From Fall to Winter

Chapter 16

"Um, Cillian?"

"Oh, so you're the lucky lady! Yeah he's in his dressing room."

"Oh I'm not Angela, I'm just a friend."

She was embarrassed. "Yes, yes of course I'm so sorry."

Does he not talk about her. Show them a picture? There's no way I could have ever gotten confused for Angela. Now things were awkward. Well, at least I was making it awkward.

"So un where's the-."

"Yes yes! It's just that way."

I whispered thank you. Or at least I think. I zoomed out of her sight so fast I didn't even know.

There was only room down the narrow dimly lighted hallway. If I'm being honest this is straight out of a nightmare I once had.

I clutched my bag and I don't know why. I had my cellphone but I had limited international minutes. I just sped up and quickly knocked his door. Imagine if he wasn't there and I was just standing at the end of this hallway waiting for my killer to corner me. I kept my back to the door to make sure no one was behind me, but I felt the breeze of the door opening.

He was now in regular clothes. A navy button up shirt and indigo jeans. Hair undone. He leaned his body on the side of the door frame.

"Hey thespian."

He chuckled and moved aside.

I walked in to his less than glamorous dressing room. As dimly lighted as the hallway. Now fancy broadway mirrors with vanity lights. No rack full of costumes. Just a small table, a couch, and a hook for his costume.

I chose the couch.

"You were amazing."

"Thank you thank you. It wasn't too much?"

"Just enough."

He pulled a beer from underneath the table and handled it to me.

"It's a nice theater you got here."

"It is. It's just the community theatre but we make do."

"It's crazy how you have been able to this along with school and wedding business."

"Ah yes. Well I've been reading Shakespeare since high school so it was just another thing I could do."

This meant a lot to you. Why are you hiding it?

I just nodded and smiled. He sat next to me. I held my beer with both hands like it was the first time I was going to a high school party with alcohol. I sat awkwardly. In the same fashion, I turned halfway to him, half way to the door. So I can make a clean getaway just in case. He did the same.

"So how have you been."

Really? Same questions as yesterday?

"I'm good. Like I said yesterday."

I turned back and fell back onto the couch.

"I'm fine. Absolutely fine. I have a job. I have friends. I'm going to get my teaching license. I'm stopped smoking, I don't know if I mentioned that yesterday."

He copied me and fell back onto the couch as well.

"I stopped smoking too."