Chapter 10 – Elise #3
The duet began—voices hesitant at first, then rising in tandem.
Darcy and Elizabeth moved across the stage in practiced harmony, their voices weaving together with a kind of aching grace.
Elise stood in the shadows, fingers twitching at her sides, barely resisting the urge to mouth the words she knew by heart.
Her pulse matched the tempo, watching them ascend the steps on the side of the bridge, and hit their mark at the exact center.
The kiss was staged, as always. An artful tilt, a hand gently cupping a jaw, no lips involved. And still, something in it shimmered.
And yet, Graham’s eyes found her just as the lights softened for the final tableau. Elise felt the blush rise before she could stop it. Ridiculous, she thought, but there it was.
“Well, look at you,” came a velvet voice right behind her ear.
She jumped. “Kevin!” she hissed, heart racing.
He raised an incorporeal eyebrow. “You’re learning how to believe in happy endings again.”
The applause had long faded, the dressing room doors soft with the sound of zippers and sighs. The wig corner sat still beneath the harsh glow of fluorescents—half-abandoned now, half-lit.
Lark didn’t appear after Elise removed her wig post-curtain call.
Elise glanced once or twice toward Lark’s dressing room, expecting her to come for her usual pin curl assist—but it didn’t happen.
Lark was tending to herself tonight, and Elise wasn’t sure if that was distance, healing, or something else entirely.
Either way, she didn’t mind. It gave her space to breathe.
Jen appeared a few minutes later, her walk brisk but face drawn.
“Still nothing,” she said, not needing to specify.
Elise’s heart dipped. “No answer?”
“Voicemail every time,” Jen replied. “I’ve asked around. No one’s seen her since we left the last city. She likes to travel solo, so no one really clocked it… but still.” She ran a hand through her hair, then gave Elise a tight smile. “I’ll keep trying. Night.”
And just like that, Jen was gone again—another shadow slipping down the hallway. Something was off. Off in a way that didn’t have a name yet.
The dressing room was winding down. Costume pieces tucked away, makeup wiped clean, and the electric buzz of performance settling into something quieter, softer. Elise was rewrapping a stubborn lacefront when she sensed someone lingering at the edge of her space.
Graham.
He leaned casually against the doorway, but his eyes betrayed the hesitance.
“I heard a rumor,” he said, his voice low and teasing. “Word is, you can see ghosts.”
Elise didn’t look up right away. “Mmm. That depends. Are you the type to run screaming, or ask for lottery numbers from beyond the grave?”
He made a face—half-grin, half-wince. “I’m more of a… huh, okay, I’ll just pretend that’s normal and reevaluate everything I thought I knew about the universe… kind of guy.”
She grinned, setting the wig down. “Good. That’s the correct answer.”
His smile softened. “You do have a talent for surprises.”
Then, after a pause, quieter: “I wasn’t there when you told the others. I just… heard people talking. I couldn’t tell if they were serious. Or if you were.”
Elise’s expression didn’t shift, but something in her posture settled. “It’s serious,” she said. “But I don’t usually explain it right away. This is… new for me. Talking to people about it, I mean.”
“Right,” he said. He ran a hand through his (perfect) hair, a little sheepish. “Sorry. I’m probably the millionth person to come in here acting clever.”
“Only the seventh,” she said, dry. “But who’s counting.”
That earned a real laugh from him, quick and low. Then his voice turned thoughtful again.
“Can I ask something?” he said, quieter now.
Elise turned fully toward him. “You can try.”
His posture shifted, the joking falling away. “That night,” he said, voice softer. “At the party. Something happened. What was it?”
“I just… had a moment,” she said, carefully.
He nodded, waiting.
She took a slow breath, as if shaping the words gave them power. “I saw a ghost. But not just any ghost. Someone I used to know. My ex.”
His expression shifted, serious now. “You saw your ex?”
“The thing is,” she continued, “he’s not… alive. Anymore.”
Graham blinked. “Wait—he’s dead?”
She nodded. “I didn’t know. Not until that night. Last I saw him… he was very much alive and very much making my life hell.”
There was a beat of silence, then:
“Wow,” he said softly. “That’s… a lot. And you’re just—back to gluing wigs like nothing happened?”
She tried to chuckle, but it came out thin. “I’m trying.”
There was a pause, weighty but not uncomfortable.
Graham’s brows knit slightly, but his voice was light, “So ghosts. They’re real.”
She smiled faintly. “Very.”
He gave her a half-laugh, half-sigh. “Cool. Cool cool cool. So I guess I’ll cross ‘surprise seance’ off my first-date ideas list.”
Elise laughed despite herself, the knot in her chest easing just a bit.
“That’d be smart,” she said. “I’ve got friends on both sides of the veil.”
“Oh yeah?” he said, straightening slightly. “Do any of them know how to ward off over-possessive exes? Asking for a friend.”
“I’ll get back to you on that.”
Graham stepped in closer, careful not to crowd her. “I didn’t know what happened that night. You looked terrified. I… didn’t know if I should follow you or give you space.”
“You made the right call,” she said. “I needed space.”
“Well,” he said softly, “if he ever shows up again… I’ve got terrible Latin pronunciation and a flair for the dramatic. I could try an exorcism next time.”
Elise gave a small laugh. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in my back pocket.”
There was a beat where neither of them said anything, and the warmth in the room threatened to tip into something more.
Graham looked like he wanted to stay—wanted to say something else. But instead, he took a step back. “I’ll let you finish your wig sorcery.”
He offered her a crooked little smile, then turned and disappeared down the hallway.
She watched him go, the warmth of his presence lingering long after he disappeared down the hallway. The room felt quieter now. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
And then, as if cued by the unseen orchestra of her life, the piano began to play again from the orchestra pit. A soft, wistful melody drifted through the walls—full of possibility, and maybe a little hope.
Kevin’s voice floated in from nowhere. “Ooooh, he’s got it bad.”
Elise rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Don’t start.”
But her cheeks were still warm.
And the music played on.