Oscar took her hand gently. ‘Let’s talk properly at some point today.’
‘Okay,’ she said, not meeting his eyes.
‘You know it’s nothing to do with you though, right?’ He squeezed her fingers and her eyes flicked up to meet his.
‘I should hope not.’ She half smiled.
‘… and so I just slammed it down on the counter and walked away… oh. Hello, you two.’ Tamara seemed to always make an entrance, even if she was walking into an empty room.
‘Looking cosy,’ said Jane without any degree of warmth.
‘Well, it is cold in here. Got to wrap up warm!’ Oscar said, pulling his scarf tight around his shoulders.
‘I don’t think that’s what she meant,’ Tamara smirked, taking the row behind Oscar and sitting in the seat directly behind him so that she could massage his shoulders with the pads of her fingers.
‘I know what she meant,’ Oscar said, his shoulders tensing, ‘but I’ve neverbeen keen on rumours.’
‘Amen to that!’ Olive raised her coffee cup and took a large gulp, wishing it was gin.
Time dripped by like treacle, and Olive awaited the conversation Oscar had promised, butevery break seemed to bring with it a reason they couldn’t speak. The first tea break Oscar had to work through a scene with the director and lunch brought with it press interviews for which he had to stay inside whilst she ate alone in the front of house café. Frustrated that they hadn’t had a moment in private together, Olive nabbed her chance in the final tea break.
‘Can I borrow you?’she whispered, touching his arm as she followed him down the tiny wing to the auditorium.
‘Sure! Coffee?’
‘Yes. I’ll buy.’ Olive raced to get her coat, as did Oscar, but just as they were slipping out the door Jane grabbed Oscar’s hand.
‘Oooh, coffee run? I’ll come! I could murder a frappuccino!’ she said, sidling up to Oscar and rubbing her cheek against his bicep like adog nuzzling its owner.
‘Actually, Jane, I was hoping to have a little conversation with Olive here.’
‘What can you say to her that you can’t say to me?’
‘It’s about the show.’
‘Well, I am her first cover! Surely I should know these things?’ Jane pulled away from Oscar sharply and was one stamped foot away from showing her age as the baby of the cast.
‘Don’thold your breath to go on, though, love.’ Doug slung his arm around Olive’s shoulder, giving her an unpleasant waft of his sweaty pit. ‘I’ve worked with this one before and I’m sure she still holds the record for least sick days taken. What was that number again, Olive?’
‘Is this necessary?’
‘ONE! One sick day in two years of solid work,’ Doug shouted.
‘I had holiday, Doug,it’s not like I was never off! And I have holiday in this run too,’ she reassured Jane with a smile.
‘Exactly. See, this is all stuff I should know,’ Jane nodded, and Oscar looked at Olive who simply shrugged, annoyed that her chance to speak with him had been stolen again.
‘All right, come on then.’ He huffed and followed Olive to the coffee shop sporting a new and annoying accessoryon his arm: Jane.
The queue at the coffee counter was long and the crowd waiting for their hot drinks was three people deep.
‘I’m going to the toilet. Can you order me a peppermint mocha frappuccino?’ asked Jane.
‘Aren’t they iced?’ asked Oscar.
‘Yeah?’ Jane shrugged.
‘It’s freezing out!’ Olive laughed, blowing into her clasped hands.
