Dream Job

Natalie arrived in front of the tall skyscraper that was Peak Movies. She was finally going to act! She was so happy that her dream of becoming an actress was finally coming true.

She had picked out plain corporate pants, striped long sleeved shirt, corporate heels and accentuated her dressing with a nude coloured purse. She wore her dreads in a bun and put on light make-up. She knew she looked good, and was in time, so nothing could go wrong.

Nothing should go wrong.

She walked into the building and approached the reception. The receptionist whose name was Jade, a stout lady, directed her to the shooting room.

"Miss Freeman, you're quite early," It was Hector, the judge from the audition. He approached her with a wide grin.

She grinned back, "Hello, good morning."

"You remember me, right?" He asked.

"Definitely." She replied.

He chuckled in response, "That's a good sign. Um, while the other members of the cast arrive, I will hand you the script for the first scene."

She nodded in response as he left her and came back with some papers.

"Here, just go through them, I will be closeby in case you have any questions." Hector said as he handed them to her.

She nodded and watched him walk towards another person, then made herself comfortable on a nearby stool and began scanning through the script.

Later on, the others started arriving. She sat quietly and watched some of them chatter away with each other while the digital crew set up their equipment. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she watched everyone. She recognized a popular actor and actress, and hardly believed she was going to be breathing the same air with them. God, she was so nervous!

"Hi," A young lady, walked up to meet her. She had a lovely smile and a little bit of freckles on her chin which made her more beautiful.

Finally, someone to talk to.

"Hi, I'm Natalie," She smiled.

The young lady sat beside her, "I love your hair,"

Natalie smiled back, "Thanks, I love your smile."

"Thanks, I'm Anna. I can see you're a bit tense, you don't have to be." She said nicely.

"Yeah, I am playing the role of the female lead. What about you?"

"Oooohhh, you passed the audition, that's cool!" Anna's eyes widened in excitement.

Natalie chuckled in response.

"I also auditioned for the role of Cara, and I was picked." Anna said.

"Oh, mine wasn't the only audition?" Natalie asked in surprise -- she hadn't known that.

Anna shook her head, "No, the audition actually happened in two places. They decided to use upcoming acts for this movie since it's low budget."

Oh, no wonder there weren't a lot of popular faces.

"Well, I guess it's our luck then," Natalie mused.

Anna chuckled, "I guess so,"

"Have you read through the script?" She asked.

Natalie nodded, "Glanced through it not too long ago."

Someone clapped their hands, causing everyone to turn their heads at the sound, "Can I get your attention everyone?!"

He was a frowning man wearing wide rimmed glasses and a beanie.

"For those that do not know me, my name is Winston, I am the director of this movie and I am a fucking perfectionist. So, be ready to give me what the hell I want or find yourself replaced!" He stated loudly.

The room was deadass silent.

"And just so you know, I address everyone by their surnames. We are in a professional setting, so let's act like it." He added.

"Wow, he's such a vibe," Natalie whispered to Anna who giggled lowly in response.

"He's one of the best directors out there," She whispered back.

"Well, as we all are supposed to know, an audition for the female lead took place two days ago and the best act was picked. Her name is Natalie Freeman." Winston said and stared directly at her.

Everyone simultaneously turned to look at her and Natalie suddenly felt exposed. She didn't know if to say something or not, and was saved from making that decision immediately Winston spoke again.

"Anna Watson, playing the role of Cara," He said and Anna waved in response.

"And Joyce Williams, playing the role of the waitress at Choice restaurant." He continued.

Natalie whipped her head to the side to find out who Joyce was, and she was a tall, short haired lady wearing baggy clothes with a butterfly tattoo on her neck.

"Alright, one more thing. We have a new male lead, Denmon opted out due to his health condition."

Murmurs arose in the hall.

"And he should be here right about now..." He trailed off as he looked at the entrance.

At that moment, the doors were thrown open and a literal god walked into the room. He was tall, tanned, lean muscled and chiseled in all the right places. He was an absolute Adonis and Natalie found herself staring at him abashedly. Thankfully, he wasn't looking at her.

She wasn't alone, the others were also staring at him. But really, what was there not to stare at? His jawline could practically cut through stone and his eyes, they were a deep green that pierced through your soul. He walked with so much confidence and charisma like he knew he was the star of the show.

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Fletcher." Winston said.

The adonis responded with a smirk.

"He's Simon Fletcher." Anna whispered.

She looked at her in confusion.

"You know, from the animation, Justice?" Anna explained.

Natalie still didn't know who he was.

Anna sighed in frustration, "You can't be serious! He voiced the main character?"

"I haven't watched it yet... sorry," Natalie apologized shamefully.

"No way!" Anna gasped in shock.

But then, why did he look so familiar?

Winston cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"So, we were just introducing ourselves. This is the new male lead of the movie everyone, do we all know Simon Fletcher?" Winston inquired.

Some people nodded including the popular actor and actress, while others shook their heads in response -- the people that nodded were more.

"Fletcher, meet Freeman, the one playing the role of the female lead." Winston pointed to her.

Natalie's breath hitched as the adonis turned to look at her. It was as if time had slowed down and everything around them had disappeared.

Directly facing her with that smirk on his face, a sense of nostalgia hit her. His arrogant smirk reminded her so much of someone, someone she couldn't stand. Someone she so disliked that if he were the last man on Earth, she would rather grow old and die in loneliness.

She gasped in realization, "Simon?"

At the same time his eyes widened slightly in recognition, "Natalie?"