Chapter 2

You're out of your mind

To think that I

To think that I can keep you

Out of mind

~*~*~*~*~*~

Friday, March 11, 2019

"Oh my God, this is really cute!" Hanna exclaimed, holding a pale blue skater dress out to me.

I shook my head. "We're here to look for a present for Colin, not shop for ourselves, remember?"

She pouted. "But it's cute..."

I examined the dress. It had short sleeves, a flowing skirt that would fall just above her knees and a white collar. "It really is, yeah. Are you gonna wear it tonight?" I asked. Colin's birthday party was tonight, and we'd admittedly been a little late in finding a present for him. Which was also why I tried to hurry us along as quickly as possible, even though it was still only eleven a.m. and it would start around nine p.m. But still, a girl needed some time to look cute.

"I might. But hey, if I'm gonna get something new for tonight, so should you. And you should make it extra fancy, to celebrate that you'll get the part tomorrow."

I groaned, feeling myself get nauseous all over again. "Don't remind me that tomorrow's the day. I don't get why you're so confident in me. There's a pretty big chance I won't get the part."

"I'm so confident in you because I actually see you as you are. Really, hon, I love you, but you can get really insecure sometimes."

"Yeah, well, you didn't see me stumble into the room like a complete moron."

She chuckled. "That may be true, but I'm sure the fact that your acting is brilliant counts higher than your clumsiness."

"You know what?" I said uncomfortably. "Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's just find me a dress and go find Colin a present."

She sighed. "Fine. But I'm so gonna say 'I told you so' tomorrow."

I shook my head, fully intent on ignoring that last statement, and moved to another rack of dresses. But the more I searched, the more I couldn't find anything I liked. There were enough cute dresses to be found, sure, but not really anything that I just needed to have. So eventually, after browsing through the racks for about fifteen minutes, I said, "I'll just try another store. Do you want to try that on for size?"

As Hanna went into the fitting room, I waited for her outside, taking out my phone to check my messages. Most of my messages were from my friends regarding the party tonight, and a text from Keegan asking me if I would bring the whiskey tonight reminded me that I still needed to stop by the liquor store as well.

When Hanna reemerged from the fitting room, she was wearing the pale blue dress. She smiled as she twirled around for me. "What do you think?"

"It looks gorgeous on you," I told her. "The length is perfect as well."

She pulled a face. "It really sucks that I can't wear long dresses. Sometimes I really envy you for that, you know."

I laughed. "It's not my fault your super short and I'm not."

"Hey!" she said, laughing as she swat her hand at me. "You're mean."

I just stuck my tongue out at her as she got her five foot two frame back into the fitting room to change back into her own clothes. When she returned, she paid for the dress and we went back outside.

We walked past the other shops in the mall aimlessly, looking in the windows for potential cute outfits. Nothing really spoke to either of us—until we passed a store that sold all kinds of vintage outfits, and I dragged my best friend inside with me. I'd always been fascinated with '50s fashion, and yet I hardly had any clothes like that. If Hanna wanted me to treat myself, then I was going to buy myself a '50s-style dress.

"This is kinda cute," she said, holding up a flowing skirt covered in polka dots. "You'd have to wear a petticoat under it of course, but you could pull it off."

"It is cute," I said. "But I want a dress." I smiled as something caught my eye. "Something like that." I pointed at a mannequin wearing a black pencil skirt dress. It had a deep V-neck and sleeves a little past the elbows. It was love at first sight.

"That thing is gonna do great things to your boobs," Hanna commented, probably already picturing me in the dress.

I blushed. I hadn't even thought about that. "You think so?"

"Oh honey, I know so." She grinned. "You should wear it on your first day on set. Wanna bet Henry's eyes are gonna bug out of his skull?"

I fought another blush as I rolled my eyes. "No, he will not. Because he's not into me and I might not even get the part so he's probably never gonna see me in the dress anyway."

"He may not be into you now," Hanna said, choosing to ignore my comment about not getting the part, "but he's still a man. And last I heard, he's straight. Any straight man that sees you in that dress will have a spontaneous heart attack, and any woman that sees you will have an existential crisis."

I laughed. "It won't make me look that good." But still, I went up to the rack that held the dress and sought for my size. I found it quickly and Hanna nearly pushed me into the empty fitting room to try it on. It almost surprised me that she didn't go in with me.

I hung the dress on a peg on the door and took off my white skinny jeans and denim blouse. Leaving my heels on, I stepped into the dress and pulled it on, tugging the zipper on the back all the way up and securing the hook. It fit perfectly, and, just like Hanna had predicted, it did great things for my boobs. Our earlier conversation made me wonder what Henry would think about it, which was absolutely ridiculous. I'd only met him twice; there was no reason for him to be on the forefront of my mind so much. And yet, he was.

I stepped out of the fitting room to show the dress off to Hanna. She was speechless for a second as she took me in, gesturing for me to turn around with her finger. "Oh my God, babe. That dress does even better things for your boobs than I imagined. And your butt... Holy crap."

I smoothed the skirt down, even though it was perfectly smooth already. "Isn't it a little too much for Colin's party, though? I mean, you know his birthdays are always super laid back."

"Who cares if it's too fancy for his birthday? You'll have even him drooling, and he's gay as hell."

I snorted. "So you think I should buy it?"

"If you don't, I'll buy it behind your back and sneak it into your closet. Jules, you were born to wear that dress."

"All right, all right, I'll take it," I said, laughing as I returned to the fitting room to change back into my jeans and blouse.

When I returned, the dress slung over my arm, Hanna said, "You know what that dress needs? A new pair of heels."

"But I already have enough—"

"Nope," she interrupted me. "You're getting new shoes."

I just shook my head helplessly as she guided me to the shoe section, but quickly forgot any protests I might have had once I saw all the different kinds of heels. I was a shoe addict, and I knew it.

"I hate you," I told her before eagerly stepping toward the first shoe that caught my attention.

After trying on way too many pairs, I finally found a black pair of heels with a platform and a T-strap. They were simple and elegant, matching my dress perfectly.

Putting the shoes back in the box, I gathered my stuff and paid for everything at the register, leaving the store with a bigger shopping bag than initially intended.

"What's next?" Hanna asked as we started wandering around the mall again.

"We could go to a bookstore, see if they have any art stuff."

"We could get him one of those coloring books for adults as a joke," she suggested, a humorous glint in her eyes. "He'd like it, too."

I smiled. "He probably would, yeah."

Hanna hooked her arm through mine and we walked over to Barnes & Noble together, but we quickly got split up once we were inside. We both were avid readers, and we were in our own worlds the moment we crossed the threshold of any bookstore. I let my fingers glide over the spines, waiting until a title would jump out to me. My fingers itched to buy more books, even though I already needed to invest in another bookcase. I really had to cross that off my to-do list before I bought even more books, but it was really hard to refrain myself. Before I knew it, I held multiple titles in my arms and I was already reading the back of another book.

Deciding that the book didn't interest me enough and that I really should keep myself in check when it came to buying more books, I put it back where I'd found it and stepped away from the shelf, bumping into someone standing behind me.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry!" I exclaimed, trying desperately and failing to keep a hold on my books. They all fell to the floor, scattering everywhere. I crouched on the floor to pick them up, the person I'd bumped into bending down to help me. "Oh my God," I squeaked once I saw his face.

"My, Juliette, are you stalking me?" Henry asked, a smile in his astonishingly blue eyes as he handed me my books.

Flustered, I accepted the books and stood up again. "You were the one who showed up at my work, so I should be asking you that question."

He laughed. "I suppose so. So you like to read, huh?" he asked, gesturing at the six books I was holding.

"What gave it away?" I joked, trying helplessly not to blush.

"Hey, Jules, I found the—oh." I turned around to find a very surprised Hanna. Very much unlike her, she blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's okay," Henry said, a polite smile shaping his lips. "I'm Henry." He shook her hand, which was quite a feat, considering that Hanna was also holding a pile of books in her arms.

"Yeah, I know," she said bluntly, and then blushed again. "I'm Hanna, Juliette's roommate and best friend."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too. Anyway, so sorry to interrupt, but I found those coloring books for adults."

"Ah, looking for some art therapy?" Henry asked me.

"Uh, no. It's for Colin. It's his birthday today and I haven't found a gift yet."

"I see. Is he your boyfriend?"

Hanna snorted. "I'm afraid he's just a tad too gay to be her boyfriend. You're much more of his type."

After that blunt (but totally true) statement, I couldn't help but blush. Hanna could be so straightforward sometimes, and I was the exact opposite. Sometimes I really envied her for that trait, but mostly, I was just embarrassed on her behalf. "Besides, if he had been my boyfriend, I'd find a better gift than a coloring book," I said. "Which really sounds like a stupid gift now that I think of it."

"No, it's not," Hanna said, nudging me with her elbow. I remembered belatedly that she'd come up with it. "Besides, it's just as a joke. We still need to come up with an actual gift for him."

I groaned. "Coming up for gifts for guys is so hard," I mumbled. "No offense or anything," I added quickly once I saw Henry's amused face.

"None taken. But maybe I can help. What is he like?"

"Uh, he's really quiet. He's an artist, so he's constantly drawing something. He really likes to game. Um, he watches a lot of anime. He loves wolves. Oh, and puns. He loves puns," I said, and Hanna snorted in affirmation.

"Hm... He's an artist and he loves anime?" Henry asked, and I nodded. "There's a small store not too far from here that sells original prints from all different kinds of artists. Maybe there's something in there for him?"

"Yeah, that's actually a really good idea. How'd you know about that shop?" I asked as we slowly wandered toward the section that held the coloring books for adults.

"My nephew's really into manga and drawing, too. A couple of months ago I needed to find a birthday gift for him, did a quick Google search, and came up with that place. It's low-key, but they have some really beautiful art there."

"Could you show us where it's at?" Hanna asked. "If you're not too busy, I mean."

"Yeah, no, of course," Henry said with a smile. "Today's actually one of the days where I'm not constantly busy, so you're in luck."

"Yes, we are," Hanna whispered, so only I could hear. I elbowed her, hoping Henry wouldn't notice.

"So which book should we take?" I asked innocently, perusing all the different kinds. There were more out there than I'd expected, including a very explicit one, which I stonily tried to ignore.

Of course, Hanna being Hanna, she went right for it. "This one," she said, picking it up and leafing through it. "Hey, it even has gay couples!" She turned the book around to show it to Henry and me.

"Yeah, let's not," I said, taking the book from her hands and placing it back on the shelf. "This one's kind of cool, though." I picked up a coloring book with gold lettering on the front. Inside were multiple beautifully intricate drawings of animals, ranging from butterflies to bunnies to fish to bears. "I think he'll really like this one, don't you?" I asked Hanna.

"Hell yeah he would. Not gonna lie, I kind of want one for myself."

I laughed. "Then you get one for yourself, but I'm getting this one for Col."

Hanna eventually decided against getting a coloring book for herself, and we paid for all of our stuff. Henry proved himself to be a true gentleman and carried both of our heavy bags filled with books. He took us to a small shop called 'Pete's Art' near the food court. I'd walked by it so many times, and yet it had never caught my attention.

"Wow, I never even knew this was here," I said as we stepped inside, my eyes wide once I saw all the art displayed in the small store. I'd thought it would only be anime related art, but there were many different kinds, from realistic art to expressionism to photography. Some of the pieces on display were truly beautiful. "Wow..."

"Amazing, isn't it?" Henry asked, smiling at me. He pointed to the back. "There's the anime."

We walked to the back where there were dozens of prints covered with anime and manga digital art. If Colin ever visited this place, he'd be in heaven, I knew. Hanna and I perused through all of the art, trying to find something that would be truly special to him.

Suddenly my eye fell on a familiar Japanese name. "Hey, that's his favorite artist! I'm not even gonna try to pronounce the name because even after hundreds of fruitless attempts from Colin to teach me how to say it I still fail miserably, but I'm sure that's him."

It was a picture of a girl in battle armor standing in a barren wasteland, colorful splotches lighting the sky. It was beautiful.

"It's gorgeous," Hanna said, her eyes wide as she studied it. "He's gonna die when he sees this."

"He probably will, yeah," I said, a smile taking over my face. He'd love it.

I bought the anime print, and Hanna bought a printed picture of a wolf in the snow. After that, we went to the nearest liquor store, where I bought a bottle of whiskey, and Hanna, who was in charge of the vodka this time, bought a bottle of Grey Goose.

"This is looking like a pretty good party," Henry said, eyeing the bottles.

Hanna grinned. "Yeah, we usually play stupid drinking games when we celebrate each other's birthdays. It's kind of become a tradition. You're probably more than welcome to join."

Henry laughed. "Though I would really love to, I'm sadly booked for the evening."

"That's too bad," Hanna said with a small pout.

When we left the shop, we remained standing in front of it, unsure of what to do now.

"Shall we grab some lunch before we go home?" Hanna suggested. Turning to Henry, she said, "You're totally invited, too, if you want to join."

He looked at his watch. "Uh, sure. I'd love to join you."

More than a little surprised, I suggested a small lunchroom on the food court. We chose a table in the back and sat down. I felt a little flustered once realization hit that I was about to lunch with Henry Cavill, but I tried not to let it get to me. Nevertheless, I shot a panicked look at Hanna, who just grinned back at me, wiggling her eyebrows.

"So, do you think she's got the part?" Hanna asked after our drinks had arrived. I nearly choked on my Coke.

"Hanna," I hissed.

"Hey, inquiring minds want to know," she said, shrugging nonchalantly.

Henry laughed. "I actually don't know. The director is a friend of mine, but he doesn't share much about who he's casting. I did tell him I really liked your performance, though."

I blushed. "Oh. Thank you." I took another sip of my Coke in an attempt to hide my embarrassment. When I set it down again, I tried to change the subject. "So, Ryan Zachary is a friend of yours? Is that why you're doing a romantic comedy? I mean, it's not really up your alley, right?"

He smiled. "No, you're right, it's not my usual stuff. But he asked me and I just thought, 'Why the hell not?' I like a change every now and then. It'll also be a nice contrast to the next Justice League we'll be shooting."

"I gotta say," I started, smiling, "I'm really excited for that movie."

"You are?" he asked, his eyebrows raised with surprise.

"Yeah, I love the whole Superman universe. I grew up watching Smallville, and my favorite episodes were always when Clark worked together with other heroes. Well, those and the ones where Clark and Lois stood central. I love them as a couple, how they strengthen each other... It's amazing."

"I agree," he said, taking a sip from his water. "So, whose Superman do you like better, mine or Tom Welling's?"

I laughed. "That's a very unfair question, mostly because you're sitting right in front of me, and because your movie focused more on Clark becoming Superman and Smallville went way more in-depth, focusing on Clark growing up. But if I would have to choose, I'd still choose Tom. Sorry," I apologized awkwardly. "But, like, he was the first Superman I ever saw, you know? And I got to see ten whole seasons of his Clark and only three movies worth of yours. So he'll probably always be my favorite. But you're the more attractive one."

I abruptly turned bright red, not quite believing myself that I had actually said that.

Henry laughed good-naturedly, though. "Well, I appreciate that."

I wanted to crawl under the table from embarrassment, but lucky for me, distraction was provided by our food arriving. I focused on my pizza slice like it was the most interesting thing I'd seen in a while.

Luckily, Hanna steered the conversation back to safe waters. "I really loved your performance in Immortals, by the way. You played Theseus well, and it was a really interesting take on the myth."

Henry smiled. "Thank you. I really liked the take, too, which was part of why I auditioned. And speaking of liking people's performances... After your audition I got curious, so I watched The Bone House."

"Oh, God..." I muttered. The Bone House was an Indie I'd played the lead in, and it was probably the biggest role I'd landed so far. "What did you think?"

"I actually really liked it. You carried the movie really well. I'd like to see you star in more movies."

"Let's just hope that the next movie she stars in will be with you," Hanna said, grinning.

I grimaced uncomfortably. "Hanna is utterly convinced I'll get the part."

"And you're not?" Henry inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"After making such a fool of myself during our screen test? I don't think so."

I could see he was fighting a smile by the shaking of his lips, but his will finally won out. "So you tripped. Big deal. What matters is your performance, which was great. I can't tell you for sure whether you got the part or not, but I can tell you that I think you've got a pretty good chance."

I smiled. "Thanks. It means a lot."

We made small talk throughout the rest of our lunch, and neither Hanna nor Henry brought up any more embarrassing subjects. After all the food was gone, Henry insisted on paying the bill.

"You really don't have to do that," I protested, trying to grab for my own wallet.

"I insist," he said, giving me a reassuring smile. "Besides, it's the gentlemanly thing to do."

I nearly said that was a little sexist, but refrained. I had a feeling I'd lose this battle anyway, no matter how hard I'd fight. So I just sighed and nodded.

Henry threw a wad of cash on the table, covering the check and a generous tip (though not nearly as generous as the one he'd given me), and we stood up.

We couldn't do more than that before a girl of about sixteen years old approached us nervously, her cheeks pink. "Um, I'm really sorry to interrupt, but could I maybe... uh, get a picture with you?"

"Yeah, no, of course," he said, moving to stand closer to her as she clutched her phone.

"Need me to take the picture?" I asked.

"If it's not too much trouble," the girl said, her eyes wide. She was extremely nervous, and it was adorable. It made me want to give her a hug and tell her everything would be fine.

She gave me the iPhone, the camera function already started up. They posed together, Henry's arm wrapped around her shoulders and smiles on their faces. I got the feeling that Henry was smiling more at me than at the camera, though, so I tried my best to focus on taking the picture in attempt to not get flustered all over again. Maybe it would be better if I didn't get the part, because this man clearly succeeded in turning me into a blubbering fool.

I took the picture and handed the girl her phone back. She gave me a quick thank you and beamed at Henry. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," he said, smiling politely back at her.

The girl left again, gushing to an older woman, who I guessed was her mother.

I turned to Henry, grinning. "That was adorable."

This time, he was the one who blushed. "It never stops being weird. Anyway, I do have to go now. I have a meeting with my agent."

"We understand," Hanna said. "We have to get ready for Colin's party anyway. It was really nice meeting you, though."

"It was nice meeting you, too. I hope to see more of you two soon."

"Yeah, same," I told him.

"Well, have a great time at the party tonight, and tell your friend happy birthday from me, all right?"

He gave each of us a hug and left, leaving me standing there still feeling the sensation of his arms around my waist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The song at the beginning of the chapter is Out of Mind by Tove Lo.

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