Three's Company

2.07 | Two Worlds in One Room

Two Worlds in One Room

surprising: [ser-prahy-zing, suh-]; adjective; causing surprise, wonder, or astonishment.

"What, you didn't think I would show?"

Ethan couldn't help but laugh at Nova's face when he saw her walk into the auditorium after school. She looked like a cross between a deer caught in headlights and an excited puppy seeing its owner for the first time that day.

"You actually came?" Nova answered his question with a question, "I didn't think that big macho jock dude would stoop to the level of us plebeians."

"For you? I'd stoop as low as you need."

There was an awkward silence following Ethan's comment, and he swallowed uncomfortably.

"So, anyways..." Nova laughed in an attempt to break the silence, "Are you auditioning for the lead?"

"Naturally." Ethan replied. "I don't think that any other role would truly fulfil my acting dreams."

"Nova Desai?" The casting director called from the stage. "You're next!"

Nova turned to look back at Ethan, "That's my cue. I'll be sure to stay and watch your audition!" She called, already running up to the stage.

"Break a leg!" Ethan replied after her. He watched Nova run up to the stage in a nervous frenzy, but the second her feet landed on the red X where everyone stood to audition, she became instantly calm. Her eyes looked over the auditorium with the ease of someone who had done this numerous times. It was the same look Ethan could sense about himself during a basketball game.

The look of a seasoned professional.

Nova began her monologue first: it was one that Ethan had memorized for his sophomore year English class, the one from Juliet to Romeo in Shakespeare's tragic love story.

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"

Ethan could hear a few snickers from behind him as he sat down, and turned to see two girls laughing at Nova's monologue.

"Everyone does that one." One of them said, rolling her eyes. "Not even creative. She's obviously new."

"Well she's clearly much more talented than you, so stop making fun of her and try to figure out how in the world you could possibly sound better than her." Ethan snapped. The girl looked taken aback, and after she seemed to register who was talking to her, her face turned bright red and she looked down at her hands.

Ethan turned back around to watch Nova, who was nearing the end of her speech.

"So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name, which is no part of thee,"

Nova's eyes seemed to find Ethan as she uttered the last line, and he held her gaze as the audience began clapping.

"Take all myself."

<><><>

"Was it alright?" Nova asked as she rushed down to meet Ethan after her audition was through, "I didn't know if the monologue worked for everything, but then I saw--" she stopped herself and changed the trajectory of that sentence quickly, "--then I saw that I was close to the end, and I figured it would all turn out alright." She grinned, hoping she hadn't made too large a fool out of herself.

"You were wonderful!" Ethan exclaimed, and Nova felt herself blush. "And I thought that Think of Me was a great song to show off your range."

"Phantom of the Opera is my favorite musical. And look at you with the musical theatre terms!" Nova laughed, "I'm deeply impressed."

"You're going to stay and watch me, right?" Ethan asked suddenly, "And be my good luck charm?"

Nova paused for a moment, attempting not to smile too wide.

"Of course." She nodded, "I would love to."

"Great!" Ethan grinned, "Because I think they just called my name." He took her hand and gave it a small squeeze. "See you on the flip side!"

Nova nodded, practically in a trance as she watched him run up to the stage and introduce himself to the casting director. Her hand still resonated with the feeling of his, and she sat down in the seat he had sat in earlier.

"Are you and Ethan like...dating?" One of the girls sitting behind her asked. Nova still wasn't acquainted with everyone and had no idea what her name was.

"No, just friends." Nova replied, smiling and turning back around to watch him. He decided to start with a song, and Nova was blown away by the sheer force and depth of his voice: he was clearly a tenor, albeit a lower one, and his vibrato was something that Nova had yet to hear on a high school-aged boy. He sang a song from Phantom of the Opera as well, opting for The Music of the Night, a song that made Nova cry whenever she listened to it.

"Night..."

As Ethan hit the high note at the very end of the song, Nova could feel the whole room holding its breath. The music ended and the audience burst out clapping, amazed at the fact that this jock knew anything about musicals, musical theatre, or singing...at all.

"That was incredible." One of the girls from behind Nova whispered.

Ethan bowed slightly and then moved on to his monologue. Nova couldn't help but giggle; they had chosen songs from the same musical and monologues from the same play.

"But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?"

The rest of the audience, Nova included, was in a trance as the gorgeous boy onstage recited the words of Romeo.
"It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That thou her maid art far more fair than she:
Be not her maid, since she is envious;"

Ethan continued to speak, and everyone else continued to be captivated. Nova had been staring at Ethan the entire time he was reciting, but his eyes met hers as he spoke the last few lines.
"The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven
Would through the airy region stream so bright
That birds would sing and think it were not night.
See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!"

Silence.

A single clap. From Nova.

And her heart started beating faster than it had when she was on that stage herself.