Soulmate

Chapter 8

September, 1995

Catherine woke up at the sound of the alarm clock. She quickly showered, dressed and left for the film set. She didn't have time for breakfast, but figured she would eat something once she got there. The first season of the series he was in had been a moderate success, so the production company had given the green light for a second season.

About a week ago, she had returned from spending a few weeks in Florida with Kevin. That was how they had been doing it for the last two years; the one who had the most time off would go visit the other.

Once on set, she was told to go to the makeup chair. Catherine was usually in a good mood and chatting with the makeup artists and hairdressers, but that day something was bothering her: the day before, she had called Kevin on the phone several times, and he hadn't picked up at any point. She knew that the guys were starting to record their first album, and that they were very busy, but still...

Catherine decided to push those thoughts away from her and concentrate on her performance. As she made her way to the set, she heard someone call her out . She turned and saw Malcolm Austin, the show's top producer, standing next to a guy who must have been about her age, rather tall, with brown hair, light blue eyes, a sharp chin and a bright smile.

"He looks like a brown-haired Ken." Catherine thought as she approached the two men.

Once Catherine approached, Malcolm put his hand on top of the guy's shoulder and smiled. " Mike, this is Catherine, the girl I told you about." then he turned to look at Catherine, causing her to smell his scent of tobacco mixed with aftershave and rum. "Cathy, my dear, this is Mike Reid. He's going to be playing Luke, your character's love interest."

Mike Reid. She had heard that name before. He had appeared in a few teen movies, always playing the love interest of the main character. It was well-known that he was quite talented, and that he also was Malcom's "spoiled child". One of Catherine's co-stars, who had worked with him before, claimed that his outer beauty was inversely proportional to his inner beauty. That underneath those pretty eyes, that shiny hair and that seductive smile, there was a narcissistic, rude and evil brat.

She and Mike greeted each other and then walked together to the set. They shot several scenes together. They had a good chemistry, and judging from the little Catherine had been able to talk to him, he didn't seem unpleasant.

A while later, at lunchtime, Mike sat down next to her and they chatted. She told him about her life, and he told her a lot about himself: that he was from LA, that he started acting at the age of seven in a series his mother worked on, that his parents were quite wealthy... Catherine thought he was a little self-centered, but she didn't think much about it.

A while later, just when Catherine was about to get up from the table, Mike held her hand.

"Catherine, can I ask you something?"

"Well...sure. What is it?" she asked, sitting back in the chair.

"You see, this is my first time in New York, and I don't know any good places to go out. And I had thought, since you're from around here, that maybe you could join me. We could have a drink or two and then, you know..." he said, his voice soft as he smiled.