Page 74 of With You

It’s closed off to the public today, but I show a pass to the attendant standing by the door to one of its many entrances, and I’m allowed through. As soon as I open the door, I hear the orchestra playing the opening notes to a piece from L’Histoire de Manon, a tragic tale of a young girl torn between two worlds. They’re seated in the pit below the largest stage in Europe, each member of it playing expertly as the dancers move to their tune. There are dozens of people on stage, but there’s only one that commands my attention.

Amelie moves across the stage as if she was born to perform on it, as if the architects built it just for her all those years ago. There’s power and elegance in every step, her face perfectly poised, and such clear awe from everyone watching her. Even though they’re sharing the same stage, in this moment, it’s just hers.

I take a seat near the back of the auditorium, not wanting to cause a disturbance by moving closer. I can still see her perfectly from here, the stage lights illuminating her, making her glow like some ethereal angel sent here just to grace us with her presence. It’s an honour to be able to watch her like this, to know how hard she worked to get here, to see her live out her dreams.

The music reaches its climax, the dancers fluttering around the stage as Amelie takes centre position to finish off the performance, the lights dimming along with the final notes from the orchestra. There’s scattered applause from the few people that have been granted access to view the rehearsal, applause that will be multiplied immensely later on when the showcase actually begins.

I get up from my seat and make my way back into the hallway, showing my pass at various points so I can get behind the stage and to the dressing rooms. The dancers chat amongst themselves, a few greeting me as I walk past but I don’t have time to talk to them properly. I don’t have to think about where I’m going as I navigate through the backstage area, ignoring everyone and everything around me until I reach Amelie’s door.

It’s ajar just enough that I can see her sat in front of her mirror, patting her face and neck with a small towel. The queen chess piece I gave her sits right below it. I barely touch the door before her eyes catch mine in the reflection, the corners of her mouth curving upward.

I can’t help but smile back as I approach, my hands winding around her shoulders as I lean forward and rest my chin on her head. Her hands come up to meet mine, her head ducking down as she presses a kiss to them before tilting back to look at me. I drop a kiss to her forehead, her nose, her lips as she sighs contentedly.

She dips her head again to kiss my wrists before she pulls me down so I’m sitting next to her, and then she kisses me properly, her fingers running through my hair as she tugs it gently.

“Still want to rip my hair out?” I murmur against her lips, my teeth grazing them as I can’t hold back my smile.

“Always,” she whispers back, her nails brushing against my scalp. “So arrogant.”

“You love it,” I tell her, winding my arm around her as I slide her into my lap. “You love me.”

“And I hate you, too,” she breathes. “So much.”

“Of course you do,” I reassure her, our kisses turning more hurried as if it’s been years since we’ve seen each other rather than just a few days.

“I thought I wouldn’t see you until tonight,” she says, leaning back to look over me.

“Dad postponed today’s meeting, told the shareholders there was an emergency.”

“And what was it?”

I pull her closer to me, wrapping my arms around her tightly as I bury my face in her neck.

“I missed you.”

She plays with the hair at the nape of my neck before sliding her hands down to trace patterns on my back.

“Very serious emergency,” she says against the shell of my ear.

“Extremely. Almost killed me.”

Amelie lets out a soft laugh, fisting her hands into my shirt as if there’s any way for us to get even closer than we are now. She kisses my neck, complete bliss overwhelming me before she pulls away, her hands traveling up to cradle my face.

“Everyone has their tickets for tonight, right?” Amelie asks, her thumbs moving back and forth across my cheeks.

“Grayson’s got it all taken care of.” I cover her wrists with my hand, mimicking her actions as I run my fingers across them. “I don’t think he’d let anyone miss it even if they wanted to. He’s on the flight back here now.”

“I can’t believe he’s flying all the way here from California just for this.”

“That’s our Grayson,” I tell her.

“You say that like he’s your son,” she laughs.

“Feels like it sometimes with that boy.” I roll my eyes, but it’s all in jest.

Grayson spent most of his summer back home in America, but he’s more than happy to come back to watch Amelie perform tonight. I’m not sure why he couldn’t get an earlier flight, and he hasn’t really said much about what he was doing back home, but I’m sure he’ll update us when he gets here.

“Evie and Damien are already in Paris,” Amelie continues. “Zena and Layth should be getting in soon, too.”