Page 6 of Play Room Actor

“Keep telling yourself that,” I said, my voice strained as I straightened up. “Whatever you want from me, you’re not getting it.”

“But you do like me,” he said, utterly convinced.

I blinked, my attention drifting to the corridor. “Wishful thinking,” I muttered, finally shoving him off me.

Even though he stepped back, he still blocked my path.

“What should I do to convince you to have a beer with me?”

Frustrated with myself for even considering it for a split second, I shook my head.

“What?” he challenged. “Is that so ridiculous?”

“You’re misinterpreting things.”

Something shifted in Kilian’s expression. Like earlier, it was as if a chasm opened inside him. The longer I looked into his eyes, the more it felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, staring into the abyss.

“I didn’t shake my head because of you.”

Kilian’s brows knitted together in an expression so intense, I envied his ability to show that kind of emotion. “Because of you?” he asked, incredulous.

“It’s just bad timing.” Then, more quietly, I added, “Really bad timing.”

“I can wait!” he said, his excitement lighting up his expression. “No problem.”

I opened my mouth, searching for the right words, when someone placed a hand on Kilian’s shoulder.

“There you are! We’ve been looking for you,” said the groom-to-be.

“Yup,” Kilian said casually, brushing off the interruption. “I’m done here.” He squeezed past his friend and turned back to me. “You’ve got my number.” And with that, he disappeared up the stairs.

Sebastian chuckled as he shook his head. “I hope he didn’t give you too much trouble.”

“Is he always like that?” I asked, stepping back into the brightly lit corridor.

Sebastian made a sheepish face. “Well … he can act a little crazy sometimes. But he’s a good guy.”

“Hm …” I murmured, secretly relieved. At least I wasn’t the only one behaving strangely tonight.

I returned to my spot by the entrance, where Vasily greeted me with his usual stoic expression. “Anything interesting happen?” he asked, his eyes fixed on the street.

“No.” I replied, keeping my tone just as flat.

But deep down, I couldn’t deny that Kilian had stirred something inside me—something I couldn’t quite define. It felt as though he’d seen something in me I didn’t even know was there.

I’d also seen something in him. There was a darkness in his eyes, something pitch-black, clawing its way to the surface. Kilian had seemed confident, but I’d also glimpsed his uncertainty. He had a restless energy about him, like he was desperately trying to mask something uncontrollable behind his quick wit and playful demeanor.

I pushed the thought aside and turned my attention to the new guests arriving.

Red officially closed at 4 a.m., but it was often closer to 5 by the time the last customers were out the door. Most nights, I took over coat check after 4 so the coat attendant could head home. As I handed out the last few jackets, I sat in a chair, reviewing the script for my audition on Monday.

A metallic clink broke my concentration, and I looked up. Five coat-check tokens lay on the counter, and behind them stood the bachelor party group, still cracking jokes. To my surprise, Kilian stayed in the background, appearing distant and lost in his own thoughts.

I checked the numbers and retrieved the jackets. “Did you have fun?” I asked, laying them out one by one. I knew the black parka belonged to Kilian, but he didn’t make any move to grab it.

“Yeah, it was great!” the groom-to-be said. “The ladies were amazing.” He grabbed the black parka and handed it to Kilian. “Here’s your jacket.”

Kilian lingered by the entrance, staring outside while cracking his knuckles, one finger at a time. Over and over. When his friend tapped his shoulder and held out the jacket, Kilian turned, his eyes wide with confusion, as if he’d been yanked from a daydream.