Chapter Text
Frustratedly, Tim Bradford shoved the courthouse doors open with a sharp push, then he stormed down the stone steps. He scowled when he heard a smug voice at his back.
“So,” Lucy Chen called out, her tone carrying the kind of infuriating brightness that only came from victory. “How does it feel to lose to me, Bradford? I mean, how many times have you lost to me now?”
“I don’t have time for this, Chen,” he snapped.
She took a few large steps to match his stride and tilted her head, her expression one of faux concern. “Oh, don’t be such a sore loser. It’s not a good look for you…or your client, come to think of it.”
Whenever coming face to face with any other activist, he had a chance, but she bested him at every turn, and he hated it. “I don’t have time for this,” he repeated himself more forcefully.
“Interesting that you always find time for clients that want to bulldoze wildlife to build luxury homes no one can afford. I can’t believe you really tried to rezone the Santa Monica Mountains today for some mansions.”
“People need places to live, or are you under the impression that your precious frogs and mountain lions pay taxes and buy groceries?”
She rolled her eyes. “People need homes, yes, but not those homes. Not the ones that destroy irreplaceable habitats and cost more than most people make in a decade, but of course, that doesn’t matter to you, does it? As long as your client gets a bigger profit margin.”
“You don’t know the first thing about what matters to me.”
“At this point, I think I know you pretty well.”
For a second, he just stared at her, unsure whether he wanted to argue or walk away. She was infuriating, stubborn, and absolutely impossible, and yet there was something about the fire in her eyes that made it inconceivable to ignore her. He gave her an aggravated smirk. “You know what? Enjoy your little victory. It’s not going to last. My client will file an appeal, and the next time we’re in court, I’m going to bury you.”
“You haven’t managed to bury me one time. File all the appeals you want, but I’m starting to think it’s because you like losing to me, or maybe you just like looking at my pretty face as I wipe the floor with you.”
He clenched his jaw. “I can’t stand you.”
She grinned. “That’s the first thing we’ve ever agreed on, because I can’t stand you, either. Bye, Tim, see you next time you’re ready to lose to me.” She bounced down the rest of the stairs victoriously.
As he watched her go, he was fuming silently while he searched for a comeback that he struggled to compose.
When she reached the bottom of the steps, she glanced back over her shoulder. “By the way,” she said far too happily, “you should smile more. Might help with that whole ‘sore loser’ vibe you’ve got going.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath.
She strutted away filled with joy. She had no idea what it was about Tim Bradford that made riling him up so satisfying, but she never wanted to stop.
He went up against all sorts of bleeding hearts whenever he had to represent a new development that a client wanted to build on or near some sort of wildlife, but the only environmental activist that was consistently able to best him was Lucy, so of course he loathed her.
☆★☆★☆★☆ 🎭 ☆★☆★☆★☆
Still freshly wounded after losing to Lucy in the courtroom, Tim sat in his office and tried to pore over documents provided by another client, but his mind was still replaying his loss.
“Knock, knock!” A voice announced herself, her tone chipper.
He glanced up to see his sister, Genny, popping her head into the office. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here on a mission. A theatrical mission.”
He groaned, already sure what she was about to say. “Oh, no. Not this again.”
“Yes, this again. It’s time to start up the spring community theater production, and I could really use someone like you as part of the cast.”
“Not a chance.”
“You don’t even know what the play is!”
“It doesn’t matter what the play is. My answer is no.”
Genny folded her arms, undeterred. “You say that every season, but now I know how to get you to be part of the play for once.”
He shook his head knowing that his sister was not going to be successful. “Not happening.”
She smiled. “Oh, I don’t know. See, there’s a sweet man that joins the cast every season because he loves his wife so much, and theater is her passion. I just found out that sweet man is a sitting judge. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Wade Grey.”
Tim froze. “Judge Grey?” Judge Grey was a big deal in Los Angeles legal circles. Fair, but firm, and notoriously influential. If he could get close to him, build some rapport outside of the courtroom, it could give him an edge in future cases…an edge against Lucy.
“Yup,” she replied and leaned forward with a knowing grin. “Joining the spring production could be a great way to network with Judge Grey. The cast is a tight-knit group. Everyone bonds by the end of season. Just think about it. You could get in the judge’s good graces.”
It was tempting, but he was still unsure. “Do I have to wear tights?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Fine,” he sighed, “I’ll do it, but I’ve never done any acting before.”
“That’s alright. Lawyers are super dramatic in a courtroom, so it’s like you’ve been acting professionally for a while. Besides, it’s community theater! It’s about fun!” Genny encouraged.
He tilted his head, “I don’t care about fun. I care about winning cases.”
“Whatever it takes to get you to finally join us. There are so many great people that volunteer every year including a woman I’ve been dying to introduce you to.”
“No, no, no,” Tim objected outright. “You have to let that go. I’ve told you a million times you can’t set me up.”
“But she’s incredible.”
“I’m joining for Judge Grey not a setup.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll take what I can get. Auditions are tomorrow. I’ll text you the time and address. Show up on time.” Genny grinned kindly while moving into the doorway of his office. “Thanks, Tim. I’m really looking forward to doing this with you.”
The softness in his sister’s voice caused a smile to tug at his lips; making her happy was always a bonus. “Yeah,” he agreed. “It’ll be nice.”
She left with her ponytail swinging and a spring in her step while he thought there was a chance he finally found a way to have a leg up on Lucy the next time they faced off. It should have concerned him how often he thought of his foe, but there was never time to look past that.
☆★☆★☆★☆ 🎭 ☆★☆★☆★☆
When Tim pulled up to the theater, he looked at the aging marquee that read: “AUDITIONS TODAY: ROMEO & JULIET” in bold black letters. He frowned, since his sister had failed to mention the play he was about to audition for. He scanned the auditorium where every hopeful was preparing for their audition, and then he saw a familiar figure in an aisle seat. She tossed her chestnut, wavy locks in a way he recognized, and he called her name, confused, without even thinking, “Chen?” Her warm brown, almond eyes found him, and he asked, “What are you doing here?”
She sat up, feeling as though he was invading one of her favorite places with his very unwelcome presence. “I’ve been part of this community theater for years. The real question is: what are YOU doing here?”
Caught off guard, he tried speaking a few times before he uttered, “W-what?”
“I love theater, but I don’t think you’re here because you love acting.” She lowered her voice, her eyes shifting around before meeting his blue ones again, “Let me guess- you found out Judge Grey is part of the cast, and now you’re hoping to get a leg up in the courtroom.”
“Hang on, is that how you keep beating me? Because you two are theater friends?”
She laughed dryly. “I don’t need to cozy up to a judge to win. I have the defenseless animals on my side. No one wants to rule against sweet little mountain lions.”
“You’re unbelievable,” he grumbled.
“Whatever. I win in a courtroom just like I win here. The leading role is as good as mine. I’m friends with the director, Genny.” She pointed to the woman with auburn hair sitting at the edge of the stage talking to someone else.
“I know the director, too, that’s my sister.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Your sister? How are you related to someone so nice?”
“I’m nice.”
“Not to the environment.”
“Oh, please.” He scoffed.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you have another brother?”
“No, it’s just me and Genny, why?”
“Because Genny has mentioned her brother so many times. I never would’ve guessed it was you.”
“Why’s that?”
“She’s mentioned how kind her brother is, but that can’t be true. Your whole job is to ruin the environment.”
“My job is to represent companies that want to expand the footprint of Los Angeles. We’re going to host the Olympics in a couple of years, and we are running out of places to put everyone. We shouldn’t put saving some trees over giving people an opportunity to have a home.”
“Oh, come on. If it were up to you, we’d live in a concrete parking lot.”
“That’s a little extreme.”
“A little extreme?” She raised her eyebrows at him. “You keep endangering wildlife for condos.”
“You think wildlife is everywhere. Next you’ll tell me the rats running around the city need to be protected, too.”
“They’re living creatures. They should be afforded some semblance of protection.”
“I bet you don’t kill insects that get into your house.”
“Never. I trap them and release them outside.”
He shook his head at her. “You’re annoying.”
“I thought I was unbelievable,” she teased.
“You’re the-”
“Shh,” someone hissed from the row of seats behind them and motioned to the person onstage reciting a monologue.
Tim had not even noticed that the auditions had already commenced as he was too engrossed in bickering with Lucy, since she had a way of making his blood rush and his mind race in anger whenever she opened her mouth, leaving no room for the rest of the world around him.
She leaned in closer and whispered, “See? Now you’re not just ruining the environment, you’re also ruining everyone else’s audition. Nice work, Bradford.”
“I’m ruining it?” He whispered back, his tone incredulous. “You’re the one that started this conversation.”
“No, I was sitting here rehearsing my lines and minding my own business when you showed up.”
“I showed up because my sister’s been begging me to be part of her theater company stuff. Don’t make me out to be the bad guy.”
“Don’t act like you joined because you’re a good brother. We both know this is about Grey.”
“I never said that-”
“Shhh!” The hiss came again, louder the second time, and the two of them fell silent, though the daggers in their glares spoke volumes.
They sat in tense quiet for a moment, each fuming silently until Lucy muttered under her breath, “We clearly can’t work together, so back out of these auditions. I’m sure Genny will understand.”
“She’s been begging me to audition for years, and I’m already here.”
“Pretending to be a good brother? Really? That won’t work on me.”
“I actually am a good brother whether you believe me or not.
Before Lucy could respond, Genny announced from the front of the auditorium. “Alright, next up is Lucy Chen!”
Lucy exhaled, rose from her seat, cast a confident look at Tim, and said, “Watch how it’s done, Bradford.”
He crossed his arms and frowned as he watched her very impressive recitation of the tragic scene where Juliet mourned Romeo when she thought he had died. For one moment, she was not aggravating to him, and he was not sure how to feel about that.
☆★☆★☆★☆ 🎭 ☆★☆★☆★☆
Lucy greeted each member of her staff warmly as she passed them on her way to her office; she knew that everyone that worked for her played an integral role in their nonprofit work, and she appreciated all of them. She sat down at her desk, opened her laptop, and took her first sip of coffee as she navigated to her inbox. The first email right at the top had a subject line that read: “Romeo and Juliet Cast List!” She opened the message, already rather certain she was casted as Juliet, but she wanted to read the words for herself. When she saw that her name was first on the cast list, she smiled and whispered to herself, “Juliet! I got it!”
The next name right beneath hers was quite the shock, though.
Romeo: Tim Bradford
“No, no, no!” She exclaimed as her mouth turned down unhappily. Community theater was one of her few indulgences in life, and she could not believe Tim was going to ruin it. Her stomach twisted in her frustration. She could not believe she was supposed to not only be in the same production as Tim but also play his love interest. Unsure she could manage it, she called Genny.
“Lucy! Hey, did you see the email?” Genny asked when she answered her phone.
“Genny,” she huffed. “What the hell?”
“What’s the problem?” She asked innocently as she covered her smile like Lucy could see her.
“Really? You casted Tim as my Romeo? I know what you’re trying to do.”
“I picked the best person for the role.”
“He’s never been part of the community theater before. Jackson normally plays the other lead.”
“I know, but he said he’s got to take a step back this season. He and Gino are trying to adopt a baby right now, so he’s pretty busy. He’ll play Benvolio. Less lines to memorize.”
“Have Angela play Romeo. She can wear a wig.”
“Angela is going to be the perfect Lady Capulet, and her husband is going to be the best Lord Capulet. It’ll be great.”
“You’re really not that slick. You’ve mentioned about a thousand times that you want me to meet your brother, because you think he’s perfect for me, but I know Tim. We butt heads because of work all of the time. We can’t even sit in the same room without fighting.”
“That’s called chemistry,” Genny pointed out with an amused snicker. “It’ll translate beautifully on stage.”
“Or it’ll be a disaster,” Lucy argued. “I’ll take a step back from the lead. I’ll play the nurse.”
“Nope. You’re Juliet, and Tim’s Romeo. You’ll both be amazing. Trust me, this is going to be the best production we’ve ever done. I’m actually getting another call, so I gotta go. See you at rehearsal!”
“Genny, wait-,” she said, hoping to appeal to her more convincingly, but then the call ended, and all she could do was groan out, “This can’t be happening.”
Tim’s first reaction when he read the cast list announcement email was to angrily call his sister.
“Hey, Tim, what’s gong on?” Genny asked casually after hanging up with Lucy to answer Tim’s call.
“Romeo?” He asked, his frustration bubbling up. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“It’s a compliment. Your first time doing community theater, and you were picked as a lead. That’s huge.”
He frowned. “I thought you were gonna cast me as a villager or something.”
“Sorry, but ‘Romeo and Juliet’ doesn’t have any parts for villagers, and you had a great audition.”
“I can’t believe you would do this to me, and Lucy Chen as Juliet? That’s going to be a problem. I can’t stand her, and she can’t stand me either. Aren’t Romeo and Juliet supposed to fall in love? Because let me tell you, that’s not going to work for us.”
“You and Lucy can be professionals. Besides, you have great energy together.”
He groaned. “Great energy? We can’t have a conversation without fighting.”
“Which is good! Romeo and Juliet are sworn enemies at first.”
“At first,” he said. “Lucy and I will always hate each other.”
“Good thing both of you are pretty convincing actors.”
“You know what? I think you should recast me.” He typed the name of the play into Google to find the names of other characters. “Make me Mercutio, or Tybalt, or-or the Friar.”
“Nope. You’re Juliet, and Tim’s Romeo. You’ll both be amazing,” Genny said, getting deja vu after saying the exact same words to Lucy a few minutes before. “End of discussion.”
“Genny-”
“I’ve got to run, but I’ll see you at rehearsal. Bye!” She hung up before Tim could say anything else.
On opposite sides of the city, both Tim and Lucy were glowering at their laptop screens reading over and over again that they had been cast as love interests.
Romeo and Juliet.
Tim and Lucy.
Neither could believe it. Neither was happy about it. Neither knew what to do aside from feel miserable about the next few weeks of rehearsals.
☆★☆★☆★☆ 🎭 ☆★☆★☆★☆
Tim arrived at the theater with a frown. While everyone else that clearly knew each other was standing by the stage and chatting happily, he stayed back to watch them.
Lucy arrived and walked down the center aisle to join everyone else with a bright smile. “Hi, everyone!” She greeted her friends warmly.
Genny counted all of the adults and said, “Looks like all we’re missing is our Romeo.”
“Wherefore art thou Romeo?” Lucy asked aloud knowingly.
“Look at you already knowing your lines,” Genny said proudly, then she noticed the shadow of a figure in the corner. “Tim! Get on over here and meet the rest of the cast.” When her brother joined her with a clearly unhappy expression, she pointed to every person and rattled off their names leaving the best for last. “And this is your Juliet, who you apparently already know, Lucy.”
“I’m surprised you showed up,” Lucy said to Tim.
“You should know I’m not a quitter.”
“Maybe not, but you are a sore loser.”
“Are you really about to bring that up right now?”
“Well, I just want everyone to get to know you.”
“And you think you know the first thing about me?”
“I sure do. You probably read through the script and tried switching out the Old English for corporate jargon.”
“And you’re probably trying to change one of Juliet’s monologues into some grand standing speech about the environmental impact of the Montague and Capulet family feud.”
“Funny,” she shot back, “but at least my monologues would have substance unlike your opening and closing arguments.”
“Alright, save it for the stage, you two,” Genny prompted. “Let’s start with a quick read-through of Act I,” she continued, holding up her clipboard. “Tim, Lucy, can you two stand front and center? You’ll be starting us off with the scene where Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time.”
Lucy was comfortable standing in the middle of the stage even if she was sharing it with Tim, but he seemed slightly unsure by the way he clutched his script.
“Okay,” Genny narrated to set the scene. “Romeo and Juliet are at a masquerade ball. They’ve only seen each other from across the room, and now it’s time for Romeo to go up to Juliet and flirt while they dance. I want to see sparks! It’s love at first sight.”
Tim looked down at his script, then up at Lucy, who was already glaring at him. He sighed heavily. “If I profane with my unworthiest hand…” he began, his tone flat and unenthusiastic.
Lucy cut him off with a scoff. “You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s how you flirt? Tim is supposed to sound smooth.”
“I’m just trying to learn the script. Can I read through a few times before I work on my delivery?”
“You were already supposed to have read through the script.”
“Then what’s the point of rehearsal?”
“For us to work together. Let me show you how it’s done.” She glanced down at her script then delivered her line, “Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much…”
He had to admit she did a great job being convincing from the first read.
“Go on and say your next line, and this time, try to add a little more feeling. Romeo is supposed to like Juliet.”
“I’m not that good of an actor.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “Then I deserve a Tony for having to pretend to fall in love with your Romeo.”
“You know what? Just let me read my next line.”
“Read with feeling, though. I can’t act with a scene partner that’s about as engaging as stale bread.”
Genny opened her mouth, about to intercede, when Angela Lopez put out a hand.
“Let them keep going. They’re entertaining,” Angela whispered to Genny.
“I thought they would hit it off,” Genny admitted. “I’ve wanted them to meet for years.”
“So maybe it wasn’t love at first sight like Romeo and Juliet, but you’ve gotta admit they have…quite the connection.”
Genny and Angela tried to stifle their giggles at that very true statement.
Tim and Lucy’s bickering continued as they stumbled through the scene, their voices growing louder with every exchange until Genny finally threw her hands up. “Alright!” she said, exasperated. “Enough! I know the Montagues and Capulets are supposed to hate each other, but this is ridiculous.”
Tim and Lucy both fell silent, though neither looked particularly apologetic.
Genny sighed. “Listen, I know you two have your…differences,” she said carefully, “but this play isn’t about your personal vendettas. It’s about love, passion, and connection. So, if you can’t put your egos aside and make this work, you’re going to let everyone down. Got it?”
Tim muttered something unintelligible, and Lucy crossed her arms, but neither argued.
“Great,” Genny said, trying to keep her tone even. “Let’s take it from the top, and this time, try to pretend you like each other.”
Tim glanced at Lucy, who rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, “Hopeless.”
He leaned closer, lowering his voice so only she could hear. “Agreed. Completely hopeless.”
“At least we can agree on that,” she replied.
“Whatever. Let’s just get through this scene,” he grumbled.
They returned to the scene and recited their lines a bit more convincingly while they glared at each other; their characters’ love was burning brightly via the flirtatious words of the script while Tim and Lucy’s mutual disdain was made clear in their eyes.
Angela, wholly amused, grinned as she watched the tense rehearsal and said lowly to herself, “Man, I love the theater.”
