FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME

Desperately. She wanted him. Almost immediately. No doubt, he was the one.

It had struck her at the very first table read; well even sooner than that, she had to admit. However, him sitting next to her at that long table with all of the other actors surrounding them, his soothing slow voice lulling her into some bizarre but heavenly feeling of comfort; his presence so very close to her making her feel all warm and safe inside. The way his tanned and muscular arm was stretched out onto the table to her right made her eager to touch and track down the trail his blood pumping veins followed onto his skin up until … . "GOD. Focus, Téa," is what she told herself. "Focus!" She took a deep breath and erased the thought from her mind. Although she had never met him before she - and he - took on this role, she felt like she had known him for quite some time. In some weird way, he felt familiar. They immediately got along great when being introduced to one another for the very first time. He was very handsome. It was obvious. He knew it and yet there was something about him that showed he was not aware what kind of effect he had on the women that were surrounding him.

She was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. Coming in to audition for the part of Henry; he knew – if he got it – he would be playing alongside Téa Leoni. Of course he had heard her name. He had seen some of her work. He had seen her in magazines. He knew she was married to David Duchovny and that she had kids. He knew she was beautiful – obviously – but he didn't know she was this breathtakingly exquisite in real life. Being introduced to her in that white clean auditioning room, he was mesmerized. She walked in and the only thing he could see were her eyes, dear god, her eyes were the most extraordinary color he had ever seen. Grey? Blue? Green? All shades were there. Fifty shades of intoxication. Infatuation? He couldn't take his own eyes off of hers and greedily took her hand as she held hers out for him to touch. That's what they did, they didn't shake hands; they touched hands, never not looking over the other one's appearance. Sparks bursting and flying all across the room.

"He's the one," she told the directors. "That's Henry." That was the first thing she said after he had left the room. "What do you think?" The casting members just smiled and nodded affirmingly.

Walking out of the studios, he was still lost in his own thoughts. The auditioning part in fact had gone all right. It was meeting Téa Leoni after doing his thing in there that had him all flabbergasted; he had not been able to pronounce coherent thoughts or sentences even, he figured he could clearly forget this part. He didn't care about getting the part; he hoped he would run into her again. Soon. That's what he hoped for. It was New York. He was in New York. She was in New York. Sudden panic struck him. This was New York. Millions of people are in New York. What are the odds of running into her again? He had to get this part. He needed to be around her again. Should he go back inside? Find her and talk to her? Should he apologize for being all weird, and awkward and sigh illiterate? Different scenarios entered his mind. Of course he did not want to seem needy, desperate. He wanted to act cool. He brought his hands to his face and he swore it felt like it was on fire. He decided to head home and cool off. Take the time to think things through and wait for that phone call that would land him the part of Elizabeth's husband. He had to portray him. It was the only way to see her again. He wanted to be near her again. Desperately.