Before the evening performance, Alex hurried towards the sound booth at the back of the theatre where he usually sat and took notes during the performance. At some point he would have to let go of this production. That was what most directors did, watch one or two performances, give some notes, and then move on. After all, once a production was smoothly up and running there was little else for a director to do.
Unless he became a resident director – but Richie had said Russell wasn’t keen on that idea. He wanted Alex for his big name, and then gone. Why then, was Alex still here, with no plans to leave? Did he want to be sure of the play’s success, or his own?
It was probably both.He had no idea what he was going to do after this. Nobody was approaching him for more projects, which was no surprise considering the amount of heat he was currently under what with Liam and Savannah’s upcoming wedding.
Richie had suggested going back to LA, meeting some producers and seeing what happened. But he didn’t want to leave London; it would feel like accepting he wasn’t good enough – again. Theatre directing was meant to be his fresh start, a new career separate from his family’s movie star lives. The production was going well and had already received criticalacclaim. Not selling as much as he’d hoped, granted, but there was little he could do about that other than hope the positive reviews had worked their magic.
The ushers had opened the auditorium doors and the audience were slowly making their way in, so Alex raised his hood and quickened his pace as he made his way up the stairs two at a time. A canary-yellow dress and a shapely figure on the opposite staircase happened to catch his eye. His foot missed a step, and he had to grab the handrail to stop himself falling forward.
Ellie was here! His heart immediately raced wildly at the sight of her. She was as bright as a summer’s day, her dark hair falling in soft waves down her shoulders and over a fluffy white cardigan.
The sundress fitted her like a glove and brought out the olive tone of her skin. Like a 1950s Italian bombshell, she seemed to dominate the space, all dramatic curves and sexy cleavage that flounced enticingly as she moved.
The fluffy cardigan was to soften her look and more importantly, keep her warm in London’s ever-changing spring weather. Clutching a raincoat and a vintage purse to her stomach, he noticed her squinting at the row’s letters and chair numbers as she tried to find her seat. She needn’t have worried. It wasn’t a full house and most of the audience had bought tickets near the front or middle to get the best view. If he’d known she was coming he would have comped her ticket.
Gingerly she began to sidestep down her row, her round hips swaying as she navigated the narrow space and apologised to the couple of people who had to move to let her pass. She’d not noticed Alex on the stairs opposite her. He took several deep breaths to slow down the jittery excitement pulsing through his veins, before he practically ran down the aisle to join her. Thankfully, there was no one else in the row to slow his progress.
Ellie had come to see his play!He felt like he’d won the lottery.
None of his family had come, but Ellie had. A woman he’d only met two nights ago was more of a friend to him than his own flesh and blood.
Am I crazy to feel so happy about it?
‘Ellie,’ he called softly, hoping not to frighten her, but she jumped anyway.
‘Alex! Oh God, you must think I’m a stalker, but I could only really come today, I’m working nights next week,’ she blurted out as her face flushed pink, her eyes darting around the theatre fearfully, as if she expected the cops to drag her away in handcuffs.
‘No, I’m glad you’re here,’ he whispered, taking the empty seat next to her. The lights lowered to signal the start of the show, and an electric silence descended over the audience, who were tense with anticipation. He looked around at the many empty seats around them and winced. Sadly, there’d not been a great immediate uptake in sales despite the glowing reviews they’d received since opening night, but maybe they just needed a little more time to get the word out?
Ellie’s whisper distracted him from that depressing thought. ‘It sounded so good. I had to come and see it.’
‘I’m glad you did.’
She leaned close and licked her lips, sending a shiver of awareness down his spine. ‘I’m sorry about yesterday,’ she said, her eyes pained.
‘Don’t be.’
‘It was Mark.’ She barely drew breath before continuing in a rush, ‘My brother. He told the press. I’msosorry. He didn’t realise how bad it would be, and he’s worried about money, and they paid him. Although that’s no excuse, and I think he realises that now. He’s promised never to do it again. Not that there will be anagain.But you know…’
‘Look, don’t worry, it’s fine.’ He reached for her hand and squeezed her warm fingers, the touch so natural and right that he held them for a little longer than he’d intended. Her eyes dropped to their entwined hands and she released a heavy breath.
‘Thank you. You’re so nice.’
No man liked to hear that. Hadn’t Savannah called him that when they’d broken up –nice? Nice was boring, lacklustre, nothing special. He was sick of being nice. As he eased back in his seat, their hands naturally broke apart. Nothing lasts, he reminded himself, and other than a couple of heated looks there was nothing in Ellie’s behaviour to suggest she wanted anything more from their friendship. Was he allowing his loneliness to get the better of him? Expecting too much from Ellie in return? He could lose her friendship before it even had a chance to begin.
The curtains opened, the actors locked in position for a moment of breathless stillness and then the play began.
For the first time, he didn’t take notes during the performance. Usually, he was busy jotting down areas to improve, issues that needed fixing, as well as praise. From being an actor himself, he knew a director’s feedback could make or break the morale of the cast and crew. But tonight, his notebook stayed firmly in his hoodie’s pocket. Instead he stole glances at Ellie to gauge the success of his show.
She laughed at all the appropriate moments and gasped with awe at the spectacular party scenes. Things would take more of a depressing turn after the interval, and as the curtain closed on the first half, he knew he’d sit through the rest of it with her.
To stroke his fragile ego further, he couldn’t help but ask, ‘Did you like it?’ Then he held a tight breath as he waited for her verdict.
As she turned towards him, her signature megawatt smile blew away all the shadows in his mind. ‘You know I did, I think you watched me more than the actors.’
That was true, and he gave a wry shrug at her observation. ‘It’s good to see the audience’s reaction.’ Except he’d only been watching Ellie. ‘I’ve watched it so many times I could play every part. Watching you meant I could see things I might have otherwise missed. Like when you frowned at Myrtle’s first scene. Didn’t you like her performance?’
‘What? No, she was great. The sets are amazing. That party scene? Wowza! It made me want to throw on a sequin dress and dance.’
