazel
Rosaand I sat on our stools at the corner of the new bar. She was flipping through the wine list and pointed to a bottle of red that I had never heard of. I looked over her shoulder, inhaling a sharp breath when I saw the price. Okay, maybe fifty-five dollars wasn’t expensive for some people, but for me? That wasa lotof money. Even with the faculty discount the bar was offering.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “Tonight’s on me.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to do that. I’m fine,” I said, hoping that in my tipsy state, I sounded somewhat believable. Even though Fridays and Saturdays at the burlesque club were some of our most profitable evenings, I had the weekend off. Every other month, I took one weekend to myself for my own mental health. And with the help of the last two weeks of dances, I was up to date on my rent and school payments this month.
Even still, a fifty-five-dollar bottle of wine was pushing it.
Rosa leveled me with a look. “Girl, who do you think you’re kidding? I saw all those empty containers of ramen and mac and cheese when I dragged you out of your apartment tonight.”
I put my finger in the air. “Excuse me, even if I was a millionaire, I would still eat mac and cheese because it’s the most delicious food ever.” I moved that finger into her face. “Fight me.”
She lifted a brow. “And the ramen?”
I grinned, draining what was left in my wineglass from our first (much cheaper) bottle (that I had picked). “Yeah. I got nothing for the ramen. Except that I can’twaituntil I can afford to go out and order fancy ramen.” My hand landed on my stomach as I smirked. Ramen was delicious too…just not the cup of noodle ramen I choked down several times a week.
Rosa pushed the menu aside as the bartender brought over the bottle of Malbec, showing her the label before opening it and pouring a taste.
Once she took a sip and gave her nod of approval, he poured us each a full glass and returned to attending to the other people waiting for their drinks.
“Did I tell you how he touched my hip at the audition Monday?” I leaned into her as my words slurred a bit. I hadn’t intended to get drunk at all tonight. I just wanted a couple glasses of wine to take the edge off. It had been five days since our auditions. Almost a freakingweek. He said it might take him a while because he had to consult with the playwright, but a week felt excessive. Or maybe I was just impatient. Hence, our couple glasses of wine had turned into a couple bottles. Oops.
“Mmhmm,” Rosa said, swirling the glass of burgundy wine before taking a sip. Impressively, not even a drop sloshed out despite how dangerously close it came to the edge of her glass. She was much better at holding her alcohol than I was.Both literally and figuratively, I thought as I glanced down at the bit of wine that stained the edge of my shirt.
“Damn. I’m repeating myself a lot, aren’t I?”
“Mmhmm,” she repeated. “But only abouthim.”
I didn’twantto repeat myself about him. I didn’t even want tothinkabout him. But even without that intense moment before the audition, I was reeling. Now? I was free-falling. “It’s just…I’ve never had a connection with someone like I had with him that night at the club.” I gestured with my hand holding the wineglass, and as I did, a little bit of burgundy liquid sloshed over the side, landing on the marble bar top.
Rosa smiled. “I heard some of the other professors talking about how sexy he is. His sex appeal is spreading throughout the school, even over to the psychology department.”
Instead of bothering to grab a napkin to mop up my spill, I ran my sleeve over the drop of wine, mopping it up with my ratty long-sleeved T-shirt. I’d already spilled wine on this shirt, anyway, right? Oh, drunken logic. The things we thought were good ideas when tipsy.
“More importantly,” Rosa said, “how doyouthink the audition went?”
I shrugged, but my lips tipped into a smile. “I think it went well. He had me read for the nun a couple times and once for a prostitute.” In actuality, I felt like I’d nailed the audition. My song had gone flawlessly, and I felt like I had a really strong hold of Sister Mary’s character in the reading, bringing a unique take on her that the other students didn’t. But I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I’d had countless auditions in my life that I’d thought I had nailed, only to end up disappointed when the petite blonde (i.e.Jenna) got the part instead of me.
“Any ideas when the cast list will post?”
I shook my head and swiped my thumb across the pink stain my lipstick left on the edge of the glass. “In class today, he said he would try to have it up by tomorrow at the latest. Hell, for all I know, he’s already posted it.”
Rosa’s eyes went wide. “Then let’s check!” she squealed.
I shook my head. “No way. I’ve been glued to that chat room every night this week, waiting to see the list. Backstage at the burlesque club. At work with Professor Dercy. Even while sitting in my other classes. I’m done. Tonight is a good night and I don’t want to ruin it.” I held my wineglass up, waiting for her to clink the edge of her glass to mine. Rosa lifted her glass, but didn’t tap it against mine.
“Or,” Rosa said, tugging her glass back into her chest, “it’ll begreatnews and we can continue celebrating.” She wiggled her brows. Ever the voice of reason, she was.
I snorted. “My luck isn’t that good.” But it was nice of her to believe in me. At least one of us did.
“Okay,” she said, reaching into my purse, pulling out my phone, and setting it between us. “But if you change your mind, I’ll leave this right here.”
I groaned as I sipped my wine, the glass amplifying the sound like I was in an echo chamber. “Not likely to happen. But thank you for being you.”
She smiled and repeated our mantra back to me. “Thank you for being you.” We’d said this to each other at least once a week since we became best friends when we both moved here five years ago. I thanked God daily for the Craigslist ad that had allowed us to become roommates for two years. Her eyes drifted over my shoulder, landing briefly behind me. If I had to guess, she was flirting. Rosa was very good at flirting. Unlike me…I mean, I brought my A-game to the professional flirting I did on stage four times a week, but back in real life I was burned out.
