evermore: a short story collection

gold rush

I was rushing. I thought I had given myself enough time, but I was still getting used to LA traffic, and the studio lot where my call time was in exactly three minutes was massive. I was rushing and that's how I ended up slamming straight into a man. I rebounded comically off his broad chest, my planner, script, and notes flying everywhere. I scrambled around frantically stuffing the loose papers into my bag as fast as I could. The man handed me a few papers and I began to mumble an apology when I finally looked into his face and saw exactly who it was I had nearly run over.

It was Chris Carr. The Chris Carr, the superhero-series-star turned silver-screen-darling, the Chris Carr who every teenage girl had as her phone background , that Chris Carr. His golden curls were still bouncing from our collision, falling into place on his forehead like dominoes.

"What must it be like to grow up that beautiful?" I wondered to myself.

"Excuse me?" he asked. Chris Carr's face had a puzzled smile.

"What?" I said, confused. Then I gasped, and slammed my hand over my mouth. "Oh my god, did I say that out loud?" I mumbled against my fingers. My cheeks flamed red.

"I have to say I'm flattered," Chris Carr said, laughing.

"I'm so sorry," I said again. "I'm mortified."

"Don't be," he smiled kindly. "I'm Chris," he said, sticking out his hand, "And believe me, growing up was a state of constant mortification."

Now it was my turn to smile as I shook his hand. I couldn't imagine the charismatic man in front of me ever doing anything embarrassing.

"I'm Dor-" I stopped. "Call me Thea."

"Well then Thea, I hope to see you around the lot. Promise me you'll take care of yourself?" Chris said with a wink. I could only nod in response, and I gulped down air when he turned and walked away.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Thankfully, Chris wasn't on my set; he was likely playing the leading man in the next blockbuster romance somewhere else on the studio lot. My scenes went off without a hitch. When I got home, my roommates wanted to hear all about how it had gone, and I happily shared my success. They were a captive audience, so I casually mentioned my running into Chris. I shrugged as if I didn't care, but I couldn't help smiling at their squeals of excitement. Later in my room, I scoured my social media to see if I had ever DM'ed Chris anything, and I deleted a few embarrassing thirst tweets about him. I resolved to keep Chris out of my imagination, to not turn his life into folklore in my mind. If I was going to see actors like him around, I had to keep it professional. I couldn't dare to dream about Chris anymore.

*****************************

Six months, a few commercials, and a three episode arc on a CW show later, and I was back on the studio lot where I had run into Chris. I allowed myself to linger in the memory only because my agent had told me he was rumored to have been cast as the male lead in the movie I was auditioning for today. I'd been through a few rounds of callbacks with the casting director, and now was here for a chemistry test with the male lead for the director Vince Matthews. The true crime script was fascinating, but more than that, a Vince Matthews movie would be career-making. A fact my agent didn't stop reminding me of as she called just to 'check-in,' asking if I knew my lines backward and forward, pointedly asking if I needed something new to wear to the audition. She didn't need to worry; I felt lucky that I had even gotten this far and I was doing whatever I could to get the part. Just as I was getting myself all worked up with nerves, the casting director peeked her head out of the door.

"We're ready for you, Thea." She smiled warmly and I put on my biggest pageant smile as I followed her into the audition room.

"Thea, this is Vince Matthews, the director of No Body, No Crime, and Tyler Swift, the producer." she gestured to two men sitting at one end of the room.