Jules rolled her eyes. “Well, yes, I thought so, but I didn’t want to make assumptions. Better to just ask, in my experience.”
“Oh, it definitely is,” Sophie agreed. She always preferred to be direct, especially about her sexuality. And maybe it was the beer talking, or more likely her interest in Jules, but she was feeling especially direct—and nosy—tonight. “Have you thought about it?”
“Thought about what?” Jules asked, slowing to a stop as they waited for the crosswalk ahead to change.
“Kissing a woman.”
Jules’s gaze fell to her hands, which were clasped loosely in front of herself. “No.”
And there it was, the answer Sophie had been looking for since they met. Jules wasn’t into women. Sophie tried not to read too much into it, because she knew Kari had wanted to cast a queer actress in the role of Bianca, but maybe she knew something Sophie didn’t. Either way, Sophie needed to kill this crush right now, before it made things between her and Jules any more awkward than they already were.
“I think I’m more nervous about my piano solo than the kiss,” Jules said. “I mean, I’ve been dreaming about a role like this my whole life, and now that I’ve got it, I’m terrified of screwing up. And I just want to absorb every moment in case I never get this opportunity again.”
“Something tells me you will,” Sophie told her.
“Hopefully, we both will,” Jules said with a small smile in her direction. “I get the feeling you’ve been working at this as long and hard as I have.”
“Maybe longer and harder,” Sophie said.
“Oh yeah?” Jules said. “Try me.”
“Moved to the city when I was eighteen, and I’ve been auditioning ever since,” Sophie told her.
“And how old are you now?”
“Twenty-nine.”
“I guess it depends on how we define ‘working,’” Jules said thoughtfully. “I moved here at fourteen to attend LaGuardia High School. You know it, right?”
“I do.” It was the performing arts high school whereFamewas set, and it was ridiculously hard to get into, not to mention expensive, because you had to be a New York City resident to attend. “How did you pull that off, residency-wise?”
“My mom moved to Manhattan with me when I was in eighth grade to establish residency, while my dad stayed with my brothers in Miami. She lived here with me until I turned eighteen, and then she went back home. My dad was starting to struggle with kidney disease, so he needed her more than I did at that point.”
“That’s very dedicated,” Sophie said.
“I’ve never wanted anything but to be a Broadway actress,” Jules told her. “And my parents have always been really supportive.”
“That’s great,” Sophie told her, feeling a twinge of jealousy. She wished her parents had been that dedicated to her dream or had enough money to send her to a fancy performing arts high school. “Sorry about your dad’s kidney disease, though.”
“Thanks.” Jules’s expression turned brittle. “He passed away five years ago.”
“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry.” Now Sophie felt like an ass, feeling sorry for herself about where she went to high school when she had two loving parents at home.
“Thanks.” Jules blinked rapidly. “Kills me a little bit that he won’t be here to see me in this show.”
“Oh, Jules.” She turned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, just for a quick squeeze, since they really didn’t know each other well enough for hugs.
“Anyway,” Jules said, waving her hands in front of her face as she warded off tears. “My parents wanted me to go to college, so I got a degree in Theater Arts. I didn’t actually start auditioning until I was twenty-two, and I’m thirty now, so if you count years we’ve been actually auditioning, you have been at this longer than I have.”
“I think it’s safe to say we’ve both worked our asses off,” Sophie said.
“Yes,” Jules agreed, smile back in place.
“I’m this way,” Sophie said, gesturing toward Carroll Street to her right.
“Okay, well, I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“Bright and early,” Sophie confirmed.
