Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
I had asked if I could get my comped ticket and purchased ticket sat together. The student working the box office knew me from class and pulled a couple of strings. “Seriously,” I said, leaning back into the plush velvet chair. I fiddled with the plastic wrapping around the bouquet of roses I’d brought.
Someone sat next to me and surprised me with a warm hello.
It was Maddy. Jay must have gotten us tickets together. “Fancy seeing you here,” she said, smiling wide. She looked like she should be part of the cast. Her makeup appeared airbrushed onto her face, her sparkly black dress reminding me of a clear night sky, flooded with twinkling stars.
“I wasn’t going to miss Jay’s opening night for the world.”
“Opening night or just opening?” Colton said in a loud stage whisper.
I elbowed him in the ribs, earning a pleasing grunt from my right.
Maddy chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Jay told me you’ve been helping him rehearse. He seems really happy to have you around. No matter how bitter he acts about it.”
My chest felt warm all of a sudden. Like someone had cranked up the tiny space heater that took residence inside of my rib cage. “Really? You think so?”
Maddy nodded, fanning herself with the folded-up program. “Oh, a hundred percent. But don’t tell him I told you.”
“I won’t,” I said, sitting back as the lights started to dim. The conversation around us slowly began to die out before it stopped altogether, the curtains splitting open and the orchestra kicking off. The set was a flower-filled courtyard, two tall turrets built on either side of the stage. Two actors twirled onto the stage while another rappelled off the turret, all three of them singing in perfect harmony about a war that brewed in some distant land.
It didn’t take long for the star (at least to me) of the show to appear.
Jay came around one of the turrets wearing a bright red soldier outfit, warning of gunshots sounding in the horizon. He sang with the other actors and danced across the stage as if it were his playground. He had explained it was a mixture of ballroom and contemporary dancing, two of the styles he was strongest in.
And I could tell.
He moved with a grace that hypnotized me. I was a big guy, and most times, I was clumsy as fuck. I was used to using my muscles to push me over the finish line, but Jay was different. He didn’t use his body the same way I did. He extended his legs in perfect lines, curved his arms in impossible ways, glided across the stage as if he were floating.
It was beautiful.
He was beautiful.
He stopped in the center of the stage and looked out to the audience. For a quick second, our eyes locked, and everyone else in the theater disappeared. He flashed me a smile—one that was out of character but one that said, “I see you”—and he slipped back into the monologue he needed to deliver.
“Damn, he’s really good,” Colton said during intermission. “Think I can get his autograph after the show?”
“I’ll see if I can pull any strings,” I said.
“Oh, I’m sure you want to pull on something, dude.”
“Colt… what the fuck?”
Maddy leaned over me. “Don’t worry, Jay wants the same.”
I started to laugh, my cheeks warming for some reason. I wasn’t exactly the modest type, but everything felt different with Jay.
Everything felt right. And I wanted to hold on to that feeling as long as I possibly could.
And yes, Colton was also right. That bastard.
I was really happy to have him as my best friend. Seeing the bond forming between all four of us felt like I was beginning to find a new family.
I smiled all through the rest of the show, riding a high that was unmatched.
Chapter Fifteen
Jay
He had made it.
Normally the stage lights were bright enough to wash out the audience, but Ryan shone right on through. I spotted him the second I stepped out onto the stage. He sat front row, sandwiched between my best friend and his. I rarely found myself getting nervous when I performed, but for some reason, seeing Ryan in the crowd gave me a flurry of butterflies that threatened to wipe out all the lines I’d worked to memorize.
Thankfully, I made it through the play without any major mistakes. We reached the end and earned ourselves a standing ovation from the packed house. I took a bow with my cast mates, soaking it in, locking eyes with a very proud-looking Ryan.
This was what I’d been so scared of losing ever since I had to leave my old school. I didn’t know if I’d find the same kind of appreciation for theater in another college. Franklin U didn’t disappoint. The cheering went on for so long that we decided to take another bow before we walked off backstage.