The Crew | On Hold

Chapter 12

All of my resolutions to ignore Andrew evaporate as I stare at him, feeling my cheeks heat up. How has nobody caught on that I like him? How has anyone not noticed that he's paying me more attention than to anyone else? Or has someone noticed, and they're cooking up a plan to get me fired?

Nervously, I shoot a glance towards the exit that leads to trailers, expecting Mila to come in and rat me...us out about the heightened interest we both have in each other. I am especially scared that she's going to be the one, who tells on me, because we've been bickering the whole week and she's obviously obsessed with Andrew. Maybe she is a really nice person to others, but she thinks I am her rival. Funny. I am nobody's rival in the confusing world of romance and attention from guys. I don't really care for love and relationships. The fact that I keep staring at Andrew confuses me, but I still don't feel the urge to be in a relationship with him or anyone else.

"So, what do you say?" Anna jumps up  and down as a little child as she tries to convince me. Never in my life would've I imagined that my boss would be giddy with excitement in front of me, trying to get me to come with her to get drinks. 

I look around to see almost half of the crew standing in a circle, smiling widely and entertaining themselves with my indecisiveness. Shifting nervously under all of the stares, I let out a deep sigh, shake my shoulders and finally say "Okay, alright. Alright. I'll come."

The whole group applauds as if this is such great news, making me blush even more. 

Mom comes to my mind and I quickly text her *I'll be home later than usual. The crew is making me go out with them.*

Matilda and Alex both pull me in a hug, squealing like two excited high school girls, who are texting a special someone and just got a reply. At first I just plaster a smile on my face to not be a party pooper, but their joy is so infectious that, as we leave the studio and take a metro to the club "Milano", I am, too, giggling and squealing with them.

The club is fancy enough to believe that movie stars come here to sip Pina Coladas and Cosmopolitans. In the centre of the purple colour themed club is a massive dance floor with the DJ right in the middle. People are dancing around him, ladies are trying to flirt their way into the booth and dudes are looking enviously as the DJ just winks at the ladies and then goes on ignoring them. 

We take a seat on golden couches that are placed in small sections, making me think that we're in the VIP section. At this point I don't wonder about the prices and paying anymore, because big budget movies must come with such perks. I don't think the movie studio is paying for our drinks right now, but it is highly possible that the people in charge of the movie studio are friends with some people in charge of the clubs here. 

Everything is possible in these types of industries. And I am just a bystander, who, by luck or by coincidence, is here. Sipping on a Virgin Mojito with the best colleagues she could ever ask for. With one exception, of course. 

Alex and Matilda are next to me, talking about the world of Harry Potter and finding out they're in the same house - Hufflepuff. Though I am deep in thoughts about the world and how miracles happen, I finally pull myself out of the thoughts and make myself communicate with people. I didn't come here to just sit silently. I came to have fun with my colleagues.

"I was once put in Slytherin and I was really disappointed in myself. Then, I tried taking the test again, and turns out I was..." I turn my head to face Matilda and Alex, but, sitting in their place, is no one other than Andrew himself.

My heart starts beating faster as my cheeks quickly heat up. Where did the dynamic duo go? And why did it have to be Andrew, who I embarrassed myself in front of? Darn. 

Andrew props up his elbow on the top of the couch and flashes me a brilliant smile. "That must've been the most horrible few minutes of your life." 

I laugh, embarrassment and confusion taking over me, making me unsure what to say to this perfect human being, who just happens to be sitting right next to me and giving me a thousand watt smile? I take a big sip of my Mojito, hoping to fill the silence that falls between us as I don't respond to him.

"Would you like to dance with me?" Andrew asks, making my breath hitch and palms sweat even more. How can I even dance with him, when I feel so embarrassed around him, feeling like I embarrass myself with every move I make?

I stare at him, wide eyed. What do I do? I can't dance for the life of me. My feet are not made for dancing. At all. "I, um, don't really dance." I look at him, trying to tell 'sorry' with my expression, because my dad always taught me - don't reject men, when they ask you out or to dance. It is impossibly hard to gather the courage, but when the girl rejects... It breaks their confidence completely, and they might be traumatised for the rest of their lives.

But, Andrew wouldn't be Andrew, if he wasn't completely different from normal males. Instead of retrieving and sulking, he doesn't take my 'no' for an answer. Instead, he gently takes my drink and places it on the incredibly low coffee table, pulls me off the couch and winks at me. 

That could and would make me angry, if it was anyone else, but, somehow, this time I am actually enjoying that he's making me dance. Call it a female whim, but I enjoy the feeling of him not giving up so easily, without even realising it.

Taking my hand, he leads me to the dance floor, where a completely different song, than I am used to trying to dance, is playing. It's Cardi B's "I like it", I know it, because I've been blasting the song in my headphones non-stop every free moment I have from work.

We end up crossing the dance floor for exactly the right amount of time for it to change to a much slower and sensual song, and Andrew finally stops and takes me in his embrace, slowly circling with me on the dance floor and making me smile like an idiot for the whole evening. 

Hello, my dear reader! Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, that you'll vote for it, and, most importantly, that you'll continue reading the story. :)