It had been three days, and I still hadn't heard a thing from the casting.

I had been anxiously waiting, keeping my phone by me day and night waiting for that call and still, nothing. I knew that the director said we would know within a week but usually, if they knew what they wanted you would know within the first couple days.

As I woke up Tuesday morning, I went through my normal, mundane routine per usual with the thought and acceptance that I hadn't gotten the role.

I moved around the house, completing my normal chores with a cloud of depression looming over me. The coffee, I burnt, far too engrossed within my own morbid thoughts. I cut my yoga workout short, my body giving out half way through. I ended up laying on my back in the living room, staring up at the ceiling aimlessly as I let the yoga tape continue playing in the background like white noise.

An unexpected call from my father helped sooth my anxiety for a short-lived moment. He never really called much since he moved away after I graduated high school, but I didn't blame him.

I knew most everything about me, my face, my voice, my odd quirks reminded him of my mother.

Some reminders are too painful to bear and for my father, anything that revolved around my mother was a trigger into depression for him.

He never accepted her death and refused to properly heal. Some losses are too great a pain to recover from; the hollow ache in your chest a permanent memory of what you'd once had and never will again.

Unfortunately, mere minutes after hanging up with my father, the daunting misery over the role that I was sure I had lost out on came rushing back.

Was I used to being disappointed and not getting what I wanted?

Yes.

Yet, this time was different. I wanted this one and I wanted it badly. I even felt as though my callback went exceptionally well aside from the intimate mishap with my acting partner.

Kaleb.

I mentally kicked myself for thinking his name as I stirred my spoon around in circles in the Alfredo linguine I was making for dinner. That man... that forward, crass, damnably attractive man had been occupying far too many of my thoughts since that audition than should be allowed.

Something about him confused me and enthralled me all at once. Everything about Kaleb was entrancing and different; and different was dangerous.

I was thankfully brought out of my endless thoughts about Kaleb when I heard keys jingle from outside and the front door swing open.

Setting the spoon down, I spun on my heel and placed my hands gingerly behind my back and waited for Zach to walk in; a position that I had become accustomed to staying in for the last couple years whenever Zach arrived home from work.

I forced my lips to rise into a sweet grin as Zach's handsome figure rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen, still clad in his business attire.

"Hey, babe," he said with a crooked smile as he placed his briefcase down onto the counter top and loosened his tie around his neck.

As always, I physically readied myself as Zach took a few, wide steps towards me and went to plant a kiss on my cheek. This action had been a daily ritual for the most part so I was generally used to it. Yet, as I felt the muscles in my shoulder tighten as he inched closer, I knew I would never fully be prepared for his touch.

His soft lips swiftly caressed the warm skin of my cheek and I stifled the small hitch in my throat that always came with his physical affection.

"Smells good in here," Zach complimented as he leaned over my shoulder to take in a deep whiff of our dinner.

"Thank you. I made my own garlic bread too this time for us to try."

His head pulled back in from smelling the pasta behind me and set his gaze on mine. His deep blue eyes crinkled in the corners as his lips lifted into a real, genuine smile.

"Sounds great."

Appreciation and joy swirled through my mind and my lips tilted upwards quickly at his honest approval. Whenever Zach gave me his praise for any reason, my stomach tumbled with butterflies and I held onto those moments, even as insignificant and few as they were.

Those moments made me feel worth a mountains weight in gold. In those rare times, I remembered the small nuances, and looks, and reasons as to why I fell for Zach in the first place.

His eyes scanned over my face, taking in my grateful reaction, and I swear his eyes lit up a tad more as he reached out and tapped his warm thumb against my chin gently; lovingly.

"Love you, Lee."

My lips stretched into a bigger grin then they had in what seemed like months.

"I love you, too."

Zach gave me one last, tender look before moving back out of the kitchen, removing his gray suit jacket in the process.

I guess today's a good day after all.

I spun back around to the stove with a smile, my body buzzing with happiness as I spooned both Zach and I our plates of steaming pasta and topped them off with the homemade garlic bread.

"How was work?" I asked as I set his plate down in front of him at the kitchen table.

"Fine as always. There are a few new idiot interns that are becoming a major hassle but, I don't think any of them will last so it's really nothing to lose sleep over."

I nodded my head politely as he spoke, twirling my fork around in the creamy sauce and noodles as I sat across from him at the table.

"Oh," Zach spoke up in remembrance as he chewed up a mouth full of pasta. "There's an event for the company coming up in a few weeks that you'll have to attend."

I looked up from my food, being sure to give him my full attention.

"It's a formal event. You'll wear that tight, green dress I like," he ordered causally.

"Okay," I agreed instantly even though I wasn't particularly keen on the attention that dress brought me whenever I wore it.

If he wanted me to wear that dress, then I would wear that dress, no questions asked.

It was just easier that way.

Suddenly, a loud ringing ripped through our quiet dinner scene. A phone was ringing.

My phone.

My heartbeat surged, the pace quickening in my chest and crashing around as I fidgeted in my seat. My eyes shot over to Zach's as I pleaded with him silently to let me interrupt our dinner to answer the call.

My eyes widened in anticipation as my phone continued to blare out across the apartment, ringing and ringing, taunting me to answer it before it was too late.

"Please," I whispered out, imploring his pensive stare with my pleading eyes.

After a few more agonizing seconds, he nodded. "You can go get it."

Once granted permission, I bolted out of my seat, and dove for my phone on the counter top.

"Hello?" I answered in a somewhat breathless voice.

"Yes, is this Leah Johnson?" A woman's voice inquired in a professional manner.

"This is her."

"Hi, Leah! It's Meg from the auditions. I signed you in and got you the early callback."

I could feel the sweat beginning to collect on the palms of my hands as I rolled my fingers into them nervously.

This was it.

"Yes, hi. I remember you and thank you once again for doing that. I really appreciated it."

"Oh, it was no problem!"

Please, just get it over with.

"The reason I'm calling actually is to tell you that the early callback paid off!"

Every fiber inside of my body froze with her words.

"You got the role!"

Every breath, every movement, everything stopped as her words sunk in.

I got it?

My lips trembled, daring to rise up into a cautious smile. Relief and amazement coursed through my veins as I brought my hand up, my fingers brushing against my lips as I tried to conceal their quivering joy.

"Leah? Are you there?"

"Oh, yes! Sorry," I exclaimed with a small chuckle tumbling from my mouth.

"It's fine," she said with a light laugh of her own. "So, congratulations! Sorry it took us so long to get back to you but there were a lot of factors that came into play," she explained.

"Do you mind if I ask what sort of factors?"

"Sure! It was just seeing if we could work with your availability but then as it turned out, the actor we chose for Dan has relatively the same schedule needs that you do. You were both our first picks so it actually worked out perfectly!"

First pick?

My body hummed with baffled joy and my heart leaped, unable to remember the last time I had felt so blissfully happy. And man it felt good.

"The first rehearsal is this Friday at three pm. We will just be going over the show dates, schedules, and characters. Can you make it?"

"Yes," I answered instantly, nodding my head vigorously even though she couldn't see the action.

"Perfect! I really really look forward to working with you! From what Dave, the director, told me, your callback was phenomenal!"

"Thank you so much. That really means so much to me," I told her, my voice beginning to tighten with emotion, with undiluted, overwhelming happiness. Tears pricked at the backs of my eyes, my body almost unequipped to deal with this amount of euphoria.

"Oh you're so welcome, sweetie! I'm just excited to see what Dave hasn't been able to shut up about since the callbacks with you and the Dan we chose."

The un-shed tears of joy dissipated instantly with her words and confusion and foreshadowed horror swarmed my mind.

No...

"What do you mean...?" I asked slowly, my voice quivering with hesitance for her answer.

"The Dan you did your callback with, um... Kaleb! He's gonna be your Dan!"

Slowly, I felt all of the blood drain from my face as the unease and undeniable anxiety set in. I stood, paralyzed in my spot, my hands both shaking uncontrollably, my mind swimming with dread as her words sunk in

Oh god, no...

Don't ask me how I knew, because I couldn't even begin to tell you, but somehow I knew...

Nothing good would come from this.

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