Do you love him? Do you?
Olive’s breath caught as she looked into Oscar’s eyes. It seemedas though Oscar had disappeared entirely and Lars’ love for Eliza was seeping from his every pore. Olive’s chest tightened at the idea of Oscar ever looking at her, the real her, in that way.
Eliza
I fear you’ll kill him either way.
Lars
Eliza. If you tell me yes, how could you think that I would kill the man you love and put you through thatmisery? No, Eliza. Should you say yes, I will turn this gun on myself and the bullet will be destined…
Oscar paused.
… for me.
He had selfishly hoped to see a flicker ofsomethingin Olive’s face, but when her eyes filled with tears, he couldn’t be sure that it was her crying and not Eliza. She was an extraordinary actressafter all.And why would it be real, you idiot? Focus, he thought.
Melvin
Must we have all this drama? It’s terribly dull. We all know you don’t have the gall to shoot a rabbit, let alone a man. Just put the gun down, Larson.
Lars
Do… you… love him?
If I said yes, would he care?Olive wondered.Or would he find anothergirl in the ensemble to pass the time with? Oh, I’m in way over my head, aren’t I? How have I done this again?
Eliza
I… I… do not.
Olive took her director’s note and tears spilled down her face. Oscar pulled the trigger, the blank bullet flashed and smoked, and the sound of a gunshot rippled through the auditorium and the stage went black.Oscar tried to find Olive’s hand in the blackout but his hand collided with nothing but darkness.
‘Olive?’ he whispered.
‘Okay, thanks very much, everyone! Go get some rest and I’ll see you on opening night!’ Michael called, rubbing his hands together. Some of the cast clapped but most were already half out of their costumes on the way back to their dressing rooms.
‘Olive?’Oscar called as he walked down the stage right wing. ‘Doug, is Olive down there?’
‘I think she’s gone to her dressing room,’ Doug called back, taking off his flat cap and ruffling his own hair back into its usual disarray. Oscar started unbuttoning his shirt himself and gently pushed aside the curtain in the wing to widen his path so he could scoot past Howard and Jane.
‘Oh – Oscar!Are you coming tonight?’ Tamara ran to him and stroked his bicep, Jane watching close behind. They were both out of costume and in their own dressy clothes already.
‘What’s tonight?’ he asked, holding his shirt closed between his fingers.
‘Just… drinks?’ She shrugged.
‘Again?’
‘Always!’ she laughed.
‘Maybe. No. Probably not.’ Oscar backed away. ‘Sorry.’ Tamarasnatched her hands away.
‘Why? You gotta go snog on more Tube lines?’ She tried to smile as she said it, in some attempt to make it sound like she could have been half joking – but her true feelings gave her away in the wobble of her bottom lip as she swivelled on her heels and left.
‘We’ll miss you!’ Jane shouted after him, but Oscar was already through the double doors and headingtowards Olive’s dressing room.
OLIVEGREENwas displayed in a cursive font on a laminated card stuck to the door, with the show’s logo in the bottom left hand corner. He knocked twice.
