Tap, tap, tap.

The producer, a man in his fifties with bags under his eyes, drums his fingertips across the table as I wait in front of him with my hands folded over my lap. There’s a nervous smile on my face, and I can already feel the muscles on my face cramping from keeping that smile for so long.

“Where the hell is he?” He grumbles to himself, impatiently rapping his knuckles on his desk. We’ve been waiting for Kane for thirty minutes now (or has it been longer than that?), and there’s still no sign of him.

“It’s okay,” I say, but I doubt that the producer, Ryan, has even heard me. Judging by the pissed off expression on his face, he’s definitely not okay with Kane being this late to my audition. Which I understand completely; I’m pretty annoyed myself.

I’ve been rehearsing my lines all morning, and I’ve kept them on the tip of my tongue for so long that now I’m afraid of drawing a blank the moment I look Kane in the eyes. And the more the clock ticks, the more I’m afraid of that happening.

Keep it together, I think to myself, taking a deep breath as I try to calm myself. I really can’t screw this up today. If all goes well, I’ll get a part in Manhattan Reign ...and that’s pretty much the dream for a struggling actress like me. I mean, acting on dental floss commercials and stuff like that sure helps paying the bills, but it doesn’t really compare to being part of the hottest drama on cable TV. With an obsessed fan base spread all around the globe (not to mention all the critical acclaim), a show like this is the dream. If I play my cards right, Manhattan Reign might be my launch pad to success.

“Good morning, everyone,” I hear Kane suddenly say as he bursts through the door. I have my back turned to him, but I’d recognize that voice everywhere. After all, more than wanting a role in Manhattan Reign, I’m also a fan of the show...And that in part because of Kane. Oh, what am I saying—it’s totally because of Kane.

“Good morning,” I tell him, turning around on my seat to face him. The moment my eyes lock on his, I think my heart stops. He’s so much taller in real life...And more than just taller, he’s also much more handsome. Million-dollar smile, pronounced jawline, and a proud chin that tells me he wouldn’t look out of place with a crown on top of his head. And the suit – sweet Mercy, is it even legal to look this good?

“So, what’s the scene?” He starts, sitting on the empty chair next to me. Lacing his hands behind his head, he leans back against the seat and throws his feet up on the desk, much to the dismay of the producer.

“This is Sasha,” the producer replies with a cold tone, casually waving his hand at me. “She’s one of our final candidates for the role of Katya.”

“Katya,” Kane whispers, taking his feet off the table and reaching for the script sitting on table. Flipping through it, he then looks at me with a curious expression. “That’s the foreign exchange student, right?”

“Yes,” I nod, “Katya’s going to be your daughter’s rival. Your TV daughter, I mean.”

“Yeah, I don’t have a real life daughter, so…” He laughs, and that makes me feel even more nervous. I definitely can’t screw this up. It’s almost a miracle that I made it to the final audition round, and now that I’m looking Kane in the eyes...Yeah, I have to get this role.

“Alright, let’s get it over with,” the producer tells us with a bored tone, looking at the script in his hands. “This is the scene where Katya starts flirting with Kane, seducing him...Let’s see if there’s some chemistry between the two of you.”

“Got it,” I nod nervously, feeling the palms of my hands grow slippery with sweat. I have a copy of the script inside my purse, but I don’t reach for it; by now, I already know each and every line by heart.

“Alright,” Kane whispers, his eyes wandering over the script as he looks for his line. Then, finding it, his expression seems to change in a fraction of a second and he looks straight at me. “Katya...I don’t know who you think I am, but –“

“Does it matter what I think?” I cut him short, adding a slight accent to my words. I lower my voice, my eyes never leaving his, and then I continue. “That’s the problem with you...You think too much.”

“And maybe you should start thinking more,” he replies, his voice stern and heavy. “You don’t care about anything, about anyone, and —”

“But I do care…” My whispers turn into a purr now, and I keep my eyes locked on his as I say these words. I let a few seconds of silence pass as I run my tongue between my lips, and I can’t help but imagine how it’d feel to lean in and crush my mouth against Kane’s. “I care about you,” I finally add.

“Don’t,” he whispers back at me, his voice hesitant and fraught with conflict and tension. The air around us seems to grow heavy, and I can almost feel the electricity crackle in the space between our bodies. “Don’t do this…” He insists, but his words sound more like a plea for me do to the exact opposite.

“Like I said,” I raise my hand up and, reaching for him, I brush my thumb over his lips, “you think too much.”

We remain looking into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, that heavy silence blanketing the room, and I even forget that the producer is sitting here with us. Right now, I’ve lost myself in Katya, and I’m not even acting anymore...I’m truly living it.

“Yes!” The producer suddenly cries out, clapping his hands together. His annoyed expression from before has given way to one of relief, and he leans back against his seat as he looks at me. “That was great.” I start to think that he’s going to offer me the role right now, but that’s not what he does. “We’ll let you know,” he tells me, his excited tone now long gone.

Completely stunned, adrenaline rushing through my veins at warp speed, I get up from my seat and amble out the door of the audition room.

I can’t wait to tell Laurel about this.