I close my eyes.
Come what may.
But as I stand there, shivering, hardly breathing, waiting for that tiny kiss to come and go…something else happens.
Something so unexpected it steals the last of my hard-won air.
Lex cups my face with both hands. It’s not as gentle, not as meek as it was before. The motion has my eyes popping back open, gaze crashing with storm-licked blue. We stare at each other for a beat, for a breath, before he tugs me against his mouth in a wholly unanticipated kiss.
I gasp, and I sag, weightless and stunned.
We’re only supposed to hold this kiss for five seconds.
Closed-lipped and tight.
And he holds it, he does, but what he’s really holding is my heart in his hands.
Lex…kissesme.
His tongue slides past my lips and fuses with mine. I whimper with longing, with shell shock, with every ounce of feeling I just put into that performance. So does he. I feel it. I taste it. Everything else falls away. No audience, no music, no lights. It’s only his lips on mine, his tongue leaving fiery trails inside my mouth, his thumbs pressing into my cheeks like he never wants to break apart.
I wrap my arms around his neck. Pull him closer. Angle my face until he’s tasting every inch of me and I’m dizzied and drunk on his kiss.
This wasn’t planned.
This wasn’t rehearsed.
This is the realest thing I’ve ever felt.
When he pulls back, his lips are parted, jaw slackening as he grapples for air. His eyes remain closed as he presses his forehead to mine, and there’s a silent wash over the room. All I hear are his breaths and my heart. A pounding. Anunderscore.
He finally takes a step back, his hands leaving my face in a slow, slow glide.
And then the audience explodes.
Claps, whistles, standing ovations.
The curtains fall shut, and I am undone.
When I look back on this day, I don’t think I will recall what happens next. Scenes blur together, and songs bleed into one. Action, noise, sweeping choruses, and climaxes—they will all feel insignificant. The heart-wrenching finale will be a blip on my memory.
But I will remember that kiss.
I’ll remember the way my lips tingled through every scene that followed, the way my heart was in my throat the whole time, and how I’m shocked I didn’t choke on it. I’ll remember Lex holding my hand as we take our final bow, his palm squeezing mine, thumb softly grazing my knuckles, and the look he sends me when it’s all over. There’s a wrinkle between his eyes. An undefinable crease. I don’t know what it means or what he’s trying to say, but that look burrows into my bones, sending a shiver down my spine.
Our hands squeeze tighter.
End scene.
***
Exhaustion carves a tunnel through me the moment we disperse backstage. I take a few minutes to collect myself, drink some water, and change into a formfitting black dress. We’re headed straight to Natalie’s after-party, and while all I want to do is go home and crawl under the covers, it doesn’t feel like something I should miss.
Mr. Hamlin prances over to congratulate me, giving me a firm hug as I smile my pride against his shoulder. “You were brilliant, Stevie,” he says, pulling back and gripping me by the shoulders. “Spectacular performance. If you ever need a part-time job, my wife and I own a piano bar in the city. Please, come see us. We’ll hire you on the spot.”
Chuckling, I bob my head, my smile stretching wider. “We’ll see. I’m notsure if I’ll be staying local after high school. Depends on which colleges accept me and where I end up.”
“Any college would be lucky to have you. You have a very bright future ahead of you.”
