“So did you,” Jules said before popping a grape into her mouth.
It endlessly entertained Sophie that Jules brought such balanced lunches with her to the theater. Sandwiches, fruit, yogurt. Half the time, Sophie tossed a protein bar in her bag and called it a meal.
“Mind if I join you?” Tabitha asked, setting her bag on their table.
“Not at all,” Jules told her.
“You guys excited for the shoot this afternoon?” Tabitha asked as she sat across from them and pulled an apple out of her bag.
“So excited.” Jules’s radiant smile said she meant it too.
“Same,” Sophie said, but honestly, she was rather apathetic about photo shoots. She was more excited that this was one step closer to opening night. Although, on second thought, seeing Jules all done up for the shoot might make the whole thing worthwhile.
After lunch, they headed to the room in back where the hair and makeup team had assembled to get them ready for their photoshoot. Sophie, Tabitha, and the rest of the ensemble went to one end of the room, while Jules, Amir, and Micki headed the other way. Sophie sat patiently as the team spritzed and polished her hair, applied false lashes, and made her up.
Afterward, they were handed sample costumes to wear. Sophie’s consisted of tight black jeans and a sequined purple top, and honestly, she couldn’t be more thrilled. Tabitha received the same, except her top was turquoise. They retreated to their dressing room to get changed before assembling on stage, which had been fitted with lights and screens for the shoot.
Sophie and the rest of the ensemble went first. They posed for individual shots and a variety of group poses, including Sophie’s favorite in which they all leaped into the air. She couldn’t wait to see how they came out. Afterward, they sat in the audience to watch the leads do their photos.
Jules, Micki, and Amir took the stage, and Sophie had to bite her lip to keep from gasping. Jules wore the floor-length blue dress she would perform her piano solo in. It shimmered under the stage lights, highlighting the curve of her hips and the swell of her breasts. They’d put long, loose waves in her hair and pinned it back on one side, revealing the graceful column of her neck. The end result was nothing short of stunning.
Jules posed at the center of the stage, one hip effortlessly cocked, flashing the camera a million-dollar smile and reminding Sophie that she’d done modeling work in the past. Sophie made a mental note to Google her later.
“She’s gorgeous,” Tabitha commented.
“Mm-hmm,” Sophie responded without taking her eyes off Jules.
“You like her.”
“What?” Sophie darted a glance at her, to find Tabitha watching her in amusement. She and Jules were keeping things quiet for now, at least until after Jules came out to her family, but even so, there was no need to flaunt their relationship in front of their castmates.
“Just an observation,” Tabitha said lightly. “You look at her the way I look at Amir.”
“Oh boy,” Sophie said with a laugh. “No harm in looking, right?”
“Right,” Tabitha agreed.
Amir and Micki stepped up on either side of Jules, and they took a series of photos to illustrate the love triangle that would play out onstage, as Bianca found herself torn between the man her family wanted her to date and the womanshewanted.
“And now, the kiss,” the photographer announced, gesturing for Jules and Micki to move closer to each other.
Sophie’s stomach dropped. She’d already seen Jules kiss Micki dozens of times, but she still wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea of sitting here watching them pretend to make out for the photographer. She slouched in her seat.
Jules rested a hand on Micki’s waist, leaning in to press their lips together as the photographer directed them on how to angle their bodies and where to put their hands. It was about as unromantic as a kiss could get, and it still made Sophie jealous as hell. For the sake of Tabitha’s watchful eyes, she tried to keep her feelings to herself.
After a few shots with Jules and Micki, the photographer directed Amir to step in, taking one of Jules’s hands as if trying to get her attention, while she leaned to the side to kiss Micki. It would make a hell of a shot for the promotional materials.
Finally, they called the rest of the cast onto the stage and took photos of them all together, a mixture of serious and silly poses. Afterward, Sophie and Tabitha headed back to their dressing room together. Sophie changed into her own clothes and gathered her things. She grabbed her bag, said goodbye to Tabitha, and headed down the hall to Jules’s dressing room. The door was open as usual. Jules sat on the couch, typing on her phone.
“Hey,” Sophie said as she stopped in the doorway.
Jules looked up. She was back in her jeans and sweater, but she still wore her camera-ready makeup, and her hair…
Sophie cleared her throat. “Heading out?”
Jules crooked a finger, gesturing for Sophie to come in. “Close the door.”
Well, then. Sophie stepped in, closing the door behind her. Jules was off the couch in a flash, pressing Sophie against the wall as she kissed her. Sophie sank her fingers deep into the silky depths of Jules’s hair, ruffling her perfectly constructed waves, anchoring herself in the feel of Jules’s kiss, the whisper of her breath across Sophie’s cheeks, and the firm grip of her fingers on Sophie’s ass.
