✦ ✧ ✩ Curtain Call ✦ ✧ ✩ - Charlie Gillespie

Chapter 3

The plane landed 3 am. Eri arrived to her new apartment exhausted, gently opened the door and tiptoed to what it was marked as her room. 

"Eri, I'm sorry I wasn't awake to receive you! Carrie needs her beauty sleep! <3" - A little note that was left on her bedside table read. Next to it was a little tea bag and a cookie, both on a ceramic plate,  with another note that looked like instructions to use the electric pot without electrocuting yourself. 

Savannah and Eri had actually met before as she was cast right after Kenny called her. The team was indecisive with the direction they wanted to go for the role "She is perfect for it" Eri told Kenny.

"Useful" Eri thought smiling to herself. She wrote a note back to Savannah and left it on the bathroom mirror "Guess sleeping does work! You look fabulous ❤"

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8 am rolled around and Eri heard an unintelligible row of words coming from the kitchen. From the tone of it, it wasn't a happy morning for someone. She came out of her room to see what was going on.

"Oh shoot! I'm so sorry!  We didn't mean to wake you, its just this pot ugh ..."

"It's fine" she laughed "I needed it anyway. Are you okay?" 

"Yeah I just hate this thing. Welcome! How was your flight? Did you find the room to your liking? I hope you do because moving in was such a drag and..."

They were interrupted by someone coming out the bathroom "Yeah I know I look fabulous Sav". A blonde guy came out wearing a cap that locked his hair in place "I can't believe they are cutting my hair today. The moment filming ends I'm letting it grow back out"

"I'm sure you'll look great. Eri, this is Owen, he plays Alex. And Owen this is..."

"I know who you are" he said, smiling mischievously and raising his eyebrows "Charlie got here last night too, you know?" he told Savannah but looking straight at Eri, that was trying to contain herself from showing any emotion.

Savannah, who knew how to read Owen pretty well, rapidly caught on "Oh great," she said, walking slowly towards Owen and Eri wearing a similarly mischievously as Owens but with a tint of "I'm so going to make you talk about this" smile. "I'm sure you'll love Charlie"

"Anyway, get ready, the both of you. Well be waiting in the car." Owen said grabbing his bag "Jeremy will be here in like 10 minutes, I'll grab us coffee"

"Oh god PLEASE! Make it iced!" said Eri

"Making  a mental note of that one" Owen replied, playfully "To pass on, you know? See ya, boss"

Eri wouldn't give that whole interaction any time, and she knew Savannah was going to pressure her into talking about Charlie if she wasn't smart about it, so she ran and locked herself in her room. 

"Oh you sneaky little..." Savannah muttered "You are NOT going to get out of this one"

"We have exactly 7 minutes babe" Eri said, smiling to herself. 

They got ready and went downstairs where Owen and Jeremy were waiting in the car.

"I'm not listening to Johnny Cash today Jer, it's 9 in the morning. You've tortured me and Carolynn enough yesterday" - Savannah said as she was getting in. 

"A country fan?" Eri asked. 

"Enthusiast" Jeremy replied. 

"Nice" she said, as she made a mental note.

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When they arrived to set, Eri went to the writers' office to meet the team, and Savannah and the boys went straight to hair and make up, so they had to part ways until they were to film the very first scene in about 2 hours.

"Hey!" Savannah greeted Charlie with a hug "I'm so happy to see you again!" 

"How you doooin? - he said, right before hugging her back - "I'm sorry I couldn't meet you earlier, but I had to meet Mads to review some lines. She is getting her hair done right now if you want to say Hi"

"Oh my god yes, but after that WE need to talk about something, I'll be right back"

"What is she on?" - Charlie asked Owen 

"The fact that you are totally crushing on Eri" Jeremy said, "Owen filled me in. He said you couldn't stop talking about her the minute you got in."

"At 3 in the morning may I add" said Owen "Oh Owen she is so great. She is so talented and funny. And she gets it, she just gets it Owen"

"She is great. I'm happy for you!" Jeremy continued to tease him.

"Oh shut up! She is cool, but not into me AT ALL, we re friends. Sort of.  And we work together, seeing each other every day, it can get messy" He said, as he was trying to convince anyone but himself.

"Yeah thinking it about it, she might be too good for you as well" Owen said cracking up right after as Charlies face filled with gloom "Oh my god dude your face I'm so sorry, I mean she is in fact too good for you, but don't be sad about it! Maybe she has low standards!"

"Shut up, let's go meet Kenny" Jeremy said, reprimanding Owen with a playfully disappointed look, as he could sense that Owen s banter was not being reciprocated by a now very heavyhearted  Charlie, "Don't you see you are hurting the kid?"

Charlie rolled his eyes, turned around and walked towards Kenny leaving his two cast mates holding in their laughs. 

"Hey crew gather round" Kenny said "So today is our first day of filming and I'd like to say I'm really excited with this project and specially with the team we've created. Our cast is formed by very talented young musicians and actors that will bring a lot of fresh energy to this project..."

As Kenny spoke his words started to mute when Charlie spotted Eri behind him, as they were the only two people standing in the room. She was looking up at Kenny, her eyes glistening with enthusiasm. Charlie thought to himself that he had never seen such beauty in his 21 years of life. He was enchanted from the moment he saw her and in too deep after their first conversation. 

Eri looked down and locked eyes with him. Her heart skipped a beat, her breath turned heavy, but she looked back up before he could try anything "I'm not letting you change my plans." she thought.