Liquid Feels - Book 3 - DP Series - Complete

1. Remember Me

Seventy-two degrees and drizzly. It's like the gray clouds overhead are just spitting at me, enjoying the torment. Unfortunately for them, I'm untouchable today. I've got a boy I need to snag and this might just be the only opportunity I'll ever have to step out from under this invisibility cloak he seems to have wrapped around me. He doesn't see me... yet. But he will. Today, he will.

Puddles cover the walkways between dorm buildings, and my flip-flops smack against the wet concrete with each step I take. I'm running slightly behind, but I'm determined to get my shot. It's happening now. Auditions. I've been waiting for a moment like this since the day my eyes landed on the untouchable, Seth Vans.

I regret to say that he doesn't know I exist. I've been pining after the guy for nearly a month, and not once has he glanced my way. From what I can tell, he seems like a decent person. He's not the arrogant or scandalous type, yet the mysterious vibe radiating from him is somehow pulling me toward him. He captivates me with this serious, dark demeanor, but on the rare chance that I see his smile, my bones turn to jello. He seems like a challenge, a complex intermingling of kindness and tragedy. A walking secret.

Unfortunately, he's impossible to talk to. He has friends that he's always goofing off with, but he seems slightly caught up in his own world. Nothing outside of it can penetrate. Sometimes it feels like he has surrounded himself with a glass bubble and only he and his friends are allowed inside of it.

But today is my one chance to break through. I'm gonna show him exactly what he's missing out on by walling himself away behind familiarity. It's time for him to experience something new. It might be uncomfortable at first, but I've promised myself that I'm going to make it worth it for him. He'll never want to return to his small world again.

I shuffle through the auditorium doors, shaking the rain off my jacket, before pulling it and my scarf off my shoulders. I lay them over a chair and take a seat. Thankfully I'm not too late. People are still milling around, waiting for things to start rolling. My eyes follow Seth's movements as he chats with a few of the women who've shown up to audition. He doesn't seem all that invested in the conversations, but his eyes reflect a warmth that stirs my insides.

Ten minutes later, one of Seth's buddies, Jamison Something-or-other, steps up on the stage and hollers for us to listen to a few announcements.

"As you all already know," he begins, his dark curls bouncing as he speaks with enthusiasm, "today you'll be acting out a short segment of our movie that involves the infamous, Seth Vans, and his lovely stage girlfriend. You should already have your lines memorized, but that's not really the most important part of today. We need spark. We're looking for the girl who brings the most believable emotion to the screen. Make us cry," he says with a joking smile. "Now, we're not going to waste any time." He begins motioning all the girls forward so we're closer to the stage. "Please come line up here and we'll begin."

We all obey his orders, and I position myself to be number six. Seems like a good spot to be. Seth won't be too exhausted by the time he reaches me, but I'll still be close enough to the end that I won't be forgotten once everyone's had their turn.

I watch as the break-up scene begins playing out with the first contestant—a rather cute redhead. I'm surprised that she can actually produce a few tears, but even with the waterworks, her acting is subpar. The next girl steps up on the stage, batting her lashes at her co-star, and instantly things feel wrong. This is supposed to be a scene of two lovers ending their relationship. The way the brunette on stage is acting makes it feel like she's trying to woo a stranger.

So far I'm feeling pretty confident about myself until the fourth girl starts acting out her part. She's amazing. Her beautiful face is crumpled with devastation as Seth gently tears apart her fragile heart. Tears slip across her cheeks and she hiccups around desperate pleas of forgiveness. I watch him cup her face as he gently rejects her, and it's in that moment I know what I have to do.