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It had been a few months since Josh was cast, and Katarina still had not met him.
Gelsey, Paul, Brittain, Amber, and Nick had met him, but now it was time for Lucas, Katarina, and Nicholas to meet him. Katarina was bouncing on the couch next to Lucas, and Nicholas glanced over at her.
"You're so nervous, aren't you?" He asked Katarina, who nervously smiled and looked back over at the door, waiting for it to open. Lucas's arms were extended over the back of the couch, and he was sitting next to Katarina, and Nicholas was sitting next to the couch on a chair.
Josh was coming over to Lucas's apartment, and then the four of them were going out to eat for dinner. Fidgeting with her hands, Katarina hadn't mentioned to anyone but Lucas that she'd been a fan of Josh's for the past six years, ever since she'd first listened to one of his albums.
She was too embarrassed to tell any of her other cast mates, and now she was going to meet Josh. A knock came to the door, and Lucas got up to get it, giving a small, reassuring smile to Katarina, and an excited smile to Nicholas. Opening it, Lucas exclaimed, "Josh! Hey!"
Her heart started pounding wildly, and in stepped Josh, in a dark green sweater, and dark blue denim pants, and Katarina had to bite the inside of her mouth so then she wouldn't gape at him. She'd seen him in concert three years before, and now, with the beard he'd been growing, he'd only grown even more attractive.
Nicholas stood up, and she stood up with him, and followed him nervously over to the door. Nicholas shook his hand, and Katarina awkwardly stuck out her hand, and said, "Uh, it's nice to . . . To meet you, Josh."
Josh warmly smiled at her, and shook her hand before pulling her into a hug. Her eyes were wide, and when he pulled away, she gave him another nervous smile. "It's nice meeting you!" He then turned to Lucas, and asked, "So, what's the schedule for today?"
"Well, I had planned for us to hang out here for a little bit, before heading out for some dinner," Lucas replied, and Josh nodded, and looked around the apartment. "It's a nice place you have!" He complemented, and Lucas nodded, and the group sat down on the couches.
"So, I know that rehearsals are coming up soon, and I've been meeting with Dave. I'm really excited for when we start!" Katarina instantly noticed how animated he was with his expressions, and thought about the rate her heart was going at was insane. She knew he was completely off limits; He was married.
As the conversation spanned on from different things, from families to how they became involved with the Great Comet. And then deciding what to eat for dinner, before deciding on a close restaurant, which served Chinese food.
Lucas and Nicholas walked ahead of the group, and Josh lagged behind to walk next to Katarina and talk more one-on-one with her. "Hey, Katarina. You've been a little quiet," Josh said, and she gave him a small smile, and replied, "Sorry, I'm shy and just a bit starstruck."
Josh chuckled, and replied, "I'm surprised the guys haven't fangirled intensely."
Laughing, Katarina asked, "So, had you seen the show before?"
"No, I haven't! I wish I had though, because the soundtrack's phenomenal." Josh responded, and looked ahead of them, at the city before them.
An awkward silence settled between them, and forcing herself not to look at Josh, Katarina looked at the wildly alive city. Josh was obliviously looking around at the city, not even realizing that Katarina wouldn't look at him. She knew that if she looked at him, she would continue to stare at him, and he was married. She couldn't do that.
Once they arrived, Josh offered to pay for the meal, and the rest of the group chose their dinners before sitting down. Nicholas got up to join Josh at the register, and to help him bring over the food, and Lucas leaned over to Katarina, and asked, "So, how do you like him?"
"He's really cool," Katarina awkwardly replied, "He'll make a great Pierre. And you?"
"I like him. You're right, he will make a great addition to our cast," He replied, and then the two other men came over with the food, and another awkward silence settled over them.
"So, have you read War and Peace?" Nicholas asked Josh, who shook his head, and replied, "I bought the book, but I haven't started it yet. It's a bit intimidating . . . "
"That's what I thought before I read it, but once you do start reading it, it's completely addicting," Katarina exclaimed, grinning at the group. "I take every chance I get to rave about it, if I'm honest."
"I can tell," Josh replied, chuckling as he looked over at her. The joy of talking about her favorite book practically radiated off of her, and Josh couldn't help but smiling a bit as he went back to eat his food.
By the end of the night, Nicholas had taken a Lyft back home, and Josh was going to walk back to Lucas's apartment with Katarina and Lucas before heading home. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Josh looked at Katarina, and asked, "How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I'll be 25 on New Years Eve," She replied, looking over at Josh. "And you?"
"I'll turn 36 next February, so 35." He responded, and Lucas unlocked the front door to his apartment, opening the doorway to Katarina. "Well, I'll be on my way now," Josh said, and waved at the two of them. "It was great meeting you, and I can't wait to work with you!"
"We can wait," Lucas joked, and Katarina laughed and said, "Oh my gosh! Don't be mean!"
Josh laughed as well, and waved again to them, before turning and walking towards the parking spot he'd parked in. Lucas and Katarina came into the apartment, and closing the door behind him, Lucas turned to her, and asked, "So?"
"I can't fucking touch him. Not again," Katarina groaned, sitting down on the couch and covering her eyes. "All we did was shake hands, and I . . . Oh god, Lucas, knock some sense into me right now."
Sitting next to her, he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close. "Just get it out, go ahead," He replied, and Katarina made another noise of embarrassment again.
And so she turned to Lucas, and started telling him her feelings about Josh.
