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Chapter Ten

                               Josephine

Tonight had been going so well.. Had.

The music, drinks and conversation had all been flowing. I had finally met nearly all of the cast, all of which who were wonderful people that I couldn't wait to work both with and alongside.

The food itself was exquisite, I had finished nearly every last piece on my plate which for me, is pretty good going.

There'd only been one thing about tonight that I didn't quite like.

When Anna had sat Hero next to Inanna, I hadn't thought much of it. Why would I?

But, as the night wore on, I couldn't help but notice how everytime I glanced over, they were talking. Well, she seemed to be anyway.

Again, not really a problem, that was afterall the whole point of dinner, to get to know everyone. But imagine my surprise when they both disappeared half way through!

I hadn't even noticed them leave. Anna must have cottoned on to my thoughts though, as she had soon pointed out where they had gone to, for a fag no less.

Being a non-smoker myself, I couldn't really make an excuse to join them.. But I was curious. They'd been a long time and I had thought, why not? It'll give me the chance to go and see what the restaurant's outdoor garden area is like at the same time.

I'm always naturally inquisitive about these things and eager to explore anyway. Some places have really cool features like water fountains or rockeries aswell as play areas. It's my personal opinion that you can tell a lot about whether a restaurant's food is going to be good or not, judging by its apparel both inside and out.

My theory was, that the more effort they put into the appearance, the more effort they put into their food, too.

When I had arrived outside, I had noticed first of all how beautiful the large garden and outside dining area had looked. I even began wondering, if maybe some or all of us could come back here again one day for some drinks when the weather was a little better.

There was an enclosed canopy area covered with beautiful fairy lights and flowers, along with patio heaters, so that people wouldn't get too cold on nights like this.

They also had another area which was more open and exposed, weather permitting of course. But being a cold and wet night, the area was closed off, or at least so I thought, that was until I had seen them.

Imagine my surprise to see Inanna was not only cosying up to Hero, but wearing his fricking jacket?!

I must have only been stood there for a few seconds, watching how she was appearing to fuss over him.

The sight of them together left me feeling a mixture of unpleasant things, mostly uncomfortable and disappointed.

I really didn't think for one moment that he would be so silly as to entertain her and her sneaky ways.. Clearly I was wrong. And unfortunately for me, as I turned to leave with my arms folded, he had looked up and seen me.

That's when I made my leave. I had left the pair just as she had begun pawing and fussing all over him. Lord knows why. How could he allow that? Seriously.

And there was me thinking that maybe he was different? That maybe we could've been friends as well as co-stars? Well I don't know that I want to be friends with someone who keeps the company of someone like that.

How could he not see and sense what she's about?! What her intentions are.. What she's so clearly trying to do.

When I had returned inside, an even more worrying thought had occurred to me.

What if Anna and Jen noticed how well Hero and Inanna were getting along?

Surely it wouldn't be too late to change things around. They could easily re-cast and re-script us! If they discovered they got along too well, they may have me play the role of Molly instead, perish the thought..

I loved Tessa. I really wanted to at least try and do her character some justice. But what if they don't let me? What if they change their minds.. And at the same time, what if they don't? I don't particularly want to lock lips with him now, not if he's going to be kissing that thing out there!

I was mad at them but even more so at myself. I had after all allowed myself to get carried away and caught up in the moments of earlier, where it was just us in his room.

I thought he had really gone out of his way to help me, but it seems he's just a good person who would do it for anyone, and I can't really be mad at him and hate him for that..

But I can be mad at myself. For letting my mind convince me that Hero and I had some good chemistry going, chemistry that showed promising signs of maybe developing into something more one day, further down the line.

I realised that this was most likely a small blessing in disguise and that I would now need to convince myself that things never be more than friendly and purely platonic between us now, as they should be.

Any feelings I had had such as feeling curious, optimistic and excited about earlier, were long gone.

Who knows, maybe I had read him all wrong? Maybe I was overthinking things again. Maybe I was the one who had gotten carried away..

Either way, as I said, tonight was a bloody blessing in disguise.