I spot him before he spots me, his eyes hard as he takes in the girl who skipped out from behind the large box before I could register what was going on.
“I was hanging out with—” Carmen flicks her eyes around the room before pointing rightat me, “—her.”
I take a step out of the deep shadow of the prop closet and smile innocently.
“Sloane?” Andy’s voice is as surprised as I feel.
“Andrew,” I blush, nodding as I remember our flirtation at the bar..
“What are you doing here?” I watch as Andy’s thoughts go every which way, his brow scrunches in suspicion as if this is some sort of prank and Carmen looks at him like he’s grown two heads.
“Wait, do you…know her?” She stares at her brother.
“You could say that,” I offer my own confusion must be visible because Andy’s face softens. “And you know him?” I direct it at Carmen.
“My brother? Yeah, I know him.”
Realization dawns on me, my mind circling back to the initials on the backpack.
“Right…sorry to scare you guys.” I nod politely toward the Boston Conservatory employee who is clearly pissed.
“Thanks, Meryl. I’ll take it from here.” Andy nods to her, too and she glances down at Carmen.
“Next time, let me know if you're going to galavant backstage,” she says to the wisp of a girl, and Carmen mocks a salute. I crack a smile before quickly burying it at the glare Meryl shoots at me.Sorry, I mouth before she turns and leaves.
“She was getting me a snack. You guys need to chill. I was gone for like fifteen minutes.” Carmen seems bored by this entire situation.
“More like half an hour. I called and texted you,” Andy says, his tone almost identical to the one Grant sometimes takes with me.
She holds up her phone smiling. “Dead.” She shrugs and then smiles at me in victory. I shake my head slightly, silently begging to not be brought into this but Andy catches it.
“And why are you here?” He looks at me expectantly, only a hint of that unbridled interest from the other night on display behind this bizarrely authoritative version of him. I fight the heat that threatens to warm my cheeks.
“I work here?” I say my voice is more defensive than I want it to be.
“She’s doing our sets for the Nutcracker,” Carmen chimes in.
“And apparently stealing small children in her spare time. Didn’t really think of you as much of a kidnapper,” he says, that boyish charm filtering back in.
“Well, you shouldn’t really be thinkin’ of me at all.” I give him a tight smile. Andy’s eyes flash with the memory of the bar as he smirks.
Carmen’s face wrinkles in disgust. “Please tell me you guys don’t know each other…like that?” I match it, even though, I’m not sure she’scompletelywrong.
“Definitely not,” I mimic Carmen’s stance, hands on my hips, eyes directed at her brother. He looks between us and I see stress wrinkle between his brows—guilt, which is not really what I expected if I’m being honest.
“Were you mean to my friend, Andy?” Carmen asks, and I bite my lip to hide my smile. Andy's face is incredulous.
“Turning my own sister against me?” he asks, and I roll my eyes to distract from my amusement. I shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as I am.
“Pretty sure you’re doin’ that all by yourself.”
A growl sounds from Carmen’s stomach, and we both turn our heads at her as she flashes an irritated smile. “Okay, can we go to Taco Bell,please?”
“Maybe.” Andy shuts his eyes, dragging a hand down his face before dipping his head toward her bag and nudging her out the door before turning around toward me.
“Good to see you, Sloane,” he says, differently now that his sister is down the hallway. There’s sincerity behind his tired shrug of a smile. “Almost like it was fate.”
“Definitelynotfate,” I say in a flurry, wincing internally.
