Being Alive [Charlie Barber]

Chapter 13: Infidelity

'Charlie Barber is so fucking handsome.'

    You kept thinking that to yourself as you watched him during rehearsal. He was directing the cast, pointing to various spots on the stage, wildly gesturing with his hands. He was so passionate, so knowledgeable. He knew exactly what he wanted and how to articulate it.

    It made you throb, squirming in your seat as you observed. You were sitting in the front row, leg crossed over the other and a notebook in your lap. Now and then, Charlie would call out to you, telling you what notes he needed you to jot down for him.

    You were thankful that you weren't the one taking acting directions from him because you would've been a mess, flustered and fidgety as he told you what to do. It was bad enough just being told what to write down for him.

    "If I have my back turned for this line, how will the audience know who I'm talking to?" One of the actresses asked Charlie. "Am I overthinking it?"

    You watched the way Charlie put a hand to his mouth, thinking, gears turning in his head almost visibly. A small detail he hadn't taken into consideration. "I don't think it should matter."

    The actress frowned, "I don't know..." She trailed off, thinking about it. She didn't want to argue with him but it didn't feel right to her.

    Charle's frown deepened. His hands went to his hips, thinking it through. His attention unexpectedly turned towards you. "What do you think?"

    Your eyes widened. Everyone's attention turned on you and it made you shift uncomfortably, recrossing your legs over the other. You hadn't been expecting him to ask for your input.

    You'd been whispering to him all morning, telling him little details and mistakes you noticed. He seemed to like your feedback but you didn't think he'd ask for it in front of everyone.

    Charlie's eyes stayed on yours and he offered you a gentle, soothing smile. He could see your nerves. It was cute.

    "I-I um..." You tried to think, "I don't see why it would be an issue for her to turn away from the audience after she says the line...It doesn't really take away from the delivery of it." You answered, sharing your honest opinion.

    Charlie kept his stare on you as he ran it through in his mind. "Okay. Let's try that." He decided, gracefully hopping off of the side of the stage, hands clasped together as he made his way to the seats. "From the top, guys."

    He took a seat beside you, his large frame brushing against yours without even meaning to.

    You glanced up at him and were met with a discreet wink as if he were telling you 'good job'. It made butterflies swarm in your stomach, so eager to get praise from him.

    You watched carefully as the actress took your directions, turning her back after saying the line instead of before like she previously had.

    Charlie made a hum of approval, liking the way it flowed. He took the notebook from your lap and the purple pen from your hand. His mouth went over the cap, pulling it off and keeping it balanced between his lips. He wrote on your paper, assumingly jotting down a note to do it that way in the future.

You frowned in confusion when you then watched how he tore off the area of the paper that he'd just written on. He folded it in half, placing it in your lap along with the notebook and pen before standing up from his seat.

"Okay, that looked good." Charlie announced to them, "Nice work." He moved over to the stage.

He kept talking, giving more directions but you were distracted now. You discreetly unfolded the piece of torn paper: