The Premiere Day

Chapter 6

"Tonight I'll dream while in my bed, when silly thoughts go through my head

About the bugs and the alphabet and when I wake tomorrow I bet

That you and I will walk together again

I can tell you we're going to be friends"

("We're going to be friends" - The White Stripes)

On Thursday morning, Ben woke up very early, because he would have a meeting with 6 Underground cast and crew. That was why he left right after breakfast, and would only come back in the afternoon. Joe was too tired from the previous night, and overslept, only waking up when he heard his phone ringing. It was Diana, and she wanted to know when she could go to his house to make the suits adjusments.

Joe asked her to wait one hour, so he could take a shower and grab a bite to eat. Diana was nervous. Although she had plenty of experience doing that, it was Joe, an actor she'd been admiring for a while now, and with whom she never thought she could work. She was pretty aware that, apart from Natalie, there was no one with whom she could talk about that. Some people would say she was crazy, acting like a teenager. Others would say she was in love with him, which wasn't true at all. Some would think it was stupid to admire someone who was a "celebrity" even though she knew Joe was far from that stereotype. He was very down to Earth, and a very nice person, and that made her feel like having him as a friend or whatever was the closest to that.

And when he said she could be there in one hour, she began to freak out. She would be alone with him, and she knew she would be nervous. What if she couldn't make the adjusments properly? What if Joe thought she was "in love" with him? What if he got so scared he would never hire her services again? What if she made a fool of herself? With all those thoughts in her mind, she decided to stop for a coffee before she could take a cab. Coffee always made her feel calm, and think clearly, strange as it seems. And after that, she could go, trying to stay focused by taking those deep breaths she was so used to. Anxiety wasn't only a transitory feeling for her. It was stronger than that, and even though the doctor said coffee wasn't a good choice, she couldn't care less. Coffee was her best friend at that moment.

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One hour later, she was knocking on Joe's front door. It didn't take too long for him to open it and invite her in. He had a smile on his face, but she almost could swear something was not ok. However, she knew it wasn't her place to comment about it. So she put all the stuff she brought on the couch and showed Joe the suits.

"I brought what you've chosen and one more, so you can have a second choice," she said.

"Thank you," he replied. "But I think what you've chosen will work out." He emphasized the word you, to show that he had nothing to do with that choice, but in reality he didn't mind. He wanted to look upset, but the smile on his face, still dimmed, betrayed him.

"Okay then, let's try the suit I've chosen," Diana said, laughing.

She tried to appear self-assured and calm, but when she positioned herself behind Joe and lifted the suit for him to wear, the anxiety returned. 'Okay,' she thought, breathing deeply and calmly, trying to relax. 'It's okay, I've done it before, and I know Joe's a nice guy, who will not mind if I have to readjust this before the ceremony.' And she breathed a little longer as she lowered Joe's arms and adjusted the suit on his body, looking at the mirror in front of her to make sure everything went the way she wanted.

"So, what do you think?" she finally spoke, looking at Joe in the mirror.

"It's fine by me," he replied, his gaze half-lost.