She lay at home in the tub, or what passed for the tub, in the tiny flat that the company had loaned her for the season. Flexing her toes and feeling the ache in the joints, she closed her eyes and thought about the strange young man.
Julian, what an old fashioned name. And who even kissed anyone's hand anymore, besides dirty old men who were trying to get into the pants of girls much too young for them?
She smiled a little and her cell phone started ringing in the other room. She hoisted herself out of the tub and wrapped a nearly threadbare towel around herself as she ran, dripping, into the living room where she'd thrown her bag. Maybe it was Danny, calling on his break at the hospital.
"Hello?" she said, breathless.
"Um, hello," an unfamiliar voice said, "Sydney?"
It was him. The stranger. "Yes, this is she," she replied, a trace of disappointment coloring her voice.
He didn't notice. "Oh, good, hello," he continued, "This is Julian Sark, er—the gentleman Director Sloane introduced you to at rehearsal today."
"How did you get my number?" she said abruptly. She didn't give out her cell phone, to anyone.
"Ah, Sloane gave it to me, so that I might ring you," he sounded more hesitant. "Is this a bad time?"
"Um, no," she said, straightening up at last and tucking the end of the towel between her breasts, "I guess not."
"In that case," he continued, obviously oblivious to her lack of enthusiasm towards him, "Would you like to out for a coffee? Perhaps a quick drink—I know rehearsal is early tomorrow, I've no intention of keeping you out late."
She hesitated. Coffee wasn't on her diet. Neither was liquor. Neither were strange young British men.
"I suppose," she agreed, despite herself. "Should I meet you somewhere?"
"Or I could come round your flat," he suggested, "That way you don't have to hassle with finding your way."
This guy was really old fashioned. She was too tired to argue that she could find her own way. "Fine, can you be here in a half an hour?"
"Actually, I'm right in the area," he replied, "I can be there in 5 minutes, if that's not inconvenient?"
She glanced at herself in the full length mirror on the bedroom door. This whole situation was inconvenient. "Fine, I'll see you in a few," she said, and pressed her thumbnail on the 'end' key.