“Oh?” she questioned with an odd look on her face.
“What?” I asked. “I feel like I missed something.”
Carissra looked around to see if anyone was listening and motioned for me to lean down. She quietly said, “He saw you with Asher the other night. Are you and the gay guy back together?”
“Me and Asher?” I asked with a jolt. “Oh, heck no. I’ve been down that path. We’re just friends. Like you said…he’s gay. Very gay. I won’t go down that road again. My days of being an actor’s beard are over.”
“Well, from what you’ve told me, that didn’t exactly stop you the first time…” Carissra let the implication of her statement fall in the air.
“Oh,” I said as it dawned on me. “Kirk thinks I’m back with Asher. So, he’s what…jealous?”
“Pretty much… Well, that’s my theory anyway,” Carissra said. “He moped all day yesterday. And even today, he’s still in a foul mood. The only reason I could come up with was you dragging a drunk Asher back to your apartment the other night.”
“How did you hear about that?” I asked.
“The walls in our apartment are not that thick. I think the whole floor heard Asher when you two came off the elevator. Plus, my uncle may have been muttering to himself about different things he would like to do with your ex.”
“But why would that matter? Even if I got back together with Asher, which will happen when Frosty vacations in hell, that wouldn’t impact my friendship with Kirk.”
Carissra narrowed her eyes. And even though Carissra was like half my age, I felt like I was the child being looked down upon by a parent.
“What?” I asked.
“Are you that dense?” she asked bluntly.
“Hey, that’s not very nice,” I said, defending myself.
“When it comes to my uncle, I won’t play nice. You know he likes you, right?”
And there it was, the unspoken was finally spoken and by his niece. I stammered but couldn’t form any words. Finally, I said, “I have to go to the theater.” I left Carissra looking after me as I walked into the falling snow as I walked to work. In the back of my head, I’d known that Kirk was into me. And if I was completely honest with myself, I was into Kirk. But neither of us made a move, so I figured it was all in my head. And now, here was Kirk’s niece stating it so plainly. I wasn’t ready to deal.
Before heading into the Maurer, I stopped at Hello, Coffee! I walked in and ordered an herbal tea. As much as I love my coffee, I didn’t want to drink anything that would dehydrate me before a show. While the barista steeped the tea, I pulled out my phone and texted Johnny.
Erika:I think Kirk’s into me.
Johnny:Well, duh!
Johnny:Did you not know that already?
I got my tea and headed into the theater. Before heading to my dressing room, I signed in on the callboard. Once in my private little space, I set my tea down and scrutinized my phone again.
I stared at the screen, not knowing who I should text. I realized I didn’t have Kirk’s cell phone number.
Erika:Do you have Kirk’s cell phone number?
Johnny:Are you telling me you don’t? What am I going to do with you?A couple of seconds later, a 914 area code number appeared from Johnny.
“Hey Kirk.“ I typed. Then deleted it. I tried,It’s Erika. Got your number from Johnny. Then I deleted that one too. I typed,It’s Erika. Would love to talk tomorrow when you get home from school.
I then put the phone down and stared at it. Part of me wondered if I stared at it long enough, would that magically make him text me back faster? Finally, it buzzed, and I snatched up the phone immediately.
Kirk:That works for me. See you tomorrow.
I relaxed slightly. I hadn’t realized the amount of tension that had settled in my shoulders.
That night was the family and friends dress rehearsal. My parents weren’t flying in until early tomorrow morning, so they would miss this dress rehearsal but would be here for opening night.
When I finished belting out the eleven o’clock number with all my might, the crowd jumped to their feet. In the wings, Eugene embraced Tyreek. If they were happy and the crowd was ecstatic, we’d done it. Even Peeter, who was slightly upstage from me, gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up. I took three steps back as the flat lowered for the last scene, the big wedding.
