"Please. I need to talk to you. Please."
His voice was quiet, low, muted with desperation. They were only a few steps apart, facing each other but it was as if she wasn’t able to come any closer to him and he couldn’t.
It was a hallway with numerous white doors left and right, leading to countless dressing rooms. Each door had a plastered sign on it – light pink and white and black – indicating which person, which performer took residence there for the night.
It wasn’t busy now. All you could hear from the outside was a low buzz from the audience exiting the dome, their footsteps and chatter echoing on the walls surrounding them. And from the inside – where he and she were currently facing each other in a deadlock – there were scraping sounds of heavy racks, boxe sand equipment being moved and transferred back into vans and trucks. They contained instruments, sound gear, lights, wires, earpieces, and microphones.
There were others like her, also packing numerous things into boxes and bags. For some, it was clearing a brightly lit black table with a large mirror. Rows and rows of different shades of cake and tint, a bunch of aerosol cans, a tower of clips and pins, a gang of sponges and tissues. A swipe here, a brush there, a dab on top, a spray over everything when done. All going back to heavy black and silver cases.
For her, it was returning clothes, shoes, jewelry, clothes, clothes, and more clothes into racks, boxes, and plastic cases. Count them, they must be complete. Every single piece.
All in a day’s work.
She was supposed to be there but he wasn’t. He was supposed to be out of the building half an hour ago, together with the other boys currently huddled over near one of the doors. Half of them were busy talking, adrenaline still running through their bodies. The other half looked fatigued, yawning and moving around sluggishly.
She had just finished taking out a rack of outfits from a dressing room and had handed them over to another black clad staff member for transporting to the vehicles that would take them back to the office. She didn’t think he’d come over with his current deportment; usually, they were very proper and polite and formal when they were around other people.
They agreed on that.
Because they needed to.
"Everyone's looking.” She whispered, feeling stunned and agitated and stricken. She could see eyes here and there turning curiously towards them, watching the scene with interest. The despondency in his face couldn’t be mistaken. Why would someone like him approach someone like her with anguish in his eyes? Did she fail on a design that much?
“What are you doing? Everyone’s looking." She repeated.
"I don't care. Let me exp –"
There was a placating arm on his, half growling his name. It was strong enough for him to get the warning but he still struggled with the unwelcome grasp. It was one of the boys – one who was older than him. One who had more authority. One with the audacity to step in and end things before they got out of hand. The unwanted presence gave him a cautionary look before he turned to look at her, forcing a polite – which he thought would be normal for their working (at least their public one; they were good friends outside of work) relationship – smile on his face.
She nodded at the new arrival, managing a small smile back. Unlike him, she was glad he was there.
"I need to talk to you." He said forcefully, knowing it was only a matter of time before he was taken away. Away from her.
The older boy warned him again, hissing his name.
"It's none of your business." He spat in return.
"As we're in a public place and what you're doing is potentially being recorded right now, it is my business." The taller boy snarled.
"Don't fight." She said quietly. "Hurry and go back." She added, refusing to look at him now.
The other boy forced a smile again, taking the desperate boy down with him in a polite nod.
He was looking straight at her, refusing to break contact.
Her assistant approached them, eyeing their group apprehensively.
"Hey." She cleared her throat.
"Everything alright?"
"Yeah yeah. Are we going now? "
“I’ve double checked everything.” She nodded.
She nodded back at her.
"Well, see you." She spoke to the older boy, apology on her face. He nodded back in understanding.
