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With her ripped dark jeans, she looked like an edgier version of herself. Adeline to her Addy.
“Isoknew it!” she declared again, a triumphant grin crossing her delicate features. “Well, sort of. I thought I recognized you that day at the gas station, but youconvinced me it wasn’t you.”
Addy was talking about the time she saw me asme, Destelle, no wig and no makeup. Margot and I had stopped for gas, and when I walked out of the store, I came face-to-face with Addy. It was the first time the lives of Stella and Destelle had ever come close to crossing.
If only I knew that in just a few months, things would be so different.
Addy reached out and nudged me in the shoulder. “You could’ve said something. I wouldn’t have shared your secret.”
“I should’ve come out and said, ‘I have an alter ego and it’s totally normal’?” I asked teasingly, happy that she was so accepting of me. That’d always been a big fear of mine—whether someone would understand or would judge.
“Uh, yes! You would’ve saved me from questioning my sanity.” Addy turned to Margot. “And you gave me the watercolor Gilfman tie. Thank you so much again, by the way—it’s one of my favorites.”
Margot flashed a rare smile, probably remembering how she parted ways with that necktie. “I’m happy you liked it.”
“I’ll tell you all about it some other time, okay?” I told Addy, reaching up and touching my curls. “It’s a long story.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” she promised, and then glanced back toward the stage, waiting for our group to come on. “I’m freaking out for them. I mean, I know they’re going to be great, but I just can’t wait. Vincent was so excited this afternoon. This is a big moment. You would know—you’ve been attending their gigs longer than I have.”
“It’s been a long time coming.” I reached out and gave her fingers a squeeze, noticing her fidgeting. “How did it happen? How did they get a gig here?”
“Oh!” Addy smacked a hand to her forehead. “Thiswas Vincent’s extravaganza gift I gave him! I talked the owner here—who thinks he’s tougher than he is, honestly—into booking them a spot. Vincent held off on telling Harry until the last minute so Harry couldn’t stress too much about it.”
I thought about the times Harry said he was afraid of branching out. “You are seriously the best girlfriend ever,” I told her happily. “Hey, have you seen Jonathan?”
“He’s closer to the stage with that guy Harry knew. Terry, I think.”
Ooh, so they were hanging out tonight together. Knowing what I did about Terry, I felt conflicted. On one hand, I definitely wanted to root for him and Jonathan, but on the other, the idea of Jonathan being with someone with such a sketchy past was…well, sketchy.
“Mr. Castello is backstage,” Addy went on, standing on her tiptoes to see the stage. “He was so excited, wanted to be up close and personal.”
“I’m excited to finally hear them play,” Margot said, folding her arms across her chest. “From how Destelle talks about them, they’d better be epic.”
Again, I was struck with my two worlds colliding. Addy called me Stella, Margot called me Destelle. Granted, I didn’t have the wig on, so it made sense. But still, it made me pause. Though Harry sometimes used my real name, he mostly called me Stella.
This was the first time that the names truly felt interchangeable. Like I truly felt like StellaandDestelle, wig or no wig.
Like we were one person.
When Harry and I argued outside of the country club, I’d claimed that Destelle and Stella were one person, that it was justme, but it was another thing to finallyfeelthat way.
“Does this place have any places to get a drink or something?” Margot asked, glancing around. “I’m dying of thirst.”
“There’s a bar in the back. I’ll show you.” I tucked a curl behind my ear as the stage caught my eye. “We’ll catch you in a bit, okay, Addy? I definitely want to dance.”
Addy grinned. “Sounds great.”
Before I turned my back on the stage, I could see the stagehands back away from the spotlight, finishing setting up for the band. Untapped Potential would be on any second. Anticipation shot through me, humming under my skin.
“Addy seems really nice,” Margot said as we walked away. “She’s got great taste in fashion, that’s for sure.”
Nellie would’ve agreed. “She does.”
As we started pushing through the crowd, it erupted with noise and excitement, and the strobe lights overhead flashed. For a moment, I was thrown back to the memory of Harry and me on this very dance floor. Practically strangers. Even back then, we’d been so in sync. And now, standing here for his band, it felt like everything came full circle.
I stopped in the middle of the floor, pivoting to face the stage. Several bodies tried to eclipse my view, but I could still see him.
“How is everyone doing tonight?” Harry called into the microphone, and every inch of my body shivered, goosebumps rising on my skin.This is the moment he’s been waiting for.I swallowed hard past the pressure in my throat. “We’re Untapped Potential.”
