Got Me Singing...

Part one: The Audition

"Next!" I heard the casting director call from the room next door. That's where the auditions for Jaafar's music video were being held. There were two other girls ahead of me before my turn. Despite this being my first time doing something like this, I honestly felt like I had it in the bag. "You can do this, Julissa. Don't get nervous now," I told myself to calm down.
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Thirty minutes later, it's my turn to step into the audition room. The room is incredibly bright, thanks to the ring lights focused on me. At this point, I feel confident.

"Hello everyone," I say with a smile. "My name is Julissa, I'm twenty-five years old, and I'm auditioning for the leading lady role."

Immediately after my introduction, I hear a soft, male voice behind the brightness of the lights. "You are very beautiful, Julissa," it says. I adjust my eyes to see who this compliment is from. After a moment, I spot Jaafar approaching me with his hand out to greet me.

"Thank you," I say, a slight smirk forming at the corner of my mouth. His skin feels incredibly smooth against my hand, almost making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Have you ever been in a music video before?" His voice draws me back into the moment.

"Um... no, I haven't. I hope that's not a problem..."

Jaafar lets out a heartfelt chuckle.

"Haha, no. It's okay. This is actually my first time putting out a song and now getting ready to film a video for it."

"So," I ask, "have you had any favorites so far in the audition? I'm pretty sure another girl or two must have caught your eye." We hold our gaze for what seemed like an eternity until the casting director walked towards us.

"Alright, Julissa. Let's get started."
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The next few days were filled with stress. All I could think about was Jaafar and whether I would receive a call back. I kept replaying the moment he touched my hand, the softness of his skin, and the warmth of his voice. I didn't want to overthink things, but I couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same connection as I did. I was already getting ahead of myself, drawn to something about him.

As I began to start dinner, my phone rang on the counter nearby. I picked it up and was greeted by a warm voice on the other end.

"Julissa?"

My heart skipped a beat before I could answer.

"Jaafar... is that you?"

There was that familiar chuckle from him.

"Haha, yeah. I wanted to call you personally to let you know that I chose you—we chose you to be the leading lady for my 'Got Me Singing' music video. Will you accept?"

I felt my cheeks heat up as I silently jumped for joy.

"Y-yes! I mean, yes. I do accept." I didn't know if he could hear me smiling through the phone, but I assumed he did.

"Great! I'm so happy to hear that! Meet me at the dance studio building tomorrow morning at 8:30, okay?"

"I definitely will, Jaafar. Thank you for choosing me."

"Anytime," he said.

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I ensured to wake up an hour and a half before heading to rehearsal to avoid being late on the first day. For the next few hours, we brainstormed ideas for the video. Sean, the casting director, has both Jaafar and me practicing our interactions.

"I was thinking it could be a game of hard-to-get, if you will. Jaafar, you're so smitten with her that you don't mind the pursuit. And Julissa, you're attracted to him, but you don't want to appear too easygoing about it." As Sean explains his idea, I can't help but chuckle to myself. He's perfectly capturing how I feel about J in real time. Our interactions, the flirting, and the undeniable chemistry we share on set are all undeniable. However, I'm here to do my job and be professional. I have to keep that in mind. Jaafar nods in agreement and shares a few of his own ideas. "I'm open to anything as long as Julissa feels at ease." He turns to me and gives a shy, genuine smile. "I'm very comfortable," I say to both of them. "Well then," Sean clears his throat, noticing J and I locked in a gaze, "let's get started."