Rina was outside the building the following day, staring up at the white walls. They looked really enticing from out there, the floor-length windows creating an aura, like they were stuck in the depths of modernization and making no move to return to the past. The name of the production house was written in fine calligraphy above the building, big enough for everyone to see while walking past. There was something about the name -Allure, but Rina didn’t give it too much thought. She was just so excited about the prospects of being back on screens.
Looking at her rearview mirror for the umpteenth time, Rina touched the perfect curls of her hair and angled her head to ensure the makeup was not one hair out of place. Even though she knew she was capable of wowing the directors away, it still took her back to the very first audition she’d attended, before she got scouted by Scottsdale Entertainment. She remembered the nerves that had worked their way into her bones and threatened to ruin everything for her. She’d stammered when people said hi to her as they walked past in the hallway, and her hands had shook in tremors.
But her mother had been there for her, telling Rina she was capable of achieving anything as long as she set her mind to it. Now, Rina wished her mother was there, just for the sake of it. Her hands no longer shook at these meetings, and her eyes bore more confidence than the first time, but it would have been nice to have someone with her, other than her manager, cheering her on.
At that moment, Rina thought about Zayn and how great it would feel if he was there, his intense gaze watching her like he could truly see her. She missed him more than she could bear to admit, as even though he returned the previous day, she still hadn’t been able to have a proper conversation with him, over a glass of vodka under the night skies. And she was still put off by the items in the room that it clouded her mind each time he reached out to her. Worse was the fact that he didn’t seem to have noticed any of it.
Shaking her head softly, as if dispelling the thoughts, Rina alighted her car and patted the invisible creases on her immaculate suit before walking into the building. Her hair bobbed in the glory its waves all around her, drawing attention to herself in the lobby. People stared unabashedly, but Rina had gotten so used to it that she barely gave it any attention. She approached the desk at the lobby, manned by a very beautiful lady with too much lipstick that the red seemed to compete with the rest of her outfit.
“Rina Power,” she said with such fervor, her eyes widening with excitement and her white teeth flashing in Rina’s direction. Her hands hovered above the counter like she was torn between taking Rina’s hands and logging her in. And then suddenly, it was all gone. Her eyes darted away from Rina’s and she busied herself with the computer in front of her. Rina had to admit that she had experienced a lot of strange things since the rumors started, but this had to top the list.
Reading off the name on her tag, Rina cleared her throat noisily, pulling her attention back to her. “Ms. Gabriel, right? I’m here for a meeting.”
She nodded curtly and typed away at the computer, while Rina narrowed her eyes at her. Tired of being made to wait without a response, Rina turned abruptly and headed towards the elevators, dialing George’s number as she moved. The receptionist called after her, but Rina had given her more than enough time to do her job. She couldn’t be expected to wait there while being treated like she didn’t exist.
Hitting the button on the elevator, Rina stepped into the brown tiled walls, smiling as the doors clanged shut in Ms. Gabriel’s face. It dinged open a few seconds later, and just as Rina was about complaining about George not picking up her calls, she walked into him just by the elevators.
“You’re here. I thought I was going to have to stall until you arrived.”
“I would have gotten up here much sooner but the lady in the lobby seemed to have other plans. It was so strange. And I called you, but you weren’t picking up.”
“Oh! About that, wasn’t your phone taken away from you in the lobby?”
Rina peered up at him. “Why would it?”
“I was told it was their policy or something. For meetings of this nature, they don’t allow cell phones in. Confidentiality implication, I guess.” George shrugged and steered Rina along, while she angled her head, wondering why the weird policy existed. For as long as she’d been working on sets, she had never worked with any production house that had a no-phone policy. It was enough to get her wondering what that was about.
They stepped into an expansive room that looked too big for the furniture in it, but Rina’s excitement had already returned so she barely gave it any attention. The couches were arranged in a living room style, but with a much smaller circle in the middle of the room, while the remaining space housed nothing. Nothing at all.
“Rina Power!” A young man with short dark hair and brown eyes got up and extended a hand to her. “It’s so nice to meet you. I must say, this is a great opportunity for us working with you.”
Rina nodded with a smile on her face, accepting the handshake. She couldn’t help but notice how everyone on the team was much younger than any executive team she had ever worked with. The woman seated on the far end of the couch stared at Rina until it became so uncomfortable.
“Hi,” Rina muttered when she couldn’t just ignore it. They were all quiet as if waiting for her to say something.
“Oh,” the young man muttered. “We are just waiting for the last person on the team before we start the meeting. She should be here any moment from now.”