“Jesus, I hope not,” Stevie said, but she was laughing, her breathing already slower. Iris’s thumbs swiped over the backs of her hands, a soothing rhythm.
“And you’re a great actor,” Iris said.
“You’ve never even seen me act.”
Iris tilted her head. “Well, my precious little beetle, you said Adri only casts the best, so. You’ve got this.”
Stevie smiled. “Precious little beetle?”
Iris shrugged. “I’m improvising. See? We’re so good at this already.”
Stevie laughed, then rolled her shoulders back. She was tempted to bring Stefania into the mix, but somehow, that just didn’t feel right. Not this time.
“Okay,” she said. “I’m ready.”
Iris opened the door and ushered Stevie inside, her hand pressed to the small of her back. Such a small touch, but somehow, it worked to ground Stevie into her body. Feet on the floor. Fingertips brushing Iris’s as they moved to the line.
She waved at Adri, who waved back, her eyes following them toward the register.
“Doing great,” Iris said, pressing herself a little closer to Stevie’s side to whisper in her ear. Stevie shivered and Iris laughed. God, the woman practically emanated sex.
Stevie was pretty sure the only thing she ever emanated were stress hormones.
At the register, Stevie greeted Ravi, a part-timer who just started a few weeks ago, and ordered Iris a flat white, along with a cold brew for herself.
“God, we’re such fucking hipsters,” Iris said as they collected their drinks and headed toward Adri.
Stevie laughed. “I’ve got some glasses in my bag.”
“Do you?”
“No, but is a hipster really a hipster without glasses?”
“Okay, so we’re very bad hipsters.”
Stevie laughed again, the conversation flowing so naturally she hadn’t even realized they’d reached Adri’s table.
“Hey,” Adri said, standing. “Iris, nice to see you again.”
“You too,” Iris said brightly. “I can’t wait for the Malibu trip.”
Adri just lifted a single brow. “I’m sure you can’t.”
Iris’s energy dimmed a bit at Adri’s tone, but she simply sat down and crossed her legs. Adri sat too, followed by Stevie, who sank into the chair next to Iris like slipping into quicksand.
Iris draped an arm over the back of Stevie’s chair, fingers playing with the ends of her hair. Adri’s gaze followed the movement, and Stevie cleared her throat.
“Revising the script?” she asked.
Adri blinked, then looked down at her book and open laptop. “Yeah. It’s coming along nicely, I think.”
“What specifically are you working on?” Iris asked, sipping her drink. “Are you rewriting it?”
Adri’s smile was more akin to a flash of teeth. “You don’t rewrite Shakespeare. I’m just making subtle changes to adjust for our queer cast.”
Iris nodded. “I love that. Such a great idea.”
This time, Adri’s smile was genuine, and Stevie felt her shoulders release their hold on her neck.
“We think so,” Adri said, glancing at Stevie. “We first started working on this interpretation back in college.”
“Oh? You went to college together?” Iris asked.
Adri’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t know?”
Iris sniffed. “I’m sure we would’ve gotten around to it. We’re not exactly spending all of our time talking about our exes.” She leaned over and kissed Stevie’s cheek. And not a sweet peck either, a slow, sort of open-mouthed press-and-seal just next to Stevie’s ear. Goose bumps erupted up and down her arms and she met Iris’s gaze as Iris leaned back into her own space.
Iris winked.
Fuck, she was good at this.
Stevie smiled at her—a real smile—but it dimmed quickly as she looked back at Adri, who was staring at them with her thick brows pressed together. Clearly, Stevie was actually a horrible actress.
“You know,” Adri said, leaning back in her chair. “Beatrice is a really difficult part.”
Iris tilted her head. “I would imagine. It’s Shakespeare.”
“She’s complex,” Adri went on. “Takes a certain amount of subtlety I’m not sure you possess.”
“Adri,” Stevie said.
“I’m just being honest,” Adri said. “I cast Iris and I stand by my choice, but I want her to be prepared to work.”
Iris pursed her mouth. “I can be subtle. I can be anything you need me to be.”
“So you’re saying you have no theatrical identity?”
“Adri, what the hell?” Stevie asked.
“It’s okay,” Iris said. “Adri’s just doing her job.”
“I am,” Adri said.
This time, Iris’s smile was a quick flash of teeth, and Stevie could feel her panic flaring again. Adri was a tough director, she knew. She’d been on the receiving end of her criticism more than once, which was fine, and Stevie was prepared for feedback. That was theater. And she’d certainly seen Adri dress down other actors—even caused more than one to cry and run off stage—but they weren’t in the theater right now. In this coffee shop, an accidental social interaction, Iris was Stevie’s girlfriend, not Adri’s lead actor.
“I think we should get going,” Stevie said, standing up. They’d barely touched their drinks but fuck it. There were a hundred other places Stevie could get Iris a flat white if she really wanted one.
“Right,” Iris said, not missing a beat. “Movie at my place tonight.” She laced her fingers with Stevie’s and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, their fake plans rolling off her tongue like silk.
“See you next week?” Stevie asked Adri.
Adri nodded and smiled. “In Malibu. Don’t forget your meds, okay?”
Stevie frowned. “You know I won’t.”
“Just making sure,” Adri said, leaning back. “Remember that time we went to Austin? We had to call your doctor to send a prescription to a pharmacy there. It was a pretty big hassle and I need you on point for the retreat.”
Stevie just nodded but felt Iris’s gaze on hers. Iris didn’t know about her meds. Stevie wasn’t ashamed, not at all, and she figured she’d tell Iris eventually, but it wasn’t the sort of information she offered to anyone on the street.
Then again, Iris wasn’t exactly anyone.
Still, Iris didn’t ask for more details, and Stevie knew she wouldn’t. Not in front of Adri.
“Bye,” Stevie said, then she didn’t even wait for Adri to reciprocate. She simply turned and led Iris out of the shop and back into the warm summer air. She didn’t stop there, either, but kept walking, gripping Iris’s hand until they reached Iris’s car.
“Well,” Iris said, pulling away so she could dig into her bag for her keys, “that was interesting.”
“I’m sorry,” Stevie said, scrubbing her hand over her face. “I don’t think Adri’s buying this whole dating thing between us.”
Iris froze, then lifted her keys out, jangling them into her palm. “You think that was Adri not buying it?”