Page 160 of The Failed Audition

“The circus and you,” he whispers, “amour amour.”

Two loves. Two passions. At perfect balance.

I finally feel it too.

ACT FIFTY

“Are you single?!” the new hostess asks us. Erin, the aspiring model, quit last week. She decided to fly out to New York for job opportunities, Camila said.

Nikolai has his arm around my waist, but in the dark corridor of The Red Death, it’s hard to see anything but the stack of red, blue, and green glow sticks.

“She’s with me,” Nikolai says lowly, collecting the green glow necklaces from the box himself and snapping one behind my neck before he clasps his own. He holds the black curtain open for me, the club in full swing, red strobe lights sweeping the grinding bodies.

I’m just happy the air conditioning works.

“Will they swarm you?!” I ask Nik over the music when we descend into the club. Usually people flock him and start shouting his name, but this is my first time entering by his side since I’m in Amour now (I’ll never be used to that phrase). I’m not sure how much time he has before the mad rush of spectators.

“Not yet,” he tells me. I barely catch his words through the pop music. “We didn’t enter through the back.”

Good. I have time to see Camila before he begins his after-show. I sidle to the bar, Nikolai’s hand on the small of my back.

“Thora!” Camila calls, waving little toothpick flags in celebration. “You were amazing!”

“Hey!” I shout back, squeezing between two stools. “You saw the show?” I thought she had to work. She said that all the girls at The Red Death asked for the night off, wanting to spot Ryke Meadows, the celebrity, so he could sign their boobs. The way Camila reiterated the story—interjectingI am insanely attracted to him, he speaks Spanish, he’s my soul mate—I knew she would’ve joined their mission.

She leans forward in a low whisper. “Okay, don’t tell, but I told John to film like a five-second clip.” She raises her hands with the flags. “I know it’s illegal,butit’s so short and you mostly see John’s finger and him muttering,this is such a fucking bad idea.”

Her impersonation is spot on. “You sound just like him.”

She claps her hands. “Shots!”

I notice that she no longer has a red glow necklace. She wears a blue one like a crown. “What happened?” I ask her, gesturing to the necklace.

“I broke up with Craig,” she says while she pours tequila into six shot glasses. “I can do better.” I’m happy that she’s come to realize it too.

Nikolai leans against the bar, searching the crowds from afar. I bet he’s looking for his little brother.

“So did they give you a suite yet?” Camila asks.

“Yeah,” I say. “They gave me a key yesterday.” I now officially have my own place at The Masquerade, a floor above Nikolai’s. “It’s…”surreal.I wish I had something better to say, but this seems like the most accurate word, for however redundant.

“You better be here for the full year!” Camila shouts over a new song, scrounging for the lime.

“I will be!” I tell her. My contract ends in one year. It’ll only be renewed if the directors like me enough, and even then, The Masquerade can shut down Amour at any time. I try not to think too hard about the logistics. It’s the storm that hasn’t passed yet, and I’m choosing to bask beneath the sun.

Camila starts sliding shots. “This is theyou deserve a thousand standing ovationsshot.” She pushes it to me, and my chest swells. “Theoh my God, look at that handsome fellow next to youshot.” She passes it to Nikolai. He gives her a look. Camila is the best bartender, an immediate friend. “Thethanks for being the best roomie I’ve ever hadshot.” Another for me.

“Theyou’re certifiably insane and could have cracked your fucking head openshot.” That is John. He steals that shot and drinks it before Camila even slides it over.

His cousin is not amused. “You just drank a celebratory shot. That was not for you.” She swats his wrist.

“I’m celebrating the fact that Thora is alive right now. And it’s a fucking miracle if you ask me.”

“Thanks, John,” I say with a smile, and he toasts to that with another shot.

Camila growls in frustration. “You just downed theJohn Ruiz is a gloomy, pessimistic—”

“Old man,” Timo finishes with a blinding smile. He slings his arm around John’s shoulders. Camila’s lips immediately rise with mine. It’s hard not to smile at the sight of them, both wearing green glow necklaces.

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