Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
LEVI
The lights in the theater lower till it’s completely dark in the large room, and I rush down the aisle to find the gang.
It’s a full house for opening night. Stevie was nervous as fuck when I last saw her right before she was called to the dressing room twenty minutes ago.
We’ve seen each other less over the past week, but it’s to be expected with everything going on.
We’re only two weeks away from study week and then finals.
I still can’t believe the semester’s almost over. An entire semester of knowing my girl. She’s been mine for over two months now, and by the time we reach the end of the school year, it’ll be four.
“Over here,” a voice comes from my left, and I see Em waving a hand. I make my way over to the seat smack-dab in the middle of my friend group to get the best view.
I run a hand through my hair. “Did you bring it?” I lean over to Jake.
He scoffs. “Of course. It’s in the bag under my seat.”
“Good. Thanks.” I asked Jake for the favor of getting the biggest motherfucking bouquet of lavender they sold at the flower store in town, because I was teaching classes all day and needed the extra cash so I could afford them.
The stage lights up, and the girl playing the lead role stands there. I’ve met her a handful of times. She’s conventionally pretty, a redhead, and a little stuck-up—nothing unusual for a wannabe actress.
I know Stevie’s in this number, as all the characters are.
Her solo isn’t till right after the intermission.
There’s a lot of pressure on her to bring people’s attention back to the show’s theme, according to what she’s told me.
I’m almost a hundred percent sure it’s one of the reasons she chose to audition for this show over all the others. To challenge herself.
My beautiful woman likes a challenge.
The opening number starts, and Stevie walks onto the stage, her personality completely different than how she usually is.
She looks bored and has a resting bitch face, nothing like the sweet and spunky girl I’ve grown to love.
It kind of freaks me out how well she keeps it up while singing background vocals with the whole cast.
“There she is!” Em whispers-yells, and tugs on my sleeve.
I let Emma hold on to me. The last thing I want to do is take my eyes off Stevie. Her voice needs to be heard.
Come on. Come on.
Stevie, or should I say Daisy, comes to life when she sees the lead running to her, smiling and singing about the gossip she heard earlier that morning in school. It’s Kami and Cam’s first time hearing her sing in person, but I can’t seem to look away long enough to see their reactions.
This is different from the other couple of times I saw her sing or even rehearse in our apartment. She doesn’t seem to be in her head as much. She’s confident, sexy, and her voice makes me proud and my cock hard. It’s how I feel every single second I’m with her.
Once the song ends, I smile and clap loudly.
The song right before intermission comes quickly.
It’s a duet the two leads have, a tough song to sing, according to Stevie, as evidenced by the videos she’s shown me of it being performed by professionals onstage.
I have to say, I’m impressed by the lead in the show.
She’s held all of her notes flawlessly, and her acting is impeccable.
As much as I think my woman deserves the lead, Stevie knows how to play the quirky and bitchy, yet insecure best friend well.
And she’ll get her chance to be the star one day.
I meant it when we spoke about our possible future at the Kappa house.
The highest notes at the end of the song come in, and I feel the audience getting ready to clap before the worst thing that could happen happens.
The girl’s voice cracks at the most impactful part, and it’s not a small crack.
It’s so bad, she stops singing altogether.
The male lead continues until the song is done, looking weary and nervous.
The awkward clapping begins before they quickly close the curtains.
Right as the curtains close, all I see is the lead’s face and how she looks like she’s about to burst into tears.
Fuck, Stevie’s going to freak out; she’s up next.
I run out the door, not bothering to stop and hear my friends tell me how good she is because I know how good she is.
Pushing through the people trying to find the bathroom, I run down the stairs to the changing rooms, where a student attempts to stop me from getting in.
I’m one second away from punching him before I spot Stevie peeking her head out of the entrance of the dressing room for women.
Her eyes are watery, and something primal takes over.
I point to the man, lowering my voice so only he can hear it.
“My girlfriend is singing her solo when the curtains open, and after what happened up there, I know you need her to do it flawlessly.” He remains silent.
“She’s great at what she does, but now all the pressure is on her.
So, get the fuck out of my way and let me talk to my girl, or I will risk the chance of getting suspended. ”
The man remains tight-lipped when he takes a step to the side.
“Wise choice,” I tell him, and rush to Stevie. Getting on my knees in front of her, I see it all. The old fear and insecurities that were there before she became more confident in her singing abilities. “Bambi, you’ve got this. She made a mistake, it happens.”
Stevie’s face scrunches up. She’s trying so hard not to sob.
Fuck, seeing her this way breaks my heart.
“I can’t do it,” she chokes out.
Shaking my head, I grab her chin tightly. “Yes, you fucking can, and you will. I’ve heard you do it a hundred times. You will get up there and do what you do best. You’ll sing.”
Her lip wobbles. “What if—”
“No, what-ifs,” I spit out. “I love you. I. Love. You, and I know you can do this.” I kiss her before she can allow her mind to go haywire again.
This is the only way to slow down both of our thoughts.
We both know that when we kiss, it can be in front of thousands of people, and it still feels as if we’re the only two in the room.
I kiss her deep and long, until the slightest whimper slips from her lips.
I’ll never get used to this feeling. I’ve never had it with anyone else…and it makes me harder than granite.
Down, boy.
Shifting my lips off hers, I take her face in my hands. “Hold on to that feeling. It’s only us. No one else exists. I’m the only one in the audience.”
Her eyes are hooded with lust, but she sobers at my words. “Okay.”
Grinning, I kiss her one more time. “Okay.”
Running back to my seat, I hear the gang ask me about what happened. Then the lights lower, and I tell them to please shut up and listen.
Stevie sits on a park bench under a fake moon and starry sky.
She stares upward and begins to sing with a featherlight voice.
Her eyes remain closed, and her voice is shaky at first, until something clicks.
I see it in that face I’ve been memorizing for months, and in the body I could identify with my eyes closed.
She stands and sings more confidently. Grabbing the fake street pole with one hand, she swings around and does her small, simple choreography, all the while her lips quirk up. My eyes follow her every move, smiling along with her.
Stevie skips around the stage, then reaches the center, singing the last lines of the song aggressively to a note that I’ve never heard her do before. My eyes widen at how she keeps it going and goes even higher.
Her gaze remains forward as she whispers the last lyrics, and the lights turn off.
There’s a beat of silence till chaos erupts from all around the audience.
My girl’s getting a standing O, not just from me and my friends, but everyone else in the room.
Although the rest of the audience is clapping loudly, they look at our group as if we’re insane.
Like I could give a shit. She was fucking amazing, like I knew she’d be.
“If you don’t marry that girl, I will,” Jake states with a smirk.
I smile, not saying a word.
When we sit back down, I take Jake by surprise when I punch him in the dick. He bends forward, keeping his groan silent. I chuckle slowly. He has no choice but to keep quiet; the next scene has already begun. Jake really shouldn’t underestimate me when it comes to Stevie, best friend or not.
“Never talk about marrying my future wife again.” I pat him on the back and go back to watching the lead walk center stage.
The show ends, and Em and Kamila wipe their tears at the melancholy ending of the story. I try to find Stevie in the crowd, holding the bouquet of lavender and straightening my button-down shirt.
After half an hour of talking with my friends about the highlights of the show, and Jake giving me a dirty look and telling me his balls are still sore, Stevie appears.
My heart stops for a second when I see her dress.
It’s probably the most seventies outfit I’ve seen her wear yet.
The dress has an intricate purple-and-pink pattern with bell sleeves, but what captures my attention is the deep V-neck and how revealing it is compared to her previous looks.
Her makeup from the show is still on, only now she has a thick headband on her head.
Men and even some women are looking at her, and the green monster in me makes a small appearance.
Stevie spots me and grins, running into my arms. I spin her around and she giggles, while I make sure that nobody can see up her dress. It’s pretty damn short.
I kiss her head. “You were… Words can’t even explain how you were. Just…” I lower her onto her feet and kiss her.
She separates her lips from mine. “Thank you,” she whispers.
“Bambi, it was all you—”
Her finger lifts to my mouth. “Once the image of us popped into my head, the rest of the world disappeared, and I had fun. I was onstage alone and I felt free. Completely and utterly free.”
“That’s all you, Stevie.” She smiles and dips her head to the bouquet. “Here.” I hand her the flowers, and the look on her face will be embedded in my head forever. She looks surprised, excited, and like she’s about to cry.
Stevie takes the bouquet, closes her eyes, and practically stuffs her face in it, inhaling deeply.
“Thank you.” Her eyes water again, and she sees the rest of the group staring at her from behind me. I roll my eyes and give them space to congratulate her.
When it’s Jake’s turn to hug her, he hands her some chocolates, and she opens them on the spot, stuffing one in her mouth and offering some to the others.
I nudge his shoulder to get his attention. “I meant what I said in there, dude. She’s my first and last. There’s no one else.” He turns his head toward me. “It will happen eventually.”
His lips curl up. “I know. Just needed to make sure.”
“Dickhead,” I mutter, and we both chuckle.