“I thought so too,” he said, deliberately keeping his voice a lot more casual than he was actually feeling. Watching Ellie squirm was adorable, but he didn’t want to push her too much. Still, he’d thought talking about the scene would be easier for her; he’d noticed she was usually more comfortable focusing on the physical. Maybe since the scene was over she wasn’t as comfortable anymore?

“So, are you going to start getting more stuff now that you’re staying in one place?” she asked, scooping up a forkful of eggs, and signifying an immediate change in subject. Michael decided to let it slide. After all, their contract only extended to the club. They were still going to talk about last night’s scene, but he could wait until they were at the club and have the conversation before their next scene.

“Maybe,” he said, looking around the space. “I don’t really know what I’d get. I could print off some photos of friends or something, that might be nice.”

“Also, maybe some end tables. An armchair. Some DVDs,” she teased. She was starting to relax a little more. “Something to make this place look a little less like a hotel. Although, hotels usually have paintings up on the walls.”

“Yeah, yeah...” He looked around again. “It’s just hard to get out of the ‘don’t buy anything you can’t pack or don’t want to leave behind’ mindset.”

“Do you think you’ll go back on tour?”

The question of the year. But, ever since he’d volunteered to take on opening Marquis with Patrick, he hadn’t felt the same itch to audition. Hell, even before that, he hadn’t really been interested. The theater had lost a lot of its flair for him.

“No, I don’t think so,” he said finally. “I still love to act, but I’m tired of making a career out of it. I want to come home, to the same home, every day. I want to be able to make plans and see my friends in the evenings. I might do some community shows eventually like Angel, but right now I can’t see myself wanting even the time commitment. Theater has a way of sucking away my entire life, and now that I’ve had a break from it, I’m feeling more relief than anything else.”

Ellie was feeling relieved too and she wasn’t sure she liked it.