Some Love was Made for the Lights

1 : Casting Call

"Maybe this will give you a hint... As if being a teen isn't scary enough, try going to school on Ghost Ship High!" Caroline recited the idiotic slogan that had once been plastered on posters and ads across North America in a ridiculous voice.

"Wait, is that Arlo Fletcher-Pine?" Ellie leaned closer to the photo again as Caroline moved her hand away. 

"Sure is." Caroline cackled. "The teen heartthrob's all grown up, it would seem. I'd heard he was attempting some sort of comeback, I just had no idea he was trying for an acting gig. I would've thought he'd be done with TV."

"Huh." Ellie stared at Arlo's face, able to see the resemblance now that she was looking for it. His face has lost its baby fat, but had kept the rest of its appeal. "What do you think? Should we bring him in?"

"Ellie, darling, beautiful innocent soul. It's fucking Arlo Fletcher-Pine. Do you know what this could do for the show? I think we have to."

Ellie scrunched her nose in disgust. "I'm not hiring him because he's famous, Caro."

"Don't look so offended. I'm not suggesting you throw aside your artistic integrity or anything. Jesus. But at least bring him in. See what he's got."

Ellie made a face at the photo in front of her.

"You never know, El," Caroline wheedled. "He does have a bit of a...what did you call it? Poncy guy in your MFA look?"

"Pretentious. Pretentious guy in your MFA." She sighed. "And alright, we'll bring him in."

Surprise #2: The reality of Arlo Fletcher-Pine in the flesh was a very different, very distressing story than what Ellie had imagined from his headshot. He was, embarrassingly (if Ellie was being honest, and she always at least tried to be), her seventh grade dream boyfriend personified. The perfectly styled hair from his headshot had clearly been smoothed into submission for the photo, because in real life it stuck up stubbornly in all directions. The smirk had been replaced with a warm smile, and his eyes were kind in a way she had rarely encountered in Hollywood. He could charm the pants off the whole entire world without even trying, Ellie thought. He was the type of guy who showed up early for your house-warming party with your favourite bottle of wine, she mused, and insisted on helping unpack the last few boxes.

"Oh my god," Ellie groaned, collapsing onto the table in front of her the second the door had slipped shut behind Arlo after his audition. (He would make sure it didn't slam, the complete jerk.) "I cannot believe every single piece of journalism ever written about Arlo Fletcher-Pine mislead me so thoroughly." She had done a lot of research in the days between discovering his headshot and his audition. "Untalented, they said. Former child actor grasping at straws to make a comeback, they said. Boyish charm, they said." She rolled her head to the side to look despairingly at Caroline, who was sitting next to her and clearly fighting a losing battle to hide her amusement. "Did you see that smoulder? There was nothing boyish about that smoulder." 

Caroline gave up and laughed. "Are you swooning? I would never have guessed a former teen heartthrob would be your achilles heel. Should I fetch the smelling salts?"

Ellie groaned into her folded arms and pushed herself up to sit normally. "No, it's fine, I'm fine. I can handle this. I can— He's just good looking. And stupidly charismatic. Nothing I haven't dealt with before." She took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm a professional. He's a professional. We can be...professional about this."

"Right. Easy peasy," Caroline said, with a consoling and probably more-than-mildly sarcastic pat on her arm. "And good thing too, because he was also very good."

"Okay, thank you, I was really hoping I hadn't imagined that in some kind of lust-fuelled haze."

"Nope. Surprising though it may be, that was real, actual acting talent we just saw." Caroline shuffled through the notes and headshots on the table in front of her, considering. "He might actually be in my top five for Miles."