There She Goes

Tom grabbed my hand. "Austin, darling, give him a chance. And let's see what the acting world has to offer," he says. I look at my hand in his.

Long, slender fingers. Perfectly manicured nails. I look away. He's really working on my nerves. Being sweet and subtle.

He gives it a gentle squeeze. I look back him. He holds my gaze. He lifts a hand to move a strand of my hair.

I shivered. I removed my hand from Tom's. I got up and walked into the kitchen. I don't know why I'm acting like this.

Luke looks at Tom. He shrugs not sure what to do. Tom sighed as he figures that he must resolve the issue. He joins me in the kitchen.

"Austin dear, how about we spend the day looking over printed plays and you and I go over them. I want to see and hear how you interact," he suggests. I look up at him with scared eyes. He smiles.

"No need to worry, darling. It will just be the three of us. It will be fun," he says. I take a deep breath and slowly release it. "Alright. I'll give it try. But if I decide to go my own way don't bug me about it," I say softly.

He nods his head in understand meant. He leans in and kisses my cheek. I quickly shut my eyes. I can feel my heart racing. My mind is racing too.

I feel his breath on my neck. It's all innocent and sweet. He pulls away. My eyes flutter open.

He looks at me tenderly. I clear my throat. "Alright then...better get going." My mind starts shooing away the fuzzy atmosphere.

I slip on my boots and grab my iPhone, wallet, and keys. After cleaning up, the three of us leave my apartment. Luke leads the way. Tom's in the middle and I bring up the rear.

When we hit the elevator I flip my hoodie over my head. My face us blocked. I have a better chance at being figured out if I'm seen with Tom.

I've been out of the limelight and away from paparazzi for six months. I plan to keep it that way a little longer. The elevator opens once we've hit the lobby floor. We pass Charles who nods at us.

He knows it's me because I've had to do this before. Outside we climb into a black SUV. Luke opens the back door for me. I mutter a thanks then get in.

I don't ask where we are going. I just watch as the city blurs by. I remove the hoodie.

Luke and Tom talk amongst themselves. I know they look back at me. I don't acknowledge it.

Soon we stop at a book store. It's bigger than the one I visited yesterday. Tom opens my door and offers me a hand. I about to flip my hoodie when he grabs my hand.

I raise an eyebrow as he gently pulls me from my seat once I unbuckled. He closes the door and leads me inside. I go to remove my hand but he tightens his grip. We burst through the doors and head over to the Shakespeare section.

Luke falls behind. No one is around us. "I'm sorry Austin," he says before I can say anything he kisses me. I'm shocked at first but then I relax.

He pulls away. My eyes flutter open. My fingers fly up my mouth. I stare into space. "Austin darling, say something." My lips still tingled.

"Wow," I say softly. He smiles. He reaches for a book and hands it to me. I flip it open randomly. He grabs another and opens it to the same page. We start to reading from the book.

I was comfortable now. We added emotion. Soon he backed me out of the aisle. The play...Much Ado About Nothing.

We were so engrossed that we didn't see the audience we had accrued. When we stopped, applause erupted. I smile as I looked around. It had been ages since I heard that.

We took a bow. Luke stepped in. I stepped back as Tom did photo opts and signed autographs. I hid in the shadows. I slipped away.

I didn't want to risk getting noticed. After awhile Tom was looking for me. I had worked my way down to the café for a cuppa. I sat at a two top table.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw me staring into space. I was lost in thought. I really missed being on stage. I really hoped I could move forward.

Finally he approaches me. "Ready?" he asks. I nod. We walk out following Luke. We file into the SUV. We ease into traffic.

I'm still finish my hot beverage as we drive. Tom turns to look at me over his shoulder. "So what you think?"

I make eye contact. "Good except we didn't get any texts," I admit. Luke snickers. "Au contrar, my friend. We did. They're up here with Tom."

I raise an eyebrow. Tom mirrors it. "Gah," I yell. He's better at it. Once at the apartment complex, I don my hoodie again.

I get out first and hurry inside. In the elevator before either one of them says a word. In no time I'm standing before my door. I barely get the key in, when Tom appears beside me.

"Join me for dinner?" I drop my keys. He picks them up. I watch him. He unlocks my door.

He allows me in first. I go in. He trails in after me carrying the books. I point to the coffee table where he can put them done.

He does. He wanders into my kitchen. He opens the drawer near the refrigerator.

He pulls out take away menus. "How do you know that's where I keep those?" He only grins.

He looks them over then settles for Chinese food. He pulls out his phone and dials the number. I just stand there watching him look right at home in my own apartment.

He's got some nerve. "Shall we continue role playing?" I'm caught off guard. "Hmm?" I ask. Again he grins.