Reflections

Chapter 3

"Great job, Claire!"

I looked up from my phone and gave the person a tight-lipped smile.

"Thanks."

Some person I briefly recognized beamed at me. They were extremely tall and I had to crane my neck to look them in the eyes. I frowned at them as I tried to think over the list of names that ran through my head. Who were they again? I couldn't quite remember...

After a moment of awkward silence, the person slid out a chair and sat down next to me. They set their arms on the table and glanced over at me. I stared back at him.

"What?", I asked flatly.

"What, what?"

The person frowned as they stared at me in confusion.

"What do you want?" I was starting to sound annoyed at this point.

"Oh well you see, I really admire how well you portray Robin. I mean, you really get in character for that role. It's almost like you're the same person!"

"Uh huh."

They looked a bit nervous for a moment. But despite that, they then offered their hand up to me.

"Anyway, I probably should've introduced myself. After all, we don't really talk much. The name's Samuel, but you can call me Sammy. All my friends do, that is.", the person greeted cheerfully.

I glanced down at their outstretched hand and back up at them. I took it and held onto it lightly. Unlike me however, Sammy gripped on tightly and gave me a firm shake. I took back my hand as soon as possible. If I had to be honest, it hurt a bit, but I didn't want to get them all flustered over nothing.

"It's nice to meet you...Sammy.", I said, hesitating. "I assume you already know my name?"

"Yep! I mean, I did greet you with it.", Sammy grinned.

"Oh, right."

I stared back at my hands. Honestly, I didn't feel in the mood to talk to Samuel. Now it's not that I necessarily dislike them. No, it's something different. I never knew them well but the moment I met them, I felt a surge of frustration in my chest. And even so, a part of me knows something. A part of me knows why I feel this way, but the possibility that it could even be remotely true bugged me.

So I didn't think about it.

I came to the realization that Samuel was still talking and I refocused my attention back on them. I just nodded, smiled and went along with the conversation.

But suddenly, my attention was stolen away from Samuel and I found myself staring at another familiar person.

Kyle had just made his way into the room. I watched him closely as he brushed the hair out of his eyes. I only refocused my gaze on Samuel when his eyes met mine.

Samuel's face lit up with recognition. They looked a bit anxious. Of course they would be. After all, Kyle was much more well known then either of us.

But unlike them, I didn't let that little fact quiet me down. I shot a smile at the man and gestured at one of the seats.

Kyle glanced back and forth between the two of us, his brow furrowed. Did he not mean to stop here?

Well whatever he meant to do in this room, he let out a sigh and sat down in the chair across from me. Being just a seat or so away from him, Samuel seemed to start sweating.

I broke the silence, of course.

"Hello Kyle. It's nice to see you again."

"Uh huh...", Kyle responded. Somehow he was already somewhat engrossed in whatever he was doing on his phone. I laced my fingers together.

"Yeah, it's really nice to see you. Um, great work out there!", Samuel's voice cracked out.

Kyle just nodded. I nodded too.

Samuel glanced between the two of us, not uttering a word. Their face conveyed a sort of nervousness that was masked with a smile. But even I could tell that something else was stirring inside them. They felt ignored. Between Kyle being silent and me paying attention to him, it would seem that to be the case. And it was. I had no interest in Samuel whatsoever. I admire their acting skill, but that's it. My emotional attachment ended there.

"I agree with Sammy. You're doing an amazing job out there.", I said sweetly.

Kyle hummed in response.

"You're the best actor there. I mean, you are famous after all."

"...Thanks."

My eyes wandered towards the seat directly across from me. My eyes darted around the room for a split second. After my quick scan of the room, I realized that Samuel was gone. Somehow I hadn't noticed them make their leave. We weren't even talking that long.

Well, that was fine with me.

At least they knew when their presence wasn't wanted.