The crowd was cheering and clapping. The, at the time, blonde pixie cut was making her rounds hugging everyone on the stage at studio 8H. First she hugged The XX, then Colin, but before I could see who she hugged next, Alex came to hug me for the Cold Open we did that night along with the other Trump sketches together. I embraced many people and many "You did so well!", "So did you! Are you kidding?!" happened until finally Kristen came to me. I stopped in my tracks and my breath hitched a little until I realized what I was doing and played it off like I normally do, awkwardly. She placed her hands on the sides of my stomach and slid them to my back. My arms had a mind of their own and almost choked her as they were finding their way around her neck. I slowly moved them down to her shoulders. She started to rock both of us back and forth while she moved her mouth towards my ear.

Oh god. Not the ear. KEEP CALM KATE.

"You did really well tonight! Sorry I made you break in the Whiskers R We sketch!" she yells a little due to the noise of the room.

"It's fine! I usually break during that one" I laugh it off. I move to look at her and smile with a nose scrunch. She does the same.

Oh my god she's so cute.

I gather myself and take a breath. We are still rocking when I hug her again with my arms around her arms this time and whisper into her ear, "Meet me at my mirror afterwards, please. I need to ask you something," I hesitate the last sentence.

"Okay!" She replied happily. She stops rocking and lets go of me and moves onto Cecily smiling and hugging and laughing.

•••••••••

After all the hugging, embracing, laughing, and smiling, the director, Don, yells cut over the big microphone and we all clap while we stumble towards our dressing rooms. The crowd begins to leave screaming names like "I LOVE YOU COLIN" or "LEESSLLIIIEEE" and they wave spastically. They wave back of course, laughing.

Once the audience leaves and we are all in our rooms the studio lights dim and everyone is quiet and on their phones. It was a long night.

I was sitting in my chair putting all my belongings into my Abercrombie bag I had brought.

"Bye bitch!" Leslie yells towards me waving and carrying her bag. I laugh and wave back with my right hand with my phone in the other. I put my phone face down on the counter and finish gathering my things.

I catch Aidy out of the side of my eye leaving, "Aidy!" She smiles and walks over to my seat and side hugs me with her free arm. "I'm gonna do it." I say quietly but not a whisper.

Her eyes go wide and her mouth makes an 'O'. "Do you know how excited I am for you?! Good luck, wife!" She says in the same volume. She hugs me again, longer and tighter. "See ya later!" She leaves.

I've told her I was going to ask Kristen out since the filming of Ghostbusters. She's known that Kristen was single and "definitely ready to mingle." Aidy has told me many, many times that I should go with my gut. But tonight, my gut was telling me different. It was turning one second and the other it felt like I ate 10 pounds of rocks.

Cecily, Vanessa, and Melissa all leave, wave and say their goodbyes. Finally, I hear her cackle loudly at a joke Michael said but I couldn't make out what he said. She walks through the hallway into my area. I check my phone, 11:37 pm. My heart begins to beat faster than normal as she walks closer to me.

Stop it Kate. You've known her forever. Why are you like this?!

"Hey Kate! You needed me?" She stops and sets her bag down on the counter next to mine. It was a pinkish duffle bag. Looked like she's had it for a long time.

"Yes!" I respond quite calm, surprisingly. "I've heard around the bush that you're free tomorrow?" I scrunch my nose.

"You heard correctly," she leans on the counter, "why?" She smiles a little looking hopeful.

"Oh great! Becaaausssee... I was wondering if you wanted to get some lunch tomorrow? You know, just to talk. We haven't really just 'talked'" I air quote. I place my hands together in my lap fingers intertwined.

She has a 'Hhmm' look on her face, "you're right! I would love to. What time?" Her face lit up when she responded. She retracts her body from the counter now, then places her hands on the arm of my chair.

"About one-thirty or two at my place and then I could get an uber?"

"Sounds great!" She grabs her pink bag. "See you then!" She waves a peace sign while walking backwards almost running into the wall while her face was turning red.

"Okay, see ya!" I reply watching her walk away. I turn back to my phone and grab it excitedly.

A peace sign?! She never does that. Ever! And her face was turning red?! Does she like me too? No. She couldn't. Why would she?

I text Aidy as fast as I could while standing up and grabbing my things. /I did it. She said she would love to and then she did a peace sign and stumbled a little almost running into the wall and her face was turning red!/ I sent it and put my phone in my bag. I stand, say bye to the boys; they always stay longer for some reason, and leave the studio through the back door. I didn't want to deal with the paparazzi tonight. I was too tired.

"Nino, here I come!" I say to myself sighing. I get in the car and retrieve my phone. Aidy responded with /she def seems excited girl. good luck babe. txt me 2mrrw when ur done! luv ya!/ She always texts in the stereotypical texting style, never understood why but I've never asked. I reply with a kissy face emoji and drop it in my lap.

I get home, drop my bags on the couch, say hi and feed Nino. I wash my face and brush my teeth and hair, plug in my phone on my side table, put on a baggy shirt and some running shorts and look at the time, 12:03am. Nino walks in slowly licking his lips and jumps on the bed and plops himself on his pillow. I follow him after turning all the lights off. "G'night my son" I pet him and fall straight to sleep to the sound of his purrs.