Page 14 of A Little Bit Extra

I press end on the call. I sit in the car for a moment now that I’m parked and gather my thoughts.

Okay. I have a few hours to decompress and rest before I have to head over to Emmett’s. At least others will be there tonight, otherwise I wouldn’t have said yes. I don’t know why I agreed in the first place. I used to think that if I encountered a Hollywood actor, I would become even more anxious and withdrawn. Instead, Emmett pulls out the sassy side of me. I winked at him, for crying out loud. I don’t wink! Ever.

God, I hope it didn’t look weird. What if it looked weird and not sexy? Wait, I don’t want to go for sexy either.

Emmett is off-limits. Someone I can be friends with, but that’s it. That’s where the line gets drawn. I am mentally putting up a tall barrier as we speak. A barrier that will be impossible for either of us to break.

A knock on my window breaks me from my thoughts. I slam a hand to my chest. What is up with people today?

“Hey!” A muffled yell comes from the other side of my window. Peering to the left, I recognize that it’s just Lucy.

I grab my bag and open the door.

“Couldn’t have tapped the window any softer?” I ask.

“That wouldn’t have been as fun,” she fusses. “First day go okay?”

We walk in step to our apartment doors. Lucy is wearing her art overalls, which are all covered in various colors of paint, so I’m assuming she just came from the studio.

I nod. “Yeah, um, Emmett kind of asked me to hang out tonight?” I grimace and look over at Lucy in time to see her jaw drop. “Is that weird?”

She holds the door for me as we go in.

“What do you mean he kind of asked you to hang out?” she inquires.

I look back at her and shrug. I don’t want to see her facial expression when I tell her about my day with Emmett, so I turn back around and lead the way to our apartment.

“So, he’s kind of working there? You know that new movie?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, that’s kind of his movie. And um, he gave me a tour of his trailer and we got a little close and then he cornered me by the food table on set. They have fantastic blueberry muffins. Do you want to hear about those? I think they are the—”

“I don’t want to hear about the muffins,” Lucy interjects.

“Right, well um, so yeah where was I?” We get to our apartment, and I unlock the door to let us both in. I throw my stuff on the bench by the door and move to take a seat at the island.

“He cornered you by the food.” Lucy helps me remember.

“Right, so he cornered me with the blueberry muffins and just asked me to come over tonight. With his friends, not just him. And then I winked and—” I groan and throw my head on my hands. I lift my head up and glance at Lucy. “He didn’t seem repulsed by that. In fact, he was quite stunned.”

I place my hands on my lap to stop myself from fidgeting. Noticing Lucy's eyes locked on me, I can only assume she’s thinking of what to say. Bless her. Here I was, talking away, while she patiently listened.

One of my favorite things about Lucy is her attentiveness when someone else is talking. She’s the best listener. Since moving in with her, I’ve had my fair share of tales to share. Lots of failed auditions, bad dates, and many stories to fill her in on the drama with my mom. She also gives great advice, blunt advice, granted, but it’s ordinarily what I need. Everyone needs a friend like Lucy.

“So, let me get this straight,” Lucy finally speaks. I sit there and nod, trying my hardest not to interrupt her. Where she’s good at listening, I’m not. I’m quite the opposite. I mean, I listen, but I also want to talk. My brain competes with wanting to keep quiet and wanting to “help” by inserting my commentary.

Lucy leans on the counter, passing a drink my way. I don’t even remember her grabbing it. I think I got sidetracked while trying to tell her about my day with Emmett.

“Emmett came into the diner last night. He asks you to eat with him, you say no—”

“Because I was working.” Damn it. She’s glaring at me for interrupting. I bite my lips. I touch my pointer finger to my thumb and drag them across my lips like I’m zipping them closed. This gets a chuckle out of Lucy.

“Mhm. And then you find out he’s working at the studio, which anyone who’s anyone would have been able to tell you. You flirt with each other alone?” she asks with a raised eyebrow. I nod in confirmation. “Alone. Then he asks you to hang out. Sounds like he just wants to spend time with you? That’s not weird. He’s hot, Cass. You could have some fun, ya know, you deserve a break.” She walks around the counter, grabs a granola bar from a bowl, and sits next to me.

A sigh of relief escapes me. I could use a break, but then I’d feel like I was slacking on everything else. If I take time for myself to “have fun” like Lucy is saying, that means less time dedicated to acting. It also means less time to read my lines for upcoming auditions.

“I can see your mind thinking through everything,” Lucy says. I peer over at her.

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