He nods his head at the bulletin. “See for yourself.”
Oh God.
This is it. My dreams will once again be pulverized, now with Lexington Hall as my witness. I’ll never live this down. That smirk and those twinkling eyes will haunt me until my dying day.
I offer a slight headshake, my fists curling at my sides. I should get this over with, but I can’t force myself to drink in the confirmation. It’s not real if I don’t know.
Tears gather in my eyes, causing his smile to slip.
He frowns a little, gesturing at the posting again. “Look, Stevie.”
Something tugs at my chest.
He doesn’t call me Stevie—it’s only everNicks. Like I’m not worthy enough to be addressed by my given name. I swallow hard, holding his cryptic stare for one more heartbeat.
Then I turn my head and read.
Names come into focus. I hold my breath until my knees wobble.
Christian: Lexington Hall
Satine: Stevie St. James
Oh…
Oh my God.
I let out a sound I don’t recognize. I think it’s my voice. A gasp of absolute disbelief braided with a euphoria I’ve never felt before. Cupping a hand over my mouth, I try to keep the sound from falling out again because everyone is staring at me now.
“Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other over the next few months.”
I blink repeatedly at the two names, bolded and underlined. Just to be sure. Just to be completely sure. Then I glance over at Lex with wide, glazed eyes, hiding the beaming smile with my hand.
The smirk is back.
He’s so impossible to read, I’m not convinced he’s happy for me. Maybe he’s just eager to torment me during all our future practices.
I manage a nod through the heart-twisting emotion.
“We should probably meet up to go over lines some time.” He sniffs, and a trace of vulnerability flickers across his face. A hand slips into his pocket as he glances away. “If you want to.”
A giant coffee cup is clasped in his other hand, accentuating the dark-gray shadows under his eyes. His light irises make them even more noticeable. My palm falls away from my mouth, arm dropping to my side. “Yeah,” I whisper back. “Sure.”
He takes a drawn-out sip from the cup. “Your audition,” he starts, a hitch to his words. A clear of his throat. “It was…”
My heart shrinks, like it’s trying to hide from the impending insult that will cleave it into bits. “What?”
He frowns.
Hesitates.
And I swear his frosty blue eyes melt a fraction.
“It wasn’t underwhelming,” he says. Lex takes another big swig from his coffee and pushes up from the wall. “Not at all.”
I watch as he swivels away, hauling his backpack over his shoulder as he retreats from my sight line.
He was right about one thing: he surprised me.
