No Rules To Love

Chapter Twenty Six:

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Hunter squeezed my hand, reassuring me. "I've not heard of anyone that rehearses for an audition as much as you, so you will smash it."

"Thank you." I chuckled, squeezing his hand back.

"Maybe we could, I don't know, meet up after the audition?" Hunter asked. "Like we could go to a restaurant or something and you could tell me about your audition."

I smiled a wry grin at him. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"A date." Hunter smiled. "Yes, that is exactly what I'm asking."

"Well, in that case, I would love to go on a date with you."

By this point, we had reached the apartment, and we were both standing outside my door. We were both reluctant to leave each other.

Hunter grinned in relief as I accepted his offer of a date. "Great! Well, I'll pick you up at — shall we say — 8:00?"

"That sounds like a great idea." I smiled.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled at me as he bent down and placed a light kiss on my lips. The touch of our lips still sent butterflies exploding in my stomach.

"See you tomorrow." I smiled.

We said our final goodbyes, and I entered the apartment with a huge grin on my face. I briefly greeted Ashley before dancing to my bedroom to put my bag back. I then glided back into the living room.

"I take it you saw Hunter today," Ashley said from her spot on the couch.

"What makes you say that?" I asked, with a ghost of a smile still on my lips, as I plonked myself on the sofa next to my best friend.

"Oh, I don't know, just the fact that you're in the best mood ever." Ashley retorted. Her tone was dry. "You're always in this mood when you've seen Hunter."

"Oh," I muttered, still trying to fight the smile at the mention of Hunter.

Ashley chuckled again. "But you seem even happier than usual."

"That was because he asked me out on a date."

That excited Ashley to no end as she sat up on the couch, and her eyes grew wide. "Another date? Yay!" Yes, she actually said 'yay'. "When are you going? Where are you going?"

I tried to answer Ashley's questions in order. "Yes, another date. Tomorrow night and to a restaurant."

"That sounds so romantic! We have to talk about outfits!"

"We can do, but I have to do something very important first," I told Ashley. She looked at me, confused. "I have to rehearse for my audition!"

Ashley gasped and stood up in shock. "Of course!"

***

Today was the day. The day of the call-back.

I wasn't as nervous as I was at the first audition. I had already been through the process and I had already met the audition panel, so that put me at ease slightly. But that didn't stop the nervous energy from surrounding me as soon as I woke up that morning.

I woke up a few hours before the actual audition so I would have enough time to prepare myself. Once more, I grabbed my bag and made sure that I had everything I needed in it. I had a healthy breakfast and performed some vocal exercises. It was halfway through those exercises that a sleepy Ashley came trudging out of her bedroom. It looked like she was in search of a morning snack.

We talked for a little while before she wished me luck. With a firm hug and a peck on my cheek, I was out of the door and on my way.

I started the walk to Pineapple Dance Studios and my earphones went in my ears straight away. Before I could play any music, my phone pinged, indicating that I had received a text. I fished my phone from my bag and read the text.