It was a Saturday, and Oddey decided to go to the auditorium to get a better picture of the set. She put her bag by one of the front seats, took out her sketchpad and pencil, and then went to the stage to get a good visualization of the set.

It was so empty inside that you could hear a pin fall to the wooden floor the sound could echo to the back. Oddey slowly walked around the stage to see how wide it was and began writing it down. She started feeling the silence that she began humming Born For You while pacing, then began singing the chorus. Since she was the only one there, she started dancing by twirling across the podium.

Meanwhile, Gage had just gotten out of the elevator that was on the same floor level where the auditorium was, and he was heading there too. Once he entered, he caught Oddey doing her little carefree performance, not knowing that he was right there by the entrance.

Gage decided to watch quietly by leaning to the doorway with his arm crossed like he was entranced by her dance and listening to her singing though at the same time, find it funny too because she looked like a child pretending to know ballet.

Oddey turned as she twirled and let out a short scream when she saw her crush smirking at her like a mother busting her kid from eating too much candy, "Gage!" she gasped as she nearly dropped her sketchpad. "Shit."

"Don't stop on my account," he joked as he went inside.

Now feeling so embarrassed, Oddey's tone became shaking, "I didn't know that you were there. How long were you standing there?"

"Not long."

"Wh... what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm looking for my hoodie," Gage answered. "I think I left it here when we had the theatre club meeting yesterday."

"Oh! I think I saw it at the back."

Gage went up the stage to get it, "so what are you doing here? I'm guessing you're not here to do all that."

"Yeah... no," she laughed nervously and started cracking her knuckles. "I am here to think of a design for the set, but as you can see, I'm... not, but I'm gonna do it now." Oddey dashed to the seat where she left her bag and sat down, pretending to brainstorm.

Gage found his hoodie, then went back to the front stage and glanced over to her before leaving, "You need help?" he quipped. "I can see that you're having a hard time."

"Hm? Oh no, thank you."

"At least let me give you some tips."

"Hmm... Sure, why not?" Oddey accepted his help. Gage sat down next to her and gazed at her sketchbook, which made him wonder if she was the mysterious artist that drew his face. "What?"

"Nothing, I just never seen a pink sketchbook before."

"Yeah..." she blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Okay, when designing a set, there's the different scenes and their location," he instructed, so Oddey decided to take notes. "Then work on background, frame, which is optional depending on the design and the props and then there's the theme which is the first thing you had to think of and the rest is easy."

"I think I got it now, thanks." The young began drawing some rough concepts of the set.

Gage stared at her while she was concentrating on her task until he recalled something, "by the way," he stammered, getting all fidgety. "Back in the elevator..."

"Yeah?"

"What were you going to say to me back there before we got out?"

Oddey had no idea what he meant at first. "Uhm... sorry, what do you mean?"

"Something about if that was your last day," he reminded, and that was when Oddey remembered that she was about to confess. yet it was interrupted after being rescued. "What were you about to say after that?"

"Oh! that," Oddey gulped, and her voice got high, Gage carefully studied her body language, waiting for her to finish. "It's nothing, I just said that since I was scared, that's all. Why?"

"Just curious." Gage got dejected that she waved it off though he sort of expected that.

"But for what it's worth, I'm..." she added, which made him hyped up to hear her out. "Lucky that of all people I could be trapped with, it's... you."

Gage put up a small smile. It might not be the answer he wanted, but he was contented by that one, "me too," he replied.

Oddey could feel her heart beating faster than her hand started to sweat, so she took a deep breath to calm herself down. "So... ahem... how's the rehearsing going?" she quipped. "Audition is inching and inching..."

"Ugh... don't remind me," he expressed.

"Wow, for someone wanting to play the lead, you don't seem excited."

"That's because I'm not."

"Then why do it again?" Oddey became confused.

"I did it for Courtney."

"Oh, right," Oddey comprehended. "So you... like her? like very, very much?"

"It's not like that," Gage replied. "She's my best friend. When she does something for me, I do something back for her and vice-versa, and one of those things is this."

"Wow, so she must've done a lot for you."

"Yeah, you could say that," he chuckled. "That's why I'm auditioning for Romeo, I'm just helping her out, but I keep messing it up."

"I notice," Oddey blurted that Gage glared at her. "Sorry."

"It's cool. It's just hard to practice when she keeps nitpicking my acting skills."

Oddey could see the hopelessness in his face, "If you want, I can help you practice," she suggested.

Gage lifted a brow at her, which made her on edge. "Huh?"

Oddey just waited for less than a minute to know what Gage's answer was, "Just... saying that's all. Consider it a thank you for kinda making sure I'm okay back in the elevator..." she rambled.

"I'm not asking anything in return," Gage replied. "But... sure."

"Wow, really?" she was taken aback by his response. "I mean... great, do you have the script with you?"

"Yeah, why?" Gage took it out of his bag and gave it to her.

"I want to take a picture of it when we rehearse. If it's okay with you, show me your take first so I know what I'm working on."

"What?" Gage was taken aback since he knew that his acting skills were not good. "I..."

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna judge you or at least be harsh about it," Oddey assured him.

"No, it's cool, you can be honest with me, but I'm warning you, it's bad, very, bad," he told her.

"Just show me."

"But, soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief, that thou her maid art far more fair than she..." he recited, and at the same time, he was looking at Oddey's face to see her reaction. She was observant, yet her expression was neutral, and he could not read what she thought of it.

Once he was done, Oddey could see the problem with his acting skills. "Okay, I see it now."

"What is it?"

"You're kinda stiff. You have to loosen up a bit when you say these words," she told him.

"It's not easy to be Romeo," Gage scoffed.

"Well, that's your problem. It's not about being Romeo. It's how Romeo feels."

"How does he feel? you mean in love?"

"Yes." Oddey turned to her sketchbook. "But... we can do this another time, I have to do this now. When are you free?"

"Actually, can we do it now?" He pleaded. "I have about fifteen minutes before going to my next class."

"I have to work on this now too," the fine arts major pointed out on the stage. "Madame Vestia is counting on me to present it to her before the auditions."

"I'll help you with that tomorrow. I worked on set and props most of the time since last year," Gage insisted Oddey was speechless, but he thought that she was being hesitant that he held her shoulder which made her even more flustered. "Please."

"Okay." She immediately gave in to his request.

"Thanks," Gage sighed in relief.

"Alright then." Oddey put her sketchpad aside. "Let's try it this way. Make it sound like you're the one saying these words to the person you love or... really, really like," she explained, but Gage didn't seem convinced. "I'll give you an example, I'll play Juliet... for now, and you just read your part first."

"Okay."

"Alright, let's start with this part." She showed him a line in the script and then read it.

Gage nodded. "And... action."

"Ah me," Oddey recited and began acting it as well.

The script was returned to Gage, "she speaks," he read. "O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art as glorious at this night."

Oddey read the script in her phone after taking a photo of it, "o Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse the name." Gage now started to understand how Oddey acted Juliet like she was a hopeless romantic modern teenager. "Or if thou wilt not be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet."

"Shall I hear more... or shall I speak of this?" Gage was only supposed to read it since it was just an example of her method, but somehow, he was acting it.

"Tis but thy name that is my enemy, thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, retain that dear perfection that he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, and for that name which is no part of thee take all myself." Oddey pretended to swoon with that last part, or probably she was not pretending since the person she liked sat in front of her.

"Okay, let's stop, I think I get it now," he claimed. "Let's do it again from the top."

"Sure," Oddey replied and was enjoying every second of it.

"But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief, that thou her maid art far more fair than she: Be not her maid, since she is envious." Gage could feel the emotion of the character he was playing as he spoke his line.

"Ah, me."

"She speaks. O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art as glorious at this night."

Oddey could see that he got the idea. "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse the name or if thou wilt not be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet."

"Gosh, I've been having a hard time for days. Now, I get it, thanks." He gave her a friendly nudge.

"No... problem." Oddey gave him a sweet smile. the two ended up staring at each other admiringly. However, the girl snapped back to reality. "Uhm... shouldn't you be going to class now?"

"Oh, right," Gage stammered as he stood up from his seat. "But, I'm gonna see you again. Right?"

"Erhmm..." The girl uttered, yet she nodded instead since she already agreed to it. "Yup, of course."

"Great. Before I go, maybe I should get your number." He took out his phone, tapped the contact list, and then gave it to her.

"Sure." Oddey typed in her number on his cellphone and returned the gadget to him.

"Thanks." The architect major began heading out the door.

"No problem." After she watched Gage leave, then she turned around to sulk. "What did I just do?"