I Think I Love You •Chaennie•

Chapter 14

Rosé's POV

I run my fingertips around the edge of the sleeve on my now empty Starbucks cup, staring at the chair and trying to catch my breath. It's one thing to pretend to know what I'm doing in front of Tae and Kai, but now we're auditioning professional actors. What if they see right through me?

It doesn't help that I can't stop thinking about Jennie's hand, her cold fingers pressed against mine. And then the way she wrapped her arm around me on the carousel. It's all enough to make me never inhale again. My head spins.

I glance at the camera to cover my agitation. The room we rented for two hours to hold our auditions is more of a box than a room, with beige walls and a beige carpet. I can't quite tell if the carpet started out beige or if it got that way from years of coffee spills. The only window is so small that it doesn't let in much light. All in all, it's not making us look super professional. At least we have Jennie's fancy camera to add some pizzazz to the situation.

My phone vibrates, sliding on the plastic fold-up table we're sitting behind, and I reach over to stop it. When I read Jennie's name on the screen, my breath catches.

JENNIE: How's casting going?

ROSÉ: trning to beat out the competition?

ROSÉ: *trying

My hands are shaking so much, I correct four typos before I hit send, and one still makes it through.

"Should I bring in the first person?" Tae asks.

I nod shakily.

"It's gonna be fine," he says. "They're all more nervous than you are."

I swallow. "This has to go well."

"It's going to be great," Tae says. He smiles at me, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm worried she'll think we're babies," I say, twisting my fingers together. What if she doesn't take us seriously?

"Nice to know that's how you see us," Tae says.

"I didn't mean-"

"Sorry we're not as cool as your French film friends," he mutters.

I swallow. No matter how hard I try, I always end up on the outside with him nowadays.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay," Tae says.

"Well, go tell" -I glance at our spreadsheet of appointments- "Amanda Fales that she can come in."

Kai jogs out of the room, and I check my phone as soon as the door swings shut behind him. My phone lights up again, and I snatch it.

JENNIE: well, I was going to sabotage you, but now that I know you can't even spell trying, I feel like I don't have to.

I grin, the way I always do these days when Jennie's name lights up my phone screen, but before I can text her back, Kai returns with a thirty something woman who might be playing the mom in my script, which is less a script and more a vague outline that has left lots of room for improvisation. I lean into my chair, one hand still resting lightly around my coffee, like I've done this a million times. Like I'm not feeling pinpricks up and down my whole body.

"Hi, Amanda," I say. Tae shoots me a look, and I realize that I've put on a light French accent. I clear my throat, but it feels like it's too late to lose it now. "I'm Rosé. I'll be reading with you. Whenever you're ready."

She rattles off the first line without looking down at the printout in front of her, and I scramble through my papers to read the rest of the scene with her. She's pretty good, even if she's not playing the mom character quite mean enough.