Coverage

Chapter 8

"Watch your back!" My roommate, Jane Khoury, struggles past me with a large duffel bag, her long, dark hair swinging. I admire Jane's golden skin. She has quite the enviable tan going and June isn't even over yet. She puts her bag down beside the front door. I've been staring at the full length mirror on the back of said door for the past half hour.  I look at my pasty arms and sigh. Jane looks at me with her hands on her hips. "You should come to the shore this weekend. You haven't been at all yet this summer. Doesn't hooking up with some greased up guido that you won't ever have to see again sound amazing?"

Then Jane laughs because she knows the juiced up guys on the Jersey Shore are not my type at all. Don't get me wrong, I like a man with muscles just fine, but generally prefer that they also have brains in their head too. A book in their hands doesn't hurt either. My mind flashes back to Fin's hands clutching my Beckett paperback and the way his fingers caressed the pages.

She waves her hand in front of my face. "Earth to Millie! So how about it? Pick up some Italian takeout to bring back to my share this weekend?"

I know Jane is being facetious so I just giggle. "While I appreciate the offer, my dear, sweet roommate you know I can't afford it. I'm paid only slightly better than your average Gap sales associate."

Jane steps into the bathroom to gather her toiletries. "What I don't understand, is that I've met some of your co-workers, and all they talk about is weekends in the Hamptons...."

"...On Mommy and Daddy's dime. And that is precisely why I'm the only RAA assistant that lives on Staten Island." I step into the doorway of the bathroom to watch as Jane picks through her travel sized containers. "Anyway, I've used these past few quiet weekends to focus on finishing up my script, so it hasn't been that bad."

Jane frowns at me as she refills the tiny bottle that is running low on conditioner. "You're not lying to me and just sitting around here doing those tedious whatchamacalits..."

"Coverages... I've explained the rubric to you at least ten times already... I provide a logline, character breakdown and synopsis, an analysis that sometimes looks for specific criteria for either actor or director and my recommendation. Essentially, it's like grading somebody else's script. And I do them because it can be helpful as a writer to read what doesn't work and find out what the industry is flooded with. Plus it's a good way to get a foot in the door with a lot of the different agents."

Jane snaps the cap back into place on her conditioner bottle, staunching the flow of my words. She points the bottle at me."One weekend off won't kill you Millie! C'mon... throw your bikini into a bag and meet me at the train after work tomorrow. I'll treat for your ticket. You can even bring your laptop with you. You know it was designed to be portable, right?"

I sigh and rest my head against the door jamb. "I know Janie and thanks for the offer but I really can't this weekend. I have to go to a client's play tomorrow night after work. And that brings me to my current dilemma..." I hold up the two dresses, each on a hanger in either hand. "Which one?" First I drape the flowing red chiffon one across my front. Then I lower the tight green cotton-sateen beneath my chin.

Jane contemplates for a moment before she decides. "Red." I put her choice down in front of my body again and walk to the mirror. Squinting at my reflection I appraise the plunging neckline. "It's not too low-cut? I do have to wear it to work all day long first..." Jane laughs. "So wear the shamrock colored one and maybe you'll get lucky..."

I roll my eyes at her. "Stop! I'm being serious Jane."

She shoves the last of her things into her duffel. "So am I! You never have any fun anymore and you need to get laid. That's why you should blow off this work thing tomorrow night and come to Jersey. Unless it's for that hottie Holden... then you should definitely attend and I don't think he'll care which dress you wear when it ends up on his bedroom floor..."

I grumble and walk back into my bedroom. Jane follows. "I've never seen you stress out so much over what to wear to work before. What's up?"

"This isn't one of Holden's shows. I need you to swear that you won't tell anybody what I'm about to tell you." I toss the dresses on my bed. Jane sits beside them. She crosses her heart. "I swear it." I pull the ticket Fin gave me out of my tote bag and stare at it. "This is a ticket for Endgame at BAM." She looks at the little piece of paper and shrugs her shoulders. "So?"

"Well, it's a one night performance that Fin Covington is in." She smiles. "Getting better. Continue." I smirk at her. "I will, if you stop interrupting." She pretends to zip her lips. I peruse the shoes on the floor of the wardrobe as I continue. "Anyway, remember how I told you a while back that we booked him on that job I suggested Eric approach him with?" I look back at Jane and she nods silently. "Well now he's in town for the summer and he came into the office a couple weeks ago to see Eric. Strangely enough by the end of the meeting, I ended up with a seat to the hottest show in town and Fin's personal number."

Jane rubs her temples then puts her hands over her mouth for a minute. Finally she drops them to her lap with a strangled noise. I laugh. "Okay you can speak now." She practically explodes with a massive exasperated sigh. "Gah! I cannot believe you have Fin Covington's number and you didn't tell me! What kind of friend are you?! Now it makes total sense why you won't ditch work tomorrow night for the Jersey Shore."

I return the ticket into my bag. Jane picks up my two dresses again and analyzes them based on the new information. "So what's he like? Is he as gorgeous in person as he is on screen?"

I take the dresses from her and hang them on the door of my open wardrobe. Suddenly I can smell him, tea and citrus. My mind flashes back to his dark brown eyes looking up at me as his fingers grazed my lip when he placed the fry between my teeth. Butterflies beat inside of me and I pretend I'm looking out of the window so Jane can't see my agitation. I stammer. "He's... he's... well he's considerate. He brought me lunch one day as a thank you. And he's polite..." Jane collapses backward on my bed and pretends to fall asleep. I grab her hand and pull her back up. "No, he's not a snooze! He's polite but it's not pretentious."

"Millie you are the only woman I know who can meet Fin Covington and talk about his manners."Jane stands up and stretches her arms over her head with a yawn. I roll my eyes. "Well he's an intellectual, has the body of a god and he's flirtatious too. If you must know, I find it nearly impossible to be in the same room with the man without imagining three different surfaces I want to have wildly passionate sex with him against..."

"That's more like it!" Jane beams at me then points toward my wardrobe. "Wear the red." She walks into the hallway but pokes her head back into my bedroom. "You can button your black cardigan over it at work and then take it off to unveil your virtues for the show." She points at my breasts, as if I can't figure out what she means.