The noise of the crowd beyond the curtain swells, a low hum of anticipation, but here in this tiny backstage alcove, it’s just us. Her hands thread through my hair, tugging gently, anchoring me to this moment, to her.
When we finally pull apart, Rachel is grinning, breathless. “Melanie is going to be so mad I messed up your hair.”
I smirk, tracing a slow line along her jaw with my thumb. “Want to mess it up more?”
She stands up on her tiptoes, grazing her lips on my ear. “I’m going to be all sorts of distracting on that stage.”
“I’m counting on it,” I reply.
Rachel laughs, its brightness pulling me closer to her, and I know without a doubt that no spotlight could ever outshine this woman.
A sharp clap interrupts us. I slowly look away from Rachel to find Melanie standing there, arms crossed, a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.
“You’re on in three minutes. Try to remember that you both are here to talk about yourbook, not your love life,” she says.
“But my book is changed because of my love life,” I argue playfully.
“Well, at least I know you’ll at least play nice on stage,” Melanie teases back.
I shrug my shoulders. “I will, but Rachel has promised to be very distracting.”
Melanie shakes her head. “At least this is marketable. Sales are already up just from the buzz of your romance going viral.” She pauses to pull out her phone, scrolling for a few seconds. “Best lines I’ve read so far are‘Plot twist…The fanfiction writes itself!’and‘Looks like Evan Michaels has been holding out on us. He can write steamy scenes.’”
Rachel’s hand finds the back pocket of my slacks as she leans into me. “Well, if that’s true, Barrett won’t need a fanfiction life anymore.”
“I don’t think the fanfiction writer will have time to create stories for Barrett,” I say.
She looks up at me. “What do you mean?”
“You’re a better writer than I am, Rachel. We all know that. I think it’s time Rachel Perry had her name down the spine of a book.”
“One minute,” Melanie interrupts. “And he’s right, Rachel. I read one of your manuscripts. Ellsworth & Carter would be happy to offer you a publishing deal.”
I talked to Melanie about this, about how Rachel deserved it. And Melanie had pulled some strings.
“Well, that’s very generous. Thank you, but I’ve decided I’m betting on myself,” she says to Melanie before turning to face only me. “Someone told me that I have nothing to prove.”
“Thirty seconds and if you change your mind, I'll bet on you, too,” Melanie says before she turns on her heels and walks toward the stage.
Rachel takes my hands and squeezes them. “I’m going to self-publish. I don’t need someone to say my story is worth it to know it is.”
I grin, all pride and heartache wrapped into one. “You’re going to change the world, Rachel Perry.”
She smiles at me. “One sweet and swoony story at a time?”
I laugh under my breath. “No, one real story at a time. Yours.”
“It’s time!” Melanie shouts back at us.
Rachel lets go of one of my hands but doesn’t move away. She lifts herself onto her bare toes and brushes her lips lightly on mine. It’s not a showy kiss…it’s a grounding one. A promise.
“Ready?” she asks against my mouth.
“Together?” I say, squeezing her hand.
“Together,” Rachel says with confidence.
When we walk out on the stage, I’m still holding hands with Rachel. I’m not alone. Not anymore.
