Three's Company

2.13 | Denied Three Times Over

Denied Three Times Over

deny: [dih-nahy]; verb; to refuse to recognize or acknowledge; disown; disavow; repudiate.

    "So how was your date?"

    Ethan couldn't help himself as he sat down next to Nova the following Monday. She was sitting by herself in the almost-empty auditorium--as they were usually the first two to arrive at rehearsal--reviewing her lines and whispering them back to herself.

    She looked up as Ethan took his regular seat beside her and gave a slight nod.

    "It was great." She replied, looking at him swiftly before returning her gaze to her script. Ethan told himself that he was probably just paranoid and desperately hopeful, but he swore he saw her blush when he asked the question.

    "Aren't you going to ask how I knew you were on a date?" Ethan nudged her, unsure both of why he was being so pushy and why Nova was practically ignoring him.

    "You were at the same restaurant with Scarlet." Nova answered without looking up. "I saw you two when I walked in." She took a moment to glance at him, her eyes narrowed. "Your girlfriend isn't exactly hard to miss."

    Ethan was unsure of how to take that last jab. Was Nova really rejecting his attempts at conversation?

    "Are you alright?"

    Nova took a deep breath and slammed the script shut, the 300 pages of music and spoken word ringing throughout the auditorium as more cast members began to file in.

    "How was your date, Ethan? How was your spectacular evening with Scarlet in a romantic restaurant surrounded by candlelight and violins playing love songs? How was your time after, when I'm sure you saw more of her than that dress allowed everyone else to see in the restaurant for themselves? How was the drive home? Did your car make it? Did you run out of gas? Did you have to carry Scarlet home on your back so that her high heels didn't get muddy?" Nova stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder and looking Ethan square in the face. He had never seen her so on edge. She was generally even-keeled, and was never one to raise her voice.

    "I'm sorry if--"

    "Sometimes I just don't feel like talking, alright? Is that too much for you to wrap your giant head around?" Nova stormed away from him, her script falling to the floor behind her.

    "You forgot your--"

    "Leave it!"

    Ethan was left sitting alone in the back row of the auditorium as he watched Nova stomp over to the side of the room and disappear backstage. His eyes were wide and he heard whispers from the people around him; he felt their stares on his back.

    "Move along." He ordered through gritted teeth as the rest of the cast filed past him and took their seats to await instruction by Mrs. Freedman.

    He had never seen Nova so angry. Why had she been so distraught? Why had it seemed to be directed at him? He had hardly done anything to her in the entirety of the last weekend; he hadn't even texted her.

    "Alright, places everyone!" Mrs. Freedman entered the room, a forceful presence herself, and took her place by the right of the stage, the perfect area to yell at unsuspecting ensemble members who didn't think she could see them gossiping behind the curtain. "We're running the ending dance number that ends with the final kiss and all the clapping from those of you who aren't talented enough to get a lead role."

    Ouch.

    Ethan took his place to the right of the stage, directly across from where Nova stood on the far left. He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself and keep his mind from wandering to the limited reasons Nova could be angry with him.

    In the back of his mind, he sorely hoped it was jealousy.

    "Action!"

    Ethan chasse-d his way across the stage, trying not to think about how feminine he looked. He was glad that basketball was a winter sport, or he feared he would dance across the court instead of run.

    Nova twirled into his arms and he wrapped his hands around hers as they sang the closing number, the big finale where the entire cast was involved in some way shape or form. There was no shortage of people running and dancing around the stage, and Ethan tried to focus on the chorus as his mind wandered to the girl in his arms.

    The song was coming to a close and Ethan dipped Nova in the center of the stage before leaning in for the final kiss.

    "Can we cut?" Nova asked just as his lips neared hers, "I don't think that the dance went very well."

    "Great initiative, Nova." Mrs. Freedman nodded. "From the top, everyone!"

    Nova pulled away from Ethan and walked to her starting position, not looking at him.

    Rejected twice.

<><><>

    Nova laid in her bed that night, scrolling through Instagram with a bowl of strawberries next to her. There was little that was on her mind besides Ethan, and she berated herself for acting like such a jerk to him during rehearsals that afternoon.

    She just couldn't face her growing feelings for him.

    If she faced her feelings and let herself flirt with him, she would end up doing something she regretted. And she wasn't going to have a reputation in this new school of being "the other woman".

    She refused to have the same reputation two schools in a row.

    Nova exited out of Instagram and made her way to Twitter, rolling her eyes as she saw yet another tweet from Scarlet declaring her undying love for Ethan, met by his half-hearted yet equally sappy public reply. She wasn't sure why she had decided to follow them online, but she had, and she didn't want to appear suspicious by unfollowing.

    Social media made life infinitely harder.

    There was something about the way Ethan had looked at her during rehearsal that made Nova wonder if this really wasn't all in her head. The shared feelings, the insane chemistry that seemed to seep off of the stage and into real life. She wanted it to be mutual, but she didn't want to get to that solution in any way if it meant ruining someone else's relationship.

    She needed self control.

    Just as Nova decided firmly on that self control, a loud ding sounded from her phone as Ethan's name appeared at the top of the screen.

    Nova felt her face grow red and her heartbeat quicken as she opened the message.

    Hey Nova. Practice felt off today. Want to run lines at my place for a bit?

    Her fingers hovered over her phone. All she wanted to do was type "yes", to run to his house and let anything happen.

    But she had morals. At least for now.

    Nova took a deep breath and typed two words before shutting off her phone and closing her eyes.

    No thanks.

    Rejected thrice.

A/N: It's getting heated between the two would-be lovebirds. How long before you think one of them's going to cave?

-Katherine