You are my super star

Passionate Practice (2)

Is Leon disappointed in me?

Leon's interrogative look made hurt Jules. It was a hundred times worse than being scolded by Tripp in public.

Jules' passion and excitement for being called by Leon to practice vanished into thin air.

Nothing was more depressing than being looked down on by someone he liked so much.

Why... Why am I so incompetent!

Leon slowly sipped on his coffee, focusing on the cell phone.

Jules felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles.

"Leon, I..."

Jules took a deep breath.

He put in all his efforts to be in the same frame with Leon, not to let him know how disappointing Jules was.

Jules perked up and said in a low voice. "May I try again? I know I'm bad at speaking, but I will try my best to catch up with you..."

Leon lifted his eyes at Jules in a daze for a second, and then he closed the page on his cell phone. Vivian was standing behind Leon, and her sharp eyes noticed that Leon was searching for films and plays that Jules had appeared in.

Leon nodded, "Ok. Let's try again."

Jules pulled at his clothes unconsciously out of nervousness. The moment Jules spoke out one line, Leon interrupted him with his brows creased. "Stop."

Jules felt himself freeze.

Leon threw his cell phone to the side and bent forward, pressing one hand on Jules' belly.

Jules was shocked.

Leon opened his mouth blandly. "Say it again."

Jules' heart thumped. He tried to calm down and concentrated on speaking the line.

Leon scoffed at him. "You should loosen up. Breathe through your diaphragm. It'll help."

Following Leon's suggestion, Jules took a deep breath and spoke the line again.

"Stop huffing and puffing. Do you hype yourself up before acting?" Leon frowned, his slender fingers still pressed up against Jules' belly. "Again."

Jules breathed through his belly, allowing his lungs to expand fully, then spoke the line for the third time.

Leon's fingers eventually left Jules, as he leant back against the chair. He drank a mouthful of coffee, then smiled, satisfied. "Much better."

Jules sighed with relief. He was already sweating all over.

Jules felt embarrassed. He stole a quick look at Vivian and felt relaxed after seeing a normal expression on her face. Jules expressed his sincere gratitude to Leon. "Thank you very much. I will practice more. I haven't done much practice after my graduation. It's my fault."

Leon chuckled. "That's what young actors do. But if you want to make more progress, you'd better hold yourself to a higher standards."

Jules nodded in response. "Sure."

The assistant director knocked at the door, smiling. "Is Jules here again? The dresser is looking for you. You should go back to your dressing room. We'll start soon."

Jules responded to the assistant director's call, but turned back to Leon the moment he was about to step out. He blushed, "Thank you so much, Leon."

Leon smiled and waved his hand, too engrossed into his cell phone to look up at Jules.

Jules breathed a sigh of relief, leaving the room happily.

Before closing the door, Jules heard Vivian laughing. "Why were you so serious? His face was pale with fear."

Leon thought Vivian's comment was unreasonable, so he countered. "I didn't mean to scare him!"

Outside the door, Jules was speechless.

Was that normal for Leon? I was terrified!

The pressure from Leon felt suffocating to Jules.

Jules shook his head vigorously, cursing himself for his stupidity, and hurried to his own dressing room.

Inside Leon's room, Vivian stifled her laughter. "You know how terrifying you are when you put on a stern face, don't you? Jules respects you a lot. He fidgeted when you ignored him. Poor boy."

Leon did not respond. He put the empty coffee cup on the table and picked up the script left by Jules.

As expected, it was filled with additional notes. Leon's finger paused at the last page of the script.

Next to messy comments written by Jules, there was a line that had caught his attention:

Let the wind and rain forever haunt me, as you, sweet thing, will never be washed away from my heart..

(706 words)