Kismet

7 | Rehearsal

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Alicia

Alicia wanted to watch the rehearsal, but she knew she couldn't look Raven in the eyes. Things between them in the hallway quickly grew bizarre, and she found their kiss to be creepy. She just didn't think it would be very important. She questioned whether Raven was as anxious as she appeared to be. When she awoke at Raven's house, the woman had disappeared.

She just vanished, as if she couldn't get out soon enough.

It was clear that she didn't want to remember the kiss. Raven said she didn't like kissing her co-stars behind closed doors. Still, she and Alicia went through with it.

Alicia didn't like getting this close to someone, especially since she wasn't sure what she was looking for. Her subconscious reasoned that she deserved humiliation. And boy, did she indulge in self-pity.

When she looked at Raven, it was like fire ants were on her skin. It took her a while to get over the kiss. She would mess up the entire practice if she didn't learn to control her anxiety. It was time for them to get going. Was she strong enough to handle this without erupting in a fit of despair?

She crossed her fingers that this scene would go as smoothly as possible.

Alicia took a peek at Raven while she watched a scene with their other co-star, Nancy. She changed into the fiery persona of her role, Aryn, and it reflected in her demeanor. Her words were short. Her face didn't show that she was happy or awkward. Alicia would have laughed at how gloomy Raven appeared if she didn't look so natural while acting.

Alicia noticed her mouth lightly open. Lips she touched. Lips she was going to kiss again. And lips she wanted to kiss all the time.

She felt her heart beat fast when she thought about that. Why did she want this? Was she truly beginning to like Raven?

She gazed all over Raven's body. It wasn't that Alicia didn't think she was attractive. Everything felt warm and inviting with her. Erotic. Heavenly.

Heavenly? That word is now in my vocabulary. How serious was I about her?

She needed to get over her crush on her co-star. Fast.

It wasn't fun to like someone at work who might not like you in return. It was awkward. She became sick when she saw Raven leave the set after her scene was over. What was making her feel so strange? Even though she didn't want to date a colleague, she couldn't help but want to kiss and hug Raven badly.

Maybe it had been too long since she'd experienced physical closeness with another person. How lonely was she? All Alicia needed, she reasoned, was a lover. Maybe a girlfriend. She remembered a former employee named Dani who was close with La Rouge's owner, Kevin Gerard.

But she instantly dismissed that idea. Dani had a girlfriend, and Alicia had no intention of ruining a good relationship. That wasn't like her one bit.

To distract herself from her feelings for Raven, Alicia contemplated visiting one of the many LGBT bars in the area. Even with that thought, she knew it was a long shot to find someone genuine.

"Alicia?"

Imani's voice, the screenwriter, startled her, and Alicia accidentally dropped her manuscript everywhere.