Chapter 18

It was the morning of the preview and everyone was beyond excited and many of them nervous. This day would help determine if they got to the next step. Karen was certain they would get past this point and she was excited with the prospect that she would get to return to Boston. That city held so many good memories for her. She chose to block out the bad ones. It was her first opportunity to be the lead of Bombshell and it was a major turning point in her and Derek's friendship. The cast had worked hard over the past two days to the point of exhaustion, but any tiredness they felt was greatly outweighed by the excitement for the day.

Derek and Karen had basically collapsed after dinner the last two nights. While they spent the night together, they haven't had much personal time just the two of them. They also haven't had the opportunity to have lunch, just the two of them. Since Karen had gone out with David to lunch the first time, he has been making sure she eats with him and she doesn't want to be rude. Luckily for her some other castmates were there but she did notice that he was sure to sit next to her and be around her any chance he got. Even yesterday when Derek tagged along, Derek was on one side of her and David was on the other. David also had a certain amount of coldness towards Derek. Karen knew she couldn't focus on any of that right now though. She had to get ready for the preview.

Derek was in game mode. He knew they had something great on their hands and just had to get through today to move onto the next step. He hated that he hasn't had a lot of time with Karen over the past few days, but he knows there is a short break coming soon. Maybe they will get out of the city, he thinks. The last two nights they have basically just eaten and gone to sleep and the last couple of days during lunch it was never just the two of them. He also started to keep an eye on David and his interactions with Karen. He noticed he kept getting as close as possible to Karen and that he would also try to monopolize her time. Derek did manage to get some one on one time while working on choreography with her, but David was close behind. Derek understood why David might have interest in Karen, he wasn't under any false impressions there. His girlfriend is a catch and he know there are many men that would love to be with her. Derek is trying to keep his jealousy at bay, but it took him a long time to finally get to this point with Karen and he was scared of losing her. He didn't think she would leave him but with his past he always felt she could do better. He has been working on improving himself for her and he continues to work on it but in the back of his mind he worries it's not enough. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to dwell on that right now, he needed to keep his head in the game to make sure they have a successful preview.

David was looking forward to the preview. He loved running the show all the way through. He mostly loved that there were several scenes in which he gets to kiss Karen. He had continued to work on his plan of spending time with her and winning her over. It had only been a couple of days, but he was certain he was making progress. He would make sure to come up with reasons to touch her more often. He also did all he could to put some space between Derek and Karen. David was convinced now that they were together. He thought about starting rumors, but he didn't want any issues with previews. He would just keep pushing until he got his way. Right now, though he needed to focus so that he could have a good preview.

…

"Are you ready for today love." Derek said as he approached Karen in the performance space.

"Ready as I can be. I'm glad we are doing this project together though. You always make me feel more comfortable." Karen smiled at Derek.

"I'm glad love. Go ahead and get finished warming up. I am looking forward to watching you show the investors their new hit show." Derek gave Karen a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek which isn't out of character for him. He wanted to do more but he knew his limits.

Karen walked over to where the rest of her castmates were stretching and getting warmed up.

"Hey guys, are you ready for today?" Karen asked.

"I, was born ready" Bobby joked "but seriously let's hope this one goes smoother than the Bombshell preview."

"Yeah, try not to fall off of anything this time Iowa" Jessica joked

"Ha ha guys very funny."

David walked up to the group as they were laughing about the mishaps of the last preview, they were all together for.

"What's so funny?" David asked

"Oh, not much just laughing about the Bombshell preview. Our leading lady hear took a dive to the floor. Which in some strange way was a good thing?" Laughed Dennis.

"Oh, wow sounds like an adventure. Did you get hurt Karen?" David asked taking a moment to put his hand on Karen's shoulder briefly.

"Uh yeah. Anyway, we should finish warming up before run through" Bobby said as the group felt like the air had been sucked out of the conversation. The awkward moment dissipated quickly though, and everyone started to focus on the run through and the preview. After a quick run through without going full out the cast sat in the rehearsal hall waiting to be addressed by the creative team. Eileen was first to speak.

"Great job so far everyone. The rehearsals have been going swimmingly and I anticipate that we will have a smooth transition into the next phase. I don't see how they won't back us. Just do your best today and you will all have jobs tomorrow. With any luck we will be in Boston in a month or so. I believe in each and every one of you." She said with a smile. "So, don't mess it up." She said a little more seriously. Ryan and Abby were the next two to address the cast.

"Thank you so much for bringing our show to life. We never imagined it would be as great as it has turned out to be. We wouldn't have made it this far without all of your hard work and dedication and we truly appreciate everything you have put into this. I know it has been a lot, but you all have been amazing." Abby spoke for the team, but both were beaming. Finally, it was Derek's turn to talk.

"Let me start by saying that even though I may not say it frequently I do recognize the level of work you have put into this show already. I know you are all as ready as you possibly can be, and I am sure you will put on a wonderful performance this afternoon. Focus on the performance and the art this afternoon and nothing else. Don't think about the possibilities of the future for just a little while and put everything you have into this show. I know that each and every one of you is capable of making this a hit. Go get some food and some rest and I will see you back here at 4:30 for the 6 o-clock preview." With that he dismissed everyone. They had roughly 5 hours before they were due back so most of the cast members were going home to grab a bite to eat and relax for a few hours. Karen said goodbye to her friends and got out as quickly as possible. She wanted to avoid David asking her to go with him. He was getting more persistent and she didn't want to deal with that right now. She was headed straight to Derek's apartment. Derek watched Karen as she left quickly, he was confused but not worried. He knew he would see her at home. He had to wrap a couple of things up before going home to rest up for the preview. He also noticed David quickly trailing behind Karen. He was not a big fan of the way David was suddenly attached to his girlfriend, but he thought that maybe he was just eager to get some rest and gave him the benefit of the doubt. Derek sat down and finalized a couple of things before meeting Karen at home.

Outside Karen had just got in a cab when David had nearly caught up to her. He wasn't sure why she went so fast, but he was certainly disappointed. He wanted to convince her to come back to his place and show her what she was missing out on. He would just find a way to show her tonight after the preview.