Care to Explain? // One Shot
Pulling at the satin ribbons, and slipping her pointe shoes off her foot, she threw them into her bag. Kate sat in the hallway of the Royal Ballet School, sighing as she sat down to stretch and relax her muscles. Extending her legs to each side of her body in to a straddle stretch. A deep breath filled her lungs as she leaned forward. She maintained the position for a moment before the silence was interrupted by two muffled buzzes. She sighed; she had a text. Swinging her left leg to the other side, she reached towards her feet, her nose touching her knees. Turning her head to rest its side on her knees, she closed her eyes for moment. She took a deep breath before she heard more buzzing. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she sat up, moving to her bag to check her messages. The recent text read:
Laura: I s2g if you don't answer me there will be hell to pay, Kate
She shook her head, rolling her eyes playfully at her friend. Laura had always enjoyed dramatics. Unlocking her phone with a slide of her finger, her eyes widened at the first message that Laura had sent her. Mon dieu. Her jaw fell slightly when she looked at the picture her friend had sent her. She blinked a few times just to make sure she was seeing clearly. The image remained the same on her screen when her eyes focused once again. She had met Hal at the airport the other week after he had been in New York for the previous week. She hadn't quite missed him as much as she did when she was in Paris--auditions were rapidly approaching. If she was being honest, his distraction was not missed all that much at all. Still, it only seemed right to go out to the airport and meet him after his long flight. The idea that someone would have photographed them hadn't even crossed her mind. Kate hadn't quite recovered when her phone started vibrating and Laura's name and picture appeared on the screen. She brought the phone up to the side of her face, her expression resembling that of a deer caught in headlights, even now.
"Um holy shit!?" Kate winced a bit as Laura screamed into the phone. She ran a hand over her hair, which was pulled back into a tight ballet bun. She was still a bit taken aback from the photo that Laura had sent her. It looked like it was from a magazine, and didn't really know what her feelings were about the whole thing. The spotlight was something she enjoyed when she was onstage. These types of things always came across to her as an invasion of privacy. Lost in her thoughts, her trance was destroyed by the sound of Laura's voice. Patience had never been one of her virtues.
"So?" The one word exuded her irritation and desperation for anything from the dancer. She could practically see the look on her face as she spoke. Her eyebrows would be raised, an impatient glimmer in her eye. If Kate had been standing there in front of her and Laura's hands were free, she'd gesture wildly. Kate almost laughed at the thought, but her mind was preoccupied with the matter at hand.
Her left hand reached up to adjacent collarbone, rubbing at it roughly. She opened her mouth, struggling to find the words to answer, "He lives my new apartment building." She could see that suggestive smile stretched across her friend's face now, "That's convenient."
"Please." She chided. She knew this conversation was not going to be short. Laura would track her down and kill her if she told her she had to hang up. It was good thing that her classes had all ended. The thought ran through her mind, as she stood up. Slipping on her long jacket as she held the phone between her shoulder and cheek, she gripped the phone with one hand, as she did the buttons on her coat. She slung her small duffle over she shoulder.
"You deserve it. I still can't believe you didn't tell me." A small amount of guilt nagged at her, hearing the tone of Laura's voice. She probably should have told the girl that was pretty much her only friend. It just happened really fast. She would have gotten round to it eventually.
"I've been busy..." It was a rather half-arsed excuse, but there was some truth to it. She had been busy with her classes and perfecting everything for audition, which were coming up much too soon. She had been away in Paris for a week as well, so it wasn't as if she had been spending her time in its entirety with Hal and evading her friend. Even then, she still could have told Laura, hey, I went on a date with Henry Galloway or hey, I almost just said I love you to Henry Galloway. Well, that last one was a little much to expect from Kate. Laura let out a strained, sarcastic laugh at her poor justification, "OH, I bet. Fucking him probably." Kate fumbled her phone, a blush rushing to her cheeks at Laura's words. At least it was nice to know Laura hadn't changed in her absence. (In all honesty, Laura had probably held back while they were roommates just for Kate's sake.) The thought brought an amused smile to her face as she stepped out of the building.
"Auditions are coming up, and you know I was in France last month."
"I know. I wished you a happy birthday, didn't I? Damn, I set you free a mere few months ago, and you've gone and snagged yourself a hot, rich actor boyfriend." She teased her, "Or should I say shagged." Kate groaned as her friend laughed on the other line, "You two have done it right? Because if you haven't fucked that lovely gentleman--"
"Laura!" Kate would have given the woman a pointed look had she been able to see it.
"What? I'm complimenting your taste, in a way." Laura said in a very matter-of-fact way.
"In a way." She repeated, rolling her eyes in good jest. This should have been expected on Kate's part. When she had been single, Laura had been all over her to go on a date or something. Now that Kate did have a boyfriend, she'd want to make sure she was getting it, just like a good friend should: a good and unabashed friend that is. That title fit Laura perfectly. She laughed quietly, trotting down the stairs into the underground. The soft laughter, only affirmed the answer to her question
"You haven't denied it, so it's true! You're fucking the famous actor Henry Galloway!" She shook her head, entertained and dumbfounded by the whole thing actually. Hal being famous wasn't actually a thing that she really took in account very often; it seldom crossed her mind, in fact. Maybe that was something she should have processed before all of this. No, that would have clouded her thoughts. Perhaps it was better that hte whole thing had slipped her mind in a way. The memory of the bakery and how he had explained to her the way that Maria and he had duped the press ran through her mind. The whole thing had made her quite uncomfortable. Her thoughts were pushed aside as Laura spoke again.
"You have to tell me everything, and I want to meet him! I have to confirm he's good enough for my sweet Katharine. Though first things first, us. We haven't seen in each other in ages, which is my fault, but partially yours too." Kate brightened at the idea of spending some time with Laura again. The bold, gregarious girl had definitely grown on her. Living together for five years was probably a reason for that.
"Yes! It's a date." She grinned, knowing that Laura knew she was doing so just through the phone.
"Not really, though. I wouldn't want your boyfriend to get jealous." Laura teased, but Kate knew she was grinning as well. Her friend got something to tease her about, though she knew she was going to get shit about not telling her. "Okay, I'm about to get on the tube, so I don't know how my service will hold up."
"You owe me an entire explication though." Laura pouted. The disappointment in her voice made Kate smile.
"If you forgive me, I'll buy lunch." She offered, just as the train pulled up. "I promise I'll fill you in, Laura." Hearing a mumble of what sounded like 'good', Kate was satisfied. Ending the call, her mind wander back to the article. She really didn't know what to think about the whole thing really. Biting her lip as she tucked her phone in to her pocket, her hand gripped the pole in the car. The train started to move, and after a few stops, she got off. Walking out of the London Underground, she felt her phone vibrate twice. Pulling it out of her pocket, she smiled at the newest message from Laura.
Laura: Hate you.
