First in Line | Drew Starkey

chapter four.. wine guy

"Olivia, right? We met yesterday." Drew said with a slight smile on his lips.

"Did you find another pack of chicken?" I took a moment to look at him.

He was wearing a black sweatshirt and sweatpants. This morning there was no hat on top of his brown hair, which laid flat on his head.

"Unfortunately, no, I gave the best to you." He joked.

A wide smile was on his face, and I couldn't help but admire him. The way his face glowed when a smile was on his lips was too dreamy. He made it seem effortless. I jokingly rolled my eyes laughing with him.

"Now my chicken casserole just won't taste the same." He continued his teasing.

"What's this I hear about a chicken casserole?" I raised my eyebrow.

"It's the best damn casserole in the world!" He beamed. I knew he wasn't joking, from the way he was looking at me with a sense of pride. It was cute. He went into detail about what goes in it. He stopped himself halfway through adding, "I can't tell you everything at once, this recipe's a tip-top secret."

"It sounds delicious." I complimented.

"It's my mom's recipe, I can't take the credit." His hand went to his hair, disheveling it a bit.

A comfortable silence fell between us. I glanced down at my phone and saw we still had 20 minutes. I rummaged through my bag, finding my pack of gum, and unwrapped a piece, placing it into my mouth. I held out a stick to him and he took it. His hand barely grazing mine, but the butterflies of course went crazy.

"Are you free tonight?"

I looked up at Drew a little off guard, and before responding he quickly added "I could make the casserole for you?" The corner of his mouth went up into a smirk.

"That sounds delicious." I reached out my hand for his phone. He pulled up his contacts and I typed in my name and number.

"Liv?" he questioned, "I've been calling you Olivia." Hinting that he thought he had been calling me by the wrong name.

"No, you're right." I laughed. "My friends call me Liv."

I looked up at him smiling, for the first time I took in his height. I was by no means tall, standing at 5'4 so most everyone is taller than me anyway, but Drew had to be at least 6'2. The top of my head barely reaching his broad shoulders. I could smell his cologne and the faint scent of cigarettes, an interesting, but wildly attractive combo. 

"I guess we should get in there now," Drew said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Don't be nervous. Everyone is really nice you have nothing to worry about!"

He stepped in front of me and opened the door, stepping to the side signaling me to go in. As we walked into the room eyes were on us, but soon dipped back to their own conversations or phones. I scanned the room and found the section I was supposed to be in. Drew walked by me and positioned himself in the front, sitting with Rudy and Austin.

*****

The day so far has been really good. It was already 2 in the afternoon, and our wardrobe department has been slammed with planning outfits, taking measurements. So far, Emmie had me taking notes on everyone we fitted so we could go back and reference the ideas and plans for outfits.

We had to do this for every cast member and some of the extras, but Emmie said most of the time we would style extras as they come in for filming since they change out a lot. Like Drew said, everyone was really nice and chill. We haven't fitted Drew yet, but every time our trailer door opened, I caught myself looking up and hoping it would be his tall figure coming into view.

After another hour went by, we luckily had time to eat a quick bite. Our food was provided for the first day to kick off things. The salad was one of the best I've ever had. The vegetables were fresh, and the homemade vinaigrette was tangy but sweet.

One of the other interns, Kelly, was really nice and we have a lot in common. She has beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes and is also a senior in college. While we were talking over lunch, she mentioned that she hasn't found a place yet. Luckily, I have an extra room in my place. It would help a lot to have someone else renting that space from me once I take overpaying. Hopefully, by the weekend she'll stop by and look at the place.

Once I finished my salad I put the lid on and dropped it into the trashcan. Simultaneously, the trailer door opened, and finally, the person I had been waiting to see again was standing beside me.

"Fancy seeing you here." Drew joked.

"Drew's always trying to be a little comedian around here," Emmie interjected. "It's about time you made your way over here." Emmie placed her hands behind his shoulders, lightly pushing him towards our work area. "Take a seat. Let's talk about the direction we're headed into with Rafe this season."

I walked back over to where my laptop was sitting and joined them. I located Rafe's folder, so I could start in the notes. Emmie mentioned all of her ideas for Rafe. I don't know what it was, but it was enjoyable to see how intently Drew paid attention to everything. His face was serious, and you could tell he was soaking in everything Emmie was showing him. His jawline was sharp, and periodically I could see it clench when he was focusing in on something. He even threw in his own input at times.

"I hope you're getting hungry," Drew said as he rejoined me at the table. I was just finishing up the final notes on his fitting. He tugged off his sweatshirt, revealing a graphic tee underneath. The bottom of his shirt came up as he pulled his sweatshirt over, revealing his happy trail and abs. I could feel my cheeks getting red, so I quickly looked back to my computer hoping he, or no one else, caught me staring.

"Is there anything I can bring?" I asked him while I hit command S on my keyboard, saving the file.

"Just yourself." His smile was soft.

"Let me at least bring something," I begged. I hated coming to things empty-handed. "I can bring beer or wine?" I added, Drew raised one of his eyebrows, "Are you trying to get me drunk?" he teased.

My cheeks reddened again, "Maybe? Maybe not?" I decided to tease back. His smile grew, obviously liking the banter. "Well... if you're insisting I like Michelob Ultras or any kind of wine."

"You've got it! Will you text me the address?"

I closed my laptop, praying he was the last one for me today since 4 was nearing, which meant my 12 hour workday should be ending.

"Yeah for sure. I live off of 2nd and West. I don't know if you're familiar with the city yet, but it's the building with the-

"the blue striped awning?" I cut him off.

"Wait yeah exactly" he laughed, "how did you know that?"

"Super weird, but I think we happen to live in the same building," I said slowly, turning to give him my full attention.
"What a small world." Drew smiled, "it actually makes sense, though, if you think about it. We met at the Publix a couple of blocks down too." I nodded my head in agreement. "Well, it should be fairly easy to find my way tonight. Just let me know the door number" I laughed.

"Oh, by the way," Drew started, "I live with Chase, Rudy, and Austin, but all of them should be out tonight."

What did that mean? Like a heads up? Was he expecting more than just casserole and wine? I didn't get that vibe from him, but you never know.

"Oh okay. I'll see you later then." I quickly said, getting up to go pack my things.

I could tell Drew could sense something was off with me now, but I chose to ignore it, and start my walk back home.