The sun had crept a little higher in the sky as Roxie left the casting office, the brightness almost too much after the harsh fluorescent lights of the audition room. The rejection clung to her like a weight, and every step felt heavy. Her mind raced, replaying every stutter, every pause in her failed monologue. She had blown it, and there was no denying that.
She exhaled sharply, pushing the door open with a little more force than necessary, stepping onto the busy sidewalk of downtown LA. People rushed by in every direction, caught up in their own lives. For a moment, it felt like the entire city was moving forward while she stayed stuck in the same place.
Roxie glanced down at her phone, scrolling through her messages to see if Nick had texted, hoping for a distraction. But before she could react, she collided with something, or rather, someone.
Her eyes snapped up just in time to see her coffee cup slip from her hand, its contents flying through the air before splashing directly onto the pristine suit of the man in front of her.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" she gasped, instantly dropping to her knees, trying to mop up the mess with her jacket sleeve. Her cheeks flushed a deep red as she realized how utterly ridiculous she must have looked. Of course, today had to get worse.
The man, surprisingly calm for someone with coffee dripping down his tailored suit, glanced down at her with a raised eyebrow. "It's fine, really," he said, a trace of amusement in his voice.
Roxie scrambled to her feet, mortified. "I, I didn't mean to, I wasn't looking where I was going, "
The man waved her off, brushing a bit of coffee from his sleeve. "It happens. Though," he said with a smirk, "you have successfully ruined my attempt to appear professional today."
That's when Roxie really saw him. He was tall, easily over six feet, with striking features. Dark, neatly styled hair, a jawline that could have been chiseled from marble, and sharp, intelligent eyes that seemed to be sizing her up. The suit, despite now being coffee-stained, screamed money. He didn't just look professional, he looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine.
Roxie's embarrassment grew. Of course, she would spill coffee on someone who looked like he'd just walked out of a high-end executive office.
"I'm really sorry," she stammered again, not sure what else to say. "I... I'll pay for the dry cleaning or... something."
The man chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. Really. I've had worse happen."
There was a pause as Roxie realized she was still standing in the middle of the sidewalk, and she quickly stepped aside, awkwardly clutching her bag. "I'm... I'm Roxie, by the way," she offered, half out of politeness, half out of a desperate attempt to fill the awkward silence.
"Ryan," he replied smoothly, offering a brief, but warm smile. "So... I'm going to take a wild guess and say you're having a rough morning?"
Roxie couldn't help but laugh at the absurd understatement of it all. "You could say that. Audition didn't go great. And now this..."
Ryan's expression softened slightly. "Actress, huh?"
"Trying to be," she said, shrugging. "Emphasis on 'trying.'"
"Well," Ryan said, his tone shifting slightly as he looked her over again, this time more thoughtfully, "maybe today's your lucky day after all."
Roxie blinked, unsure if she'd heard him right. "Lucky? I just ruined your suit."
Ryan pulled a card from his breast pocket and handed it to her, his smile widening slightly. "I'm an agent. Why don't you give me a call? You've got something, I can tell. Besides, you owe me for the coffee, right?"
For a moment, Roxie just stared at the card in disbelief. Was this really happening? This guy, this impossibly put-together guy, was an agent? And he wanted to help her?
She hesitated, her mind racing with doubt. Was this a scam? A cruel joke? But something in Ryan's eyes told her he wasn't messing around. He had this air of confidence, like he'd seen a thousand aspiring actresses just like her and could spot the real deal.
"I... I don't know what to say," she finally managed, still holding the card like it might disappear if she blinked.
"Say you'll think about it," Ryan replied, tucking his hands into his pockets. "No pressure. But I've got a feeling you'll want to make that call."
Roxie nodded, barely able to process what was happening. "Yeah... yeah, I will."
With one last nod and an easygoing smile, Ryan turned and walked away, blending into the bustling crowd as if the whole encounter hadn't just turned Roxie's day upside down.
She stared at the card for a long moment, her mind spinning. This couldn't be real, right? Things like this didn't happen to her. And yet... here she was, standing on the corner of some random LA street, with an agent's business card in her hand.
"Maybe today isn't so bad after all," she whispered to herself, tucking the card into her bag. She turned and started walking, a new energy buzzing under her skin. For the first time in a long time, hope flickered inside her.
Roxie's feet felt lighter as she walked the familiar streets toward her apartment. The rejection from the audition still lingered in her mind, but it no longer had the same weight. She clutched her bag tightly, where Ryan's card was safely tucked inside. The moment felt surreal, like a scene out of a movie where the struggling actress stumbles into a life-changing encounter. But this wasn't a script, and she wasn't on a soundstage. This was real life.
The sun had begun its slow descent, casting a warm golden hue over the city. The streets were buzzing with their usual chaos, cars honking, people rushing, vendors shouting. But for the first time in a long while, it didn't overwhelm her. Instead, it felt like she was part of something bigger, like the city itself was breathing with possibility.
She rounded the corner and arrived at her apartment building, the peeling paint and creaky stairs reminding her just how far from Hollywood's glamorous life she still was. But that didn't matter right now. Something was different today. The weight she'd carried around with her for months, years, even, felt a little lighter.
She climbed the steps to her floor, the sounds of her bickering neighbors echoing down the hall. Another fight, another slammed door. But she barely heard it this time, her mind focused elsewhere. With a sigh, Roxie unlocked her door and stepped inside, the familiar smell of her small, cluttered apartment greeting her.
The apartment was quiet, save for the faint hum of the refrigerator. She set her bag down by the door, shrugging off her jacket and tossing it onto the couch. Her shoulders still felt tense from the day's stress, but beneath it all, there was something new, an electric hum of hope.
Walking into her bedroom, Roxie pulled out Ryan's card from her bag. The smooth paper felt cool against her fingers as she studied it again, her eyes tracing the neat, professional lettering. Ryan Jacobs, Talent Agent.
The words seemed to leap off the card, like they belonged in a world she'd only dreamed about. She still couldn't quite believe it. A part of her wondered if she'd wake up tomorrow and find it had all been some strange, wonderful dream. But the card was real. And Ryan, whoever he was, had seen something in her.
She placed the card gently on her nightstand, staring at it for a long moment. This tiny piece of cardstock could be the key to everything she'd been working for. It could be the beginning of something new, something bigger than she'd ever imagined. Or it could be nothing. Just another dead-end, another letdown.
But that wasn't the point, was it? The point was that for the first time in a long while, she felt like maybe, just maybe, the universe was giving her a break.
Roxie sat down on the edge of her bed, the springs creaking beneath her weight. Her eyes lingered on the card again before drifting to the small framed photo of her father on the nightstand. It was the only picture she had of him, a grainy snapshot from years ago, back when they still lived in Ohio. He had been her biggest supporter, always telling her she could make it, no matter how tough things got.
She smiled softly, reaching out to touch the edge of the frame. "I don't know if this is real, Dad, but... I think something's finally happening," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
The room grew quiet again, the outside world fading into the background as Roxie lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her mind raced with thoughts of what could be, what this one moment could turn into.
She closed her eyes, the hum of hope still buzzing beneath the surface. She would take things one step at a time. Tomorrow, she'd decide whether to call Ryan. Tonight, she'd allow herself to dream.
And for the first time in what felt like forever, she let herself believe that something was about to change.