“Announcement!” The speaker crackles. "Romance author panel begins in ten minutes!"
"Oh! I should go grab a seat!" Jocelyn bounces toward the back room.
"Have fun," Holly calls. "We'll see you at the theater—just come backstage after."
"Perfect!" She's already gone.
Holly turns back to me, and her hand finds mine as we leave. She traces her thumb across the ridge of my knuckle once, twice. Again. My heart stumbles into a new pattern, trying to match her rhythm.
HOLLY
The Johnsons are in full party parent mode when we arrive, Mr. Johnson practicing his formal walk while Mrs. Johnson adjusts her costume jewelry.
“Holly!” Mrs. Johnson waves us over. “Thank you again for covering last week.”
“Happy to help.”
Mr. Johnson executes a theatrical spin. “Like we never left. Though I heard your Evan was quite the hit.”
Your Evan. When did that start to feel so true? I look over to find him crouched down, watching Josh demonstrate his tap step.
“I've been practicing every day,” Josh says. “Morning before school and night before bed.”
“Your rhythm's much cleaner. Try letting your ankles relax more.”
Marie rockets over. “You came back!”
“Wouldn't miss it,” Evan says.
“Five minutes to places!”
We move to the same spot hidden in the wings, stage left, where we watched last weekend. Evan reaches for my hand, threading our fingers together.
The lights dim. Music begins.
During the battle scene, Evan whispers commentary about the mice that has me pressing my face into his shoulder to muffle laughter. His arm circles me, and I melt into him.
Act I flows into Act II. Evan grins with delight watching Marie and the other kids. Almost to the finale now. The music builds to a crescendo and paper snow begins to fall.
"Beautiful," Evan says.
"What part?"
I glance at him and realize he's watching me, not the stage.
"You. Getting to see you here." He catches a piece of snow. "This is who you are."
“Evan. What do you mean?"
"I mean you're someone who embraces all this magic with no apology,” he says. “And then makes it real for everyone else too."
I rise up and kiss him.
He pulls me close and kisses me back with such tenderness my eyes burn. We kiss like we have all the time in the world, like the show isn't happening around us. His lips are soft against mine, patient, learning the shape of this new thing between us.
JOCELYN
I slip backstage, still breathless from my sprint from the romance panel, and stop in my tracks.
