7th June, 1915
Chippewa Falls
Rose
"Hi Tom" Rose smiled as she entered the theatre. "Hello Rose" Tom replied with a smile. "This is Henry Davidson, he'll be playing James, the male lead" he gestured to the man beside him. "Hello" Rose smiled and held out her hand to shake his, taken back by how handsome he was… he had brown eyes and brown hair, the complete opposite to Jack and she guessed he was in his mid 20s "Hi, it's nice to meet you" Owen replied and kissed her hand, making her blush.
"Well, we may as well get the awkward bit over first, hey?" Tom suggested. "I guess so…" Henry replied "if you're happy with that?" He checked with Rose, getting a small nod in response. She was surprised to find herself quite looking forward to kissing him, wanting to find out if his lips were as good as his looks. "Great, head on to the stage then" Tom replied, watching as they walked off.
"I hope you're not too disappointed" Henry joked quietly with a small smirk, making Rose laugh as he leant in to kiss her. The kiss lasted around 5 seconds and Rose was impressed. "Cut!" Tom called out "that was great" he said as a producer entered and gestured for Tom to leave the room so they could discuss something "we'll go over the acting scene when I'm back, but it seems like I have found my leads… you both may as well go for lunch whilst I deal with whatever's going on out there, be back in an hour" Tom said as he left the room.
Henry and Rose stood there, in a slightly awkward silence before Rose decided to break the ice "that wasn't disappointing by the way" she joked, making Henry laugh "oh I'm thrilled to hear it" he said as he looked at Rose, who was looking back at him. "Do you have plans for lunch?" He asked "no" Rose shook her head with a small smile "would you care to join me at the cafe?" Henry asked "sounds lovely" Rose nodded then thanked him as he gestured for her to lead the way.
—
"So, are you married?" Henry asked Rose once they'd made small talk on the play and the theatre for around 30 minutes. "Erm, no" Rose shook her head uncomfortably. "My partner passed away a few years ago. I have a daughter, Emmy, but he never got to meet her unfortunately" she continued "oh, I'm so sorry" Henry replied awkwardly "thank you" she smiled gently "so, how old is your daughter?" He asked "she's 2 and a half" Rose smiled as she spoke of Emilia. "What about you? Are you married?" Rose asked Henry "no" he shook his head "single as they come" he joked, making Rose chuckle a little. "Sometimes the best way to be" she smiles "hmm… not always though" he smiled gently "I guess you're right" Rose agreed. "We best be heading back to the theatre" Rose said as she went to get her purse out of her bag to pay her half of the bill. "Don't worry, I've got it" Henry smiled at Rose as he placed the money on the table. "Oh, thank you very much" she smiled.
—
4.30pm
"Right, you both give off great chemistry with one another, so I've found my leading lady & man!" Tom said relieved. "We'll start rehearsals on Thursday to give you both a few days to go over the script-" he continued before someone entered the room "Tom, your wife has asked if you can go home immediately" "oh… OK.. thanks" Tom replied before turning his attention back to Henry and Rose "are you both ready to leave?" He asked "my bag is still in the dressing room…" Rose replied. "Here, I'll lock up and drop the keys at your place later if you need to get going" Henry offered "oh brilliant, thank you" Tom said gratefully as he handed the keys over "I'll see you later" he called as he rushed out the door.
"I'll see you on Thursday then?" Rose asked Henry, implying she was leaving. "Don't you need your bag?" Henry asked her "oh yes, thank you" Rose chuckled "I'll walk with you" Henry said "thank you" Rose replied with a warm smile as they began to walk to the dressing room. "Would you like me to walk you home?" Henry offered "oh, you don't have to" Rose replied- really, she wanted him to walk her home, but she didn't want to inconvenience him. "I'd like to" Henry replied as Rose stared at him. "Thank you" she said quietly before he leant in and began to kiss her, hearing her bag fall to the floor as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss became passionate and lasted around 5 minutes before Rose began to speak in between each kiss, breathless "we.. we… can't… do this…" she said as she pulled away, still holding eye contact. "Here? Or in general?" Henry asked, disappointed. Rose thought for a moment, Jack running through her mind. She loved him almost as much as she loved Emilia, but he wasn't coming back, and she was beginning to accept that. She knew Jack would want her to move on and be happy, so she suddenly decided to give it a go. "Here…" she responded. "Where?" Henry asked "my house… come round tonight" Rose nodded, watching as a smile appeared on his face "what time?" He asked "around 8, Emilia will be asleep then" Rose replied "OK" he leant forward and kissed her again. "Come on, I'll walk you back… that way I know where you live, for tonight" he joked, making her laugh as she picked up her bag again.