“And… perhaps you found some time to watch my tour videos.” There was something unbearably sweet about Darcy’s smile, about the awed tone of her voice.
It made Juliet’s cheeks blush, as she wanted to deny it was a big deal. But she couldn’t say it, even teasingly dismissive.
Because itwasa big deal.
Darcy seemed to be very pleased, but she didn’t even understand what a big deal it was. She and Robbie didn’t have any of their arrangement in writing – obviously, because what a terrible idea that would be for maintaining secrecy – but they did have an understood code of conduct.
As in, they were at these events as one another’s seriously significant other. They were supportive, they were active participants in conversations, they were never checked out and looking at their phones all night.
“Yes,” she agreed, her throat a little tight with the confession. “Perhaps I’vemadetime.”
Emerson walked by behind Darcy, ducking slightly to be seen on Darcy’s camera as she waved. “Hey, Juliet.”
“Hey back. You were great tonight,” Juliet let her know, and it was very true.
Emerson’s comfort level when performing, with an instrument in her hands, was like night and day compared to whenever Juliet saw her at an award show or an interview.
She beamed back at Juliet. “Thank you.”
“Get a room,” Blythe’s teasing voice cut in as she, too, came up from behind Darcy, gently bumping into Emerson, her face flashing into view.
She looked just as exhilarated, flushed and tired and excited, as Darcy did.
Darcy swatted at her sister as she passed by. “You know, maybe I will.”
“Good,” Blythe shot back, now off camera. “Seriously. You should. Other people are coming this way.”
Darcy’s eyebrows furrowed as she looked off behind her, and then they were on the move. From Juliet’s vantage point from Darcy’s phone, they seemed to go down a different, darker hallway, before entering into a room.
She heard the door shut, before Darcy lifted the phone again.
“Sorry.” Darcy rubbed her fingers firmly against her forehead, as she settled into a chair. Her voice was laced with self-recrimination, “I shouldn’t have called you before I got to my dressing room.”
Most alarmingly, Juliet found that she didn’t really care. Rolling her lips together, she managed not to say that – because… she needed to care about that, still – but she also couldn’t bring herself to agree with Darcy’s reproach. “I suppose you were justsoexcited to call me, you couldn’t contain yourself,” she baited, instead.
“I mean… basically, yeah,” Darcy freely admitted.
Like it was as simple and easy as that.
For Darcy, Juliet supposed, it was. She didn’t second-guess herself when making those statements about how she wanted Juliet, about being open about it. That wasn’t hard for her to fathom, knowing Darcy.
The wild part was how she madeJulietfeel like it –this part– was easy, too.
Not logistically, obviously. But… emotionally.
Maybe that was insane. Maybe Juliet was actuallycrazyfor even dabbling in having these thoughts. Thoughts that she and Darcy could have something not only passionate and hot, but real and true and good and warm.
But it was too late for her to go back and start questioning it. Look at her; she was sneaking off to the bathroom at the Montrose launch party to watch Darcy’s tour videos, to talk to her in the middle of the event.
“So, first night on tour is over. How does it feel?” She asked, quietly. Running her eyes as critically over Darcy’s face as she could through the camera.
Darcy bit her lip, before she released it in a smile that slowly transformed into mega-wattage. “It feels… surreal. One down, thirty-five to go.”
A quick knock on the door sounded, and Juliet cut the door a glare, as if it could answer for the crime of interrupting them. “Occupied,” she called out, curtly.
Then she leaned toward the door, straining to hear outside. It was definitely muffled, and there was music playing from down the hall at the main event, but she was pretty sure she heard the sound of heels tapping away toward the other bathrooms.
Still, she held her finger up indicating Darcy not to say anything for another few seconds. Just to ensure privacy.
