Lauren stirred the cup of coffee in her hand, watching the spinning brown liquid briefly before looking up. Normani was looking at her and Lauren smiled, somewhat casually, somewhat awkwardly from across the room. Now that they were in the company of others, Lauren felt reserved. She dropped her gaze and returned to her seat, saying hello to the casting director as she passed by.
Though the previous evening had ended professionally enough, Lauren still worried about who might've seen them together and how it might have looked. She'd spent half the night berating herself for not being more careful and the other half wondering what kissing Normani might feel like. There had been other thoughts, too, mainly centered around Camila.
"You look tired," Ella Peters said suddenly. "Rough night?"
Lauren took a sip of coffee and nodded. "Didn't sleep very well."
"Had a hot boytoy in your bed?" Ella laughed and sat down beside Lauren. "Ah, to be young and beautiful."
Lauren glanced at Normani who was looking back at her, amused. She cleared her throat and turned back to the producer. "I'm afraid my bed was quite empty last night."
Ella looked as if she didn't believe Lauren, then she laughed. "Well if that's true then I'm sure it wasn't for lack of offers, eh? I heard you and that studmuffin director broke up. Shame. You two made a beautiful couple. Don't you think?" She directed the question at Normani who'd taken a seat nearby. Not waiting for the director's answer, the producer continued, "Are you still single?"
"Quite so," said Lauren.
"You know, I have a son. He's not a male model or anything, God bless him, but he's a sweetheart. I tried to set him up with that one over there," she said, motioning to Normani, "but it turns out she swings in an entirely different direction. First date didn't go quite as planned." She chuckled.
"Most awkward night ever," Normani mumbled.
Lauren bit her lip. "I'm kind of... not really looking for anyone right now," she said, hoping that was enough to deter the woman, knowing, somehow, that it wasn't.
Ella was digging into her purse. "I'll just give you his number. If you're feeling lonely when you move to New York, give him a call. He can give you a tour. You don't need to get married or anything."
Lauren accepted the piece of paper without looking at it. "Will do..."
"Okay, then," Normani said, rising suddenly, "if no one else has a son, brother or distant third cousin they want to try and set our lead actress with, let's get started."
Lauren put the guy's number away somewhere that looked like she wouldn't forget about it, though she knew she would. She missed the safety of her relationship with Adrian, realizing just then how simple it had made things.
The door opened, catching Lauren's attention. A young woman stepped in, looking both nervous and confident as she walked to the center of the room.
Normani sat next to Lauren and handed her part of the script. To the girl, she said, "You may start when ready. Lauren Jauregui will be reading with you."
The girl took a moment and then began. From the second she first spoke it was clear that she wasn't right for the part, but Lauren read her lines as though the real Samantha stood before her.
The audition ended minutes later and Ella Peters was the first to speak once the girl had exited. "My vote is still on our esteemed director for the role. We're wasting our time with these auditions."
"Seriously, Normani," said the casting director, whose name Lauren had entirely forgotten. "I told you from the beginning that part was all you."
Normani seemed thoughtful. "I'll do a screen test and then we'll see. There's always the question of chemistry."
