The audience applauded generously as they bowed, and then the ensemble stepped back to let Jules, Amir, and Micki have their moment in the spotlight. Last—but definitely not least—Jules took a solo bow, receiving another solid round of applause and several loud whoops from the crowd, probably initiated by her family.
Sophie was so proud of her, she was bursting with it. So proud, her heart ached. As Jules turned to walk upstage and her eyes met Sophie’s, she realized that ache in her heart was more than pride. It was love.
She gulped as everything around her seemed to go into slow motion, Tabitha pulling her in for a hug, the crowd clapping, stage lights in her eyes as Jules walked toward her, a triumphant smile illuminating her face. Then Jules’s arms were around her, her lips on Sophie’s cheek, her familiar scent filling Sophie’s lungs.
“We did it,” Jules whispered.
“You were fantastic,” Sophie told her.
Tears glittered in Jules’s eyes when she pulled back. “Thank you.”
Arm in arm, they walked off stage. Sophie wanted to kiss her. She wanted to whisk Jules away and show her how much she loved her, how much she needed her. But of course, she couldn’t. As soon as they stepped offstage, Jules was surrounded by cast and crew offering praise and congratulations, hugs and kisses from all the people who’d worked with her over the last two months.
Sophie was pushed farther and farther away, like a ripple in the water washing toward the shore while Jules remained at the center. Sophie turned to Tabitha and Elena, sharing more hugs as they celebrated a successful first performance.
The audience would be polled on their way out about what they had and hadn’t liked, and various production staff had been in the house tonight, observing which lines got the appropriate laughs and reactions. Tomorrow, the cast would sit for a meeting before their matinee performance where they would implement various tweaks and changes, a process that would continue throughout previews as they perfected the show before opening night. It was exciting to watch the show evolve, and Sophie loved being a part of it.
Slowly, they made their way downstairs toward the dressing rooms as people chatted excitedly about their celebratory plans. Tabitha, Elena, and a few other ensemble members were going out for drinks and invited Sophie to join them.
“Sure,” she agreed, knowing she’d back out in a heartbeat if the opportunity presented itself for her to see Jules later.
The crowd in the hallway thickened as friends and family of the actors spilled into the space, joining the celebration. Sophie backed against the wall, knowing no one was here to greet her and not upset about it. Her parents would be here tomorrow night. It was no one’s fault that Mother Nature had delayed their arrival.
Since the hallway had become unbearably crowded, Sophie retreated to her dressing room. She ducked into the bathroom to freshen up and change into jeans and the long-sleeved black tee she’d worn here this morning. That felt like a lifetime ago.
Bianca’s red dress hung on the rack in the corner, hastily discarded during her frantic costume change right before the curtain went up, a reminder of the night that had almost been. In the end, tonight had belonged to Jules, as it should have. Something heavy settled in Sophie’s chest. Would her moment ever come? Or did her future lie behind the scenes?
She stepped out of the bathroom to find Tabitha sprawled across the couch, a celebratory beer already in hand. “God, I love the buzz of a good show.”
“Same,” Sophie said, dropping onto the couch beside her, but tonight it wasn’t quite true. She felt unsettled. Adrift. And helplessly in love.
“Beer?” Tab asked, nudging the mini fridge with her foot.
“Sure.”
Tabitha leaned over to grab a beer for Sophie. She popped the cap before handing it to her.
“Thanks.” Sophie took a grateful gulp as Tabitha ducked into the bathroom to change.
Sophie stared into the amber depths of her beer. This wasn’t like her, brooding after a performance. She set down the bottle and went into the hallway, looking for Jules. Maybe she’d feel better once she’d seen her and made sure she was okay.
She found her in the doorway to her dressing room, still in her floor-length blue dress. Jules was flanked by Kari, Andrew, and several people Sophie didn’t recognize but were almost certainly Jules’s family. Sophie faltered, unsure whether to interrupt, but Jules glanced over and saw her, breaking immediately into one of her irresistible smiles as she waved Sophie over.
Kari and Andrew excused themselves, congratulating Sophie on her performance as they headed for the stairs, and then Sophie stood facing Jules and her family.
“This is my friend, Sophie,” Jules said, turning to fling an arm around Sophie’s shoulders. “Soph, this is my mom, Paula.” She gestured toward an attractive, petite woman in her fifties with dark hair and a friendly face. “And these are my brothers, Alex and Rob.”
Sophie forced a smile, determined not to flinch at being introduced as Jules’s friend. She’d been expecting it, but damn, it still hurt. “So nice to meet you.” She stepped forward to shake Paula’s hand, but Jules’s mother pulled her in for a hug instead.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Sophie. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Have you?” Sophie asked, darting a glance at Jules, whose smile had turned fragile.
“Oh yes,” Paula exclaimed, releasing Sophie so that Alex and Rob could each shake her hand. “She’s been talking about you since rehearsals started. I’m so glad you two became friends.”
“Me too,” Sophie said, carefully avoiding Jules’s apologetic gaze.
“Maybe you can tell me, Sophie,” Paula said conspiratorially. “Who’s got my little girl so distracted, making dreamy faces while she sends texts that she won’t tell me about? I have my suspicions.”
