Free Little Disquietude by C. E. Case

people too drunk to stand weren't out on the streets by now,
calling their loved ones, quoting the reviews.
    "Now see what the Los Angeles Times said," Enrique said.
    If the review had been bad, no one would read
the other papers at all. The New York Times was the only one
that mattered. But in their success, they could be drunk on praise.
They could take the fainter blows of the Daily News or the New York Post with more ease. Leah envied them and thought
of the little North Carolina paper, that wouldn't have sent their
movie critic to New York, because Tartuffe didn't exist in
that world.
    Even though Tartuffe was the only
thing that existed at the moment in hers.
    Stefan tapped her. His breath was sweet from
gin and tonic, and he said, "Sing for us. I'll play the piano."
    "Do you know 'My Funny Valentine'?" she
asked.
    He did.

Chapter Twelve
     
    "When are you coming back?" Adam asked
through the phone.
    "Tuesday."
    "Why not Sunday? What is there to do in New
York on a Monday night?"
    "Very funny. Sunday I'm in a studio. They're
putting me on another CD."
    "Tres delicious."
    "Angel got fired from his show," Leah
said.
    "Because of his nose?"
    "Yes."
    "I don't know why you hang out with losers,
Leah."
    "I don't know. Adam."
    "Very cute."
    "He spent the whole day with me," Leah
said.
    "That's because he has no other friends."
    "He's going to be bigger than all of us
someday," Leah said.
    "So you say. He's got the voice of an angel.
He's the next Euan Morton."
    "So why won't he work with you, is what
you're saying?" Leah asked.
    "I know why he won't. And, Leah, he's
thirty-five. He's never going to be bigger than us. He'll never
live up to your Hugh Laurie expectations."
    "You're projecting."
    "Do you hear me, Leah?"
    "Yes. Don't do drugs."
    "And lay off all the drinking," he said.
    "What am I supposed to do, Adam? I'm an
actor. I have demons. Demons, Adam."
    "So act. Put them into your characters so
they won't live in you. Hey, I'm writing that down. Oh, and listen,
we're sending a car for you on Tuesday. Look for your name."
    She heard him rustling around, searching for
paper, and hung up on him.
     
    * * *
     
    She put on her sunglasses before walking
gingerly down the gangway to the surface of the earth. The terminal
rose up before her. She sweated in her leather jacket, which had
seemed appropriate in the cool New York air and the freezing air
conditioning at LaGuardia.
    Her jeans stuck to her thighs as if they'd
been spackled on. She crept toward the terminal, which was too tiny
to legitimately be an airport, and through the refreshing air
conditioning and onto the street again, where Sophia stood, holding
a sign with her last name scrawled across it in purple magic
marker.
    "What are you doing here?" Leah asked, as
Sophia hugged her.
    "When I was third witch/understudy, this is
what I did," Sophia said.
    "You were third witch?"
    "I was very scary," Sophia said.
    "As if."
    "Anyway, Adam sent me."
    "Oh, so it's Adam now."
    "He's interesting. If I spend any more time
talking with the Macbeth crowd I'm going to kill them. I've
been hearing I only got the part because I was sleeping with
Elaine."
    "How is Elaine?"
    Sophia's face fell. She met Leah's eyes, and
said, "She's in the hospital again."
    "I'm sorry." Leah put her free hand on
Sophia's elbow and hefted her bag up again with the other.
    "It's all right. They're all going to the zoo
tomorrow. Photo op. So I thought I'd at least take today and have a
change of scenery."
    "So I'm scenery," Leah said.
    "Very nice scenery."
    The low heat that had begun in Leah's abdomen
at seeing Sophia spiked into white fire.
    Sophia asked, "How was New York?"
    "I needed a change of scenery, too."
    "Yeah?"
    "It made me appreciate why I'm here."
    Sophia didn't move as Leah leaned in to cup
her cheek. Leah kissed her. Sophia responded to Leah's pressure
with her own, nuzzling Leah's lips. For a moment, everything was
perfect and still, and then Sophia pulled back to study her
face.
    Leah