“We’re turning off all the special lights. Just use the switch over there. Don’t forget to turn everything off and lock up. I’m serious. I’ll kill both of you.” She grabbed her purse and left with Erin and the rest of the cast. Moments later it was only me and Thomas in the entire building.
He coughed awkwardly and shoved his hands in his pockets.
“I guess I’m ready when you are.” I sighed deeply and grabbed my script from the chair I had left it on earlier. He reached for his and trudged up the stairs. I stared at the antique red velvet couch. It was too quiet in here; it was making everything seem more extreme than it had to be. Thomas must have been thinking the same thing, because he pulled out his cell phone.
“We need music.” He scrolled through his phone and then walked over to the speakers that were kept backstage. Turning them on, I watched him plug his phone on and suddenly Dion’s voice erupted from all around the large room. It took me a moment to recognize it, but after a few lines I realized it was ‘Life Is But A Dream’.
Thomas returned to the stage and shrugged, with a slight grin.
“I didn’t know what to put on. There’s no real good way to go about this,” he sighed. I agreed with him. He paced the floor slowly, keeping his eyes turned away from me.
“You know, it wouldn’t be so bad if we were strangers. I’ve done this a million times. It’seasy. Hell, some women weren’t even attractive. You just pretend they’re someone else. But how do you pretend it’s someone else when-” he stopped short and stared up at me, like he was just noticing that I was in the room. I crossed my arms.
“When what?” I asked. He gulped and shook his head.
“Nothing. Let’s just start the scene.” He went to the stairs and we began acting. I wasn’t Renee Lacey, I was Jackie-O Pascal, and he was my twin brother and lover, Marty. I pulled out the box with my costume in it while Dion stopped singing and The Paris Sisters started serenaded us. He moved behind me and I gasped when his lips trailed lightly on my neck when he zipped up my dress. It sent a jolt of excitement and terror up my spine.
Memories of Thomas kissing me when we were teenagers flooded over me. Pushing them away I reached for the gun and moved away from him. The music was booming in our ears, so we mouthed our lines, instead of trying to be heard above the speakers.
He took his seat on the couch and began the smile and wave. I lifted my arm and aimed the gun at him. “I hear a symphony” came on and I pulled the trigger. The gun let out a pop and Marty fell over. I ran to him. Pulling him to my chest I began rocking him. After a moment he pulled his head up and we looked at each other. Without another thought, Thomas kissed me. It was hard and needy.
My lips parted and his tongue slipped in. I kissed him back, just as eager as he was. His hand slipped down to my thigh and started climbing towards my skirt. I reached for his shirt and began unbuttoning it quickly. All the while our mouths never left each other's.
I sat up straighter to remove my coat and he quickly unzipped my dress. He pushed me down into the couch and I heard him groan. I could feel his hardness pressed against my thigh. My hands reached for his belt and began undoing it. I didn’t go any further. The lights would go down at this point. I pulled my face away from his and tried to catch my breath. Both of us were gasping for breath. I looked up at him and his eyes were filled with confusion and pain. Suddenly he said. “End scene.”
My eyes fell down to his mouth and I licked my lips. This was it. We were no longer Marty and Jackie. I had a choice to make. Before I could think any more about it, my phone began ringing on the coffee table. It snapped both of us out of this thick trance the scene had put us under.
He sat up and blew air out of his nose and mouth. I reached for my phone and saw that it was Cleo. I asked Thomas to shut the music off. He shot me a glare but moved to do so. I answered it once I could hear her properly.
“Hello?”
“Renee? I know you’re at rehearsal, but we need you to come to the hospital.” I gasped and jumped up. Oh no.
“Are you okay? Is it-” My heart had stopped completely. I couldn’t breathe.
“No, no. I’m fine. Tot’s fine. It’s Mark.”
