Summary: A moment between Seth and Audrey after her audition for Tender Nothings.
After she gets over the initial shock of seeing Matt Rodriguez at her audition, Audrey manages to pull herself together (she hopes, anyway). She reads her lines, flirts with Matt’s character, and thanks Markus again. He waves her off, uninterested, and she has no idea how she’s done, though Teja gives her a quick smile after.
She’s about to call a cab when someone calls her name, and she’s a little surprised to see Matt when she turns around.
“I know we don’t have time now, but…can we talk?” he asks.
Audrey looks at him in confusion as she explains that she’d given his manager her number, and a look of frustration crosses Matt’s face. “He never gave it to me.”
Someone comes looking for him, and Audrey quickly puts her number in his phone before he heads back inside. She watches him go, but the little butterflies she’d felt talking to him at the party aren’t nearly as present.
When she walks into her apartment building, she’s still in a bit of a daze, between the audition and Matt, and she nearly runs right into Seth walking out.
“Oof! Sorry,” she says, steadying herself as Seth grabs her arms to keep her from losing her balance.
He takes her in, staring for just a second at the dress Gloria loaned her. “Wow, Iowa,” he says. “You look…beautiful.”
She smiles, her skin warming a little at the look on his face and the sincerity in his words. “Thanks.”
Seth steps onto the front stoop. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he says with a grin. “Or another celebrity.”
“Actually…yes,” she says.
Seth raises an eyebrow. “A ghost?”
She laughs, shaking her head. “No. A celebrity.”
There’s a barely perceptible change in his expression as she explains her audition and seeing Matt again, but before she can identify it, it’s gone.
“That’s good news,” he says. “A big movie with a major celebrity?”
He says it in his usual carefree tone, but his voice sounds almost strained, as if he’s forcing the words to sound natural.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Audrey says slowly.
She wonders what he’s thinking, why he suddenly seems to be having a hard time looking at her.
~~~~~~~~~~
Idiot, is what he’s thinking. That, and in a brief moment of wallowing and self-pity, that it won’t be long before Audrey’s hanging out with A-list celebrities and making blockbusters, while he’ll still be chasing raccoons out of his crappy apartment and struggling to make a name for himself. He feels like he has nothing to offer her, this woman who’s swept into his life and who he’s half-expecting to sweep right back out of it.
Cheap beer. A lackluster view from their crappy apartment building. A method for removing Rocket from her apartment. Seth shakes his head, laughing to himself and wondering why he’s feeling like this. He isn’t prone to feeling sorry for himself, or getting too caught up with most of the people he’s met here, but there’s…something about Audrey. She’s beautiful, yes, but it’s more than that. He refuses to let himself dwell on it now, though, forcing himself to smile at her.
“I have a show soon, so I have to get going,” he explains, heading for his car.
“Wait!” Audrey blurts just as he unlocks it.
“I want to come. See your show,” she clarifies, and his mouth suddenly goes dry.
“You do?” he asks.
“I do.”
She makes her way over to his car, waiting and watching him.
“It’s not that big of a venue,” he tells her. “And it’s a crappy time slot.”
Audrey shrugs, fidgeting with her keys. “That doesn’t matter. I just…I want to come watch you.”
Seth releases a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Okay. But I’m no Flip Marino, so don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he smiles at her.
~~~~~~~~~~
The venue is tiny and nearly empty, though a few people trickle in before Seth’s time slot. Audrey orders a beer and waits patiently for him to come on. Seth looks right at home on the stage when he comes out, and she can’t help but smile at his infectious enthusiasm. He’s truly funny and moves smoothly through his set with ease. Audrey finds herself laughing at all his jokes, and the grin he throws her when she cheers for him as he wraps up sends a jolt through her.
The small crowd that’s gathered seems to have liked him, and it warms her to see a few people tell him how much they liked this joke or that joke of his. When he finally gets to her table, Audrey half-teasingly tells him she’ll be fighting off crowds just to talk to him before he knows it.
Seth laughs it off. “Flatterer.”
“You were funny!” she insists. “Really.”
She bumps her shoulder against his, and Seth smiles at her. “Thanks, Iowa.”
Another comedian comes on stage as a few more people wander in. “Do you want to go?” he asks her.
She doesn’t. She’s having fun, and she likes being here with him. “Let’s stay.”
Seth orders a drink and brings her another beer, settling in the chair next to hers. The next comedian is funny, though not really her type of humor, and she finds herself paying more attention to Seth than the stage.
His lips are full, she notices, and his hair is wavier than she’d noticed before. The corners of his eyes crinkle when he laughs. His fingers are long as they wrap around his beer bottle, and she’s glad the room is dark when she looks up, flushing when she realizes he’s caught her staring at him.
She expects him to smile a little, or nudge her playfully, but instead, he stares back at her. Audrey swallows when she notices his eyes flick down to her lips. Her heart starts racing, her fingers itching to reach out and trace over his as he grips his nearly empty beer bottle. He leans in, just slightly, and Audrey exhales softly, then jumps as the comedian finishes, the crowd applauding and the lights suddenly turning on. People start dispersing, the acts done for the night.
There’s a moment of hesitation and awkwardness between them, before Seth offers her an easy smile. “You ready?”
“Yeah,” she says, smiling back.
They drive back to their apartment building in relative quiet, and Seth walks her to her door. She’s sorry the night is over and finds herself reluctant to break this moment between them.
“I had fun,” she tells him.
“Me too. Thank you, for coming. Really,” he says sincerely.
“Of course. When’s your next show?”
Seth’s eyes search hers as he answers.
“Save me a seat,” she says softly, inching closer to him.
She brushes her fingers over his, and Seth steps closer.
“You’ll be on set by then,” he murmurs, as if she’s already gotten the part on Tender Nothings.
Audrey glances up at him. “Not for sure. And if I am…then I’ll be at the next one.”
“Audrey…”
“What?”
“I don’t know,” he admits after a moment, running his hand over the back of his neck.
She moves closer, close enough to take his hand in hers, and he looks at her like he had that first night, hopeful but with a shy uncertainty. Audrey loops her other arm around his neck, fingers playing through the ends of his hair. She sighs as he wraps his arms around her waist, rising up on her toes until her mouth hovers over his.
Her eyes drift closed as he brushes his lips against hers, so soft and feather light at first that she wonders if it even counts as a first kiss. But then he presses forward, his lips firm against hers this time. Audrey releases his hand to bring both arms around his neck, can feel and hear his quiet groan as she presses against him.
She’s aware of his arms tightening around her, her back softly hitting the wall, his head craning down when she sinks back down to her feet as he kisses her harder. When they part, she’s flushed and breathless and he’s smiling and looks a little stunned.
“I…” Audrey tries to come up with something to say, but words evade her as Seth brings a hand up to cup her face, so she settles for smiling back at him.
He leans down to kiss her again, and Audrey grips his collar, holding him to her as he presses brief, soft kisses against her mouth.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” she finally manages to ask.
“Just driving the limo tomorrow night. Why?”
“I’ve never actually been to the ocean, you know. We should go,” she answers, letting her hands glide lightly down his chest.
“Are you asking me out?” Seth asks, grinning at her as he leans back.
“Maybe?”
“Then I’ll maybe have to say yes,” he replies, a playful, teasing look on his face as he leans in to press his lips to hers.
Audrey smiles against his mouth, her eyes drifting closed. “See you tomorrow,” she murmurs when he steps back again.
“Good night, Iowa. Sweet dreams.”