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Mari 8:36 PM
Varo, go look in a mirror.
Marcos 8:37 PM
La reina del fútbol can go look in a mirror, too.
Leo let out a puff of laughter through his nose and shook his head.
“What’s so funny?” Piper’s voice asked.
Leo’s breath caught in his lungs. She was sitting on the edge of the stage while Emma and the pianist rehearsed one of Adelaide’s songs in the corner. He’d forgotten that Piper had shown up wearing his hoodie, no doubt as some sort of statement. But when everyone was getting sweaty during the brawl scene, despite the near-freezing temperature in the theatre, she’d taken it off. Now she was wearing it again, and the idea of her nipples standing at attention underneath made his mouth water.
“My family is blowing me up after the news,” Leo explained. “Elliot should be here shortly, and then we can discuss the set and—”
“Here!” Just then, the set designer himself jogged out onto the stage, pushing up his glasses while simultaneously swiping his dark hair out of his face. He paused for just a moment to give a timid wave of his hand at Emma before crossing the distance over to Leo.
“Thanks for joining us,” Leo said as Piper got to her feet. “Moreno had to run, so I figured I’d make the introduction.” He watched in real time as Elliot’s eyes drifted to Piper and widened before dropping to his feet. Leo cleared his throat and shoved down the strangely venomous feeling creeping up his chest. Elliot was probably one of the sweetest guys Leo had ever met. The guy was just as tall as Sam, but nerdy and meek in the way he carried himself. Between that and his soft-spoken voice, Elliot’s personality probably lined up with Piper’s perfectly.
“Hi.” Piper smiled and stuck out her hand. “I’m Piper. I hear that we’re going to be working together?”
“Uh—yeah.” Elliot bobbed his head and wiped what Leo was sure was an incredibly clammy hand on his pants before sticking it out to shake hers. “Elliot. Nice to meet you.”
Piper jumped right in. “So, I don’t know what you have already, but I brought a bunch of color swatches and some notes I researched last night.”
“Great!” Elliot’s voice was a little too cheerful. “I have some architectural blueprint drawings, but nothing that can’t be altered.”
“We could work on it at my place if you’re free?” Piper suggested. Leo’s stomach felt like a lead brick. My place. Once again, everyone got her warm and inviting persona but him.
“That sounds great. Let me grab my bag and—” Elliot’s sentiments were cut off by the sound of a piano in the corner and Emma fixing her stance on stage to open up her diaphragm. The sound that came out of her mouth was masterful. Emma’s voice was old-timey, like at any moment a nonexistent saxophone could start playing in the background as her cool and raspy tone lingered in the air.
“Holy shit.” Piper gasped at Leo’s side.
“Yep,” Leo agreed. “She’s our secret weapon.”
“Sam’s voice is a killer, too, but Emma?” Elliot trailed off wistfully.
“Why am I even here?” Piper asked. It was stated as a joke, but when Leo turned to look at her, he could tell she was dead serious.
“Because I chose you,” Leo said.
He couldn’t tell whether the surprised look she returned was because she didn’t expect to be chosen by him or because she wasn’t used to anyone choosing her at all.
Sixteen
LEO
“We’re doing the third kissing scene on Tuesday.”
They were standing between two bookshelves in the campus library when Leo decided to spring the information on Piper. It was just after one of their study sessions with Emma, and Piper seemed exhausted. She always brought a peppy energy to the stage, and seeing her a little worn out made him wonder if she was losing steam from all the demands he had been making of her lately. He thought telling her they were going to do the kissing scene might rile her up, but she just glanced over her shoulder with a bored expression and put one of the marketing books they had been looking at back on the shelf. Her blasé response to the scene he was most looking forward to torturing her with made him want to poke the bear until the claws came out.
Eleven rehearsals after Piper’s introduction, Leo felt like they were finally getting somewhere with the production. They’d blocked out several major scenes, and everyone was starting to lean into their roles more. So, after their last rehearsal, Leo had altered the schedule a bit to include the third kissing scene between Sarah and Sky, feeling comfortable enough with basics to dig into something a little more substantial. It was the most heated and romantic kiss in the whole musical, taking place after a duet about how neither of the characters had ever been in love before. In his opinion, it was the most pivotal moment of the play.
“Think you can pull it off?” Leo prodded.
“I don’t know.” Piper shrugged. “I did fine with the first one, and it was kinda fun to slap Sam across the face, even if it was fake.”
“This kiss is completely different. You have a very limited amount of time to make the audience believe that Sarah and Sky are falling in love right before their eyes.” Leo snapped his fingers for effect.
