It was perfect—a perfect show, a perfect circle, a perfect end.
But AJ couldn’t let it stand. She didn’t want to be perfect; she wanted to be whole.
“Noah,” she called out.
The applause died immediately—Did she just use his name?Noah’s footsteps faltered. AJ heard the whir of the rig and the spotlights flared back on. She had caught him just before his foot entered the wing. He turned around slowly, the muscles working in his jaw.
“I have to go,” he said warningly.
AJ gulped. “Then take me with you,” she gasped. “Please.”
Noah’s eyes were brimming. He chewed the inside of his cheek. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” said AJ, stepping toward him.
“Stop,” Noah choked out. “This isn’t the plan,” he said through gritted teeth.
Your scene partner is your life.If this is to work, you must follow them wherever they go. You must follow them to the end, into death if necessary.
AJ could hardly speak. “I understand about the plan,” she said with difficulty. “And I will stay with you. No matter what.” Her eyes bore into his. “I will support you,no matter what.”
A tear escaped down Noah’s cheek. He wiped it away, drawing in a sharp breath. “That won’t work.”
“Why not?” said AJ.
“You areruiningthis,” said Noah in a low voice.
“Tell me why not,” AJ demanded.
“Because I don’t want a reason to linger,” he erupted.
A ripple went through the theater. AJ opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.
“Don’t you get it?” he said, incredulous. “Without you, life is nice and easy and yes, maybe just a little empty, and if I have to go, so be it. But if you are there—” He had to pause. “If you’re there, life is messy and unpredictable andbeautiful. And when it’s time to do this thing I have—Ihaveto do it—I won’t. I won’t be able to.”
Tears were streaming down AJ’s face. “In that case, I would help you.”
Noah shook his head. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” she swore.
Noah inhaled sharply, his eyes spilling. “You,” he breathed, and fora moment it was all he could say. Then, “Youwill notwant to do what needs to be done.”
AJ leveled her gaze at him. “Try me.”
In that instant, everything vanished but them. There were no clocks here. Just a girl and a boy suspended in pure, uncut love. AJ nodded once.I’m with you.For a second, Noah’s gaze shone back.
She saw it breach his eyes first, a ripple in the dark pools of his irises—a distortion.
He blinked.
Then he took a step back into the wings. “No.”
The worst pain AJ had ever experienced scraped down her spine, as if she were being torn from the inside out.
He was pulling away, casting her off.
“No,” he said. “This isn’t what we agreed.”
