Free Date Me by Jillian Dodd Page A

says, calling my name off a list in his hand.
    It’s time! I was a little nervous while I was standing here waiting for my turn, but as I walk across the stage, it’s gone.
    I’m ready.
    I have my lines memorized.
    The accent down.
    I know how I want to portray the character physically.
    I've even dressed the part in a sweet but flirty skirt and cowboy boots.
    I recite my lines and forget about everything else.
     
    After my tryout, I step slowly off the stage. I know I have to let the next person audition, but I'm not ready to leave. I could stay up here all night.
    Dance. Talk. Pretend to be someone else.
    I don't want to leave.
    I send Dawson a quick text, telling him I'll meet him later, and work my way through the seats to the darkened back of the auditorium.
    I'm surprised to find Aiden sitting right where I was headed. "Are you trying out?" I whisper as I take a seat next to him.
    "No, I watched Logan and Nick try out earlier. They had to get to the JV game. I decided to stay and watch for a while."
    "Shouldn't you be there too?”
    "Cole was the starting receiver and he got hurt, so I’m filling in for him and will only be playing Varsity for a while.”
    "That's exciting. Congrats."
    He cocks his head at me. "So just who was that up there?"
    "What do you mean?" My heart sinks. "Oh my gosh, did I suck?"
    He smiles gently and shakes his head. "No, you didn't suck. It was like watching a different person. The accent. The way you flipped your hair."
    He knows how I flip my hair?
    He continues. "And you put your hand on your hip when she was being sassy. You only do that in real life when you're mad. You even held your jaw differently. Like, not as tight as usual and your face looked softer. Sweeter, maybe."
    I break out in a grin. "That's because she's not a bitch like I am."
    "You're not a bitch."
    "No? But I can play one." I straighten my back. Tilt my chin and look down on him. Roll my shoulders slightly forward in a model pose. Get a defiant look in my eye.
    "Damn, you haven't even said anything yet, and I'm already scared," he says with an adorable laugh. He studies my face for a minute. "You know, you have a very expressive face."
    My mind flashes to Vincent saying those same words. I remember thinking it was sweet that he noticed. Of course, that was before he tried to kidnap me.
    "Thank you," I say to Aiden.
    "You belong up there. On stage. You made it look completely effortless, like you’re a natural."
    My heart aches to tell him that I should be a natural at it, having an actress for a mom and a model for a dad. I think about my dad. How he always used to tell me to think of something happy and then would snap a photo. How we would pose for silly pictures. How he could think about something sad and look like a different person.
    I nod my head and whisper the words I've been afraid to admit to anyone. "I think it's what I want to do. Like, for a living. Like, if I'm good enough."
    "If I didn't need you here to tutor me, I'd suggest you quit school, go to Hollywood, and start auditioning. I'm serious, Keatyn."
    My heart skips a beat. He just called me Keatyn.
    God, my name sounds beautiful on his tongue.
    I get all flush and flustered. Why do I still get that way around him? I kicked the Aiden addiction.
    "Um, uh, thanks," I stammer. "But I think I need some practice first. Some classes, maybe."
    "Well, I know you'll get the part."
    "You can't know that. I was the first one to audition for it.”
    "Why did you pick that role and not the lead?"
    "I like how she affects the story, I guess. I like how she has to follow her heart and how she finds true love. How even though the Bad Prince tries to keep her and the Good Prince apart, their love prevails.”
    Aiden lets out a deep, sexy growl. The kind of growl that makes a girl want to rip off her panties.
    Not me, of course. I’m just saying most girls. Well, some girls would, maybe.
    I think.
    “I always knew you were a romantic at heart,” he says.
    For the