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“Yea, noise?” I say, turning my attention toward my fellow actors making their way on stage. The break from looking at Cassio’s convincing impersonation of a dead body helps ground me in the scene. “Then I’ll be brief.” Turning back to Cassio, I snatch up the prop blade hanging from his belt. “O happy dagger, this is thy sheath: there rust, and let me die.”
It’s an intense relief to fall lifeless across Cassio’s chest as I pretend to die. My head lands above his heart by happy chance, and the sound is intoxicatingly beautiful after such a challenging scene.
I love acting, but this time, performingthis playwith Cassio as Romeo, has pushed me to the limits of my acting abilities.
Cassio’s hand that’s hidden from the audience, twitches slightly, his fingers brushing mine before subtly curling around them. Warmth floods my body at the tiny gesture, and I wonder if he needs that connection, that reassurance, just as much as I do.
We remain motionless as the scene finishes out, the Capulets and Montagues coming on stage to find their children dead over their feud.
And then the prince comes on to deliver the closing lines of the play, his words echoing through the theater with a final resounding warning, ending with the heavy words of, “never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”
The curtains fall, and the audience explodes in ear-splitting applause that shakes the rafters with its volume. Cassio and I rise, our eyes meeting with mirrored relief, and he pulls me to my feet as we make our way to center stage.
The curtain rises, and as a cast, we give our bows, highlighting each of the more prominent roles before Cassio and I take the final bow that makes the crowd go wild with renewed enthusiasm. And then it’s over, our last performance ofRomeo and Juliet.
“We did it,” I say, turning to Cassio and grinning broadly as the curtain falls.
Pulling me into a bear hug, he lifts me off my feet, spinning me in several circles before setting me lightly on my feet. “You were far too convincing at dying tonight,” he says as he walks with me, exiting stage left.
“Speak for yourself,” I say playfully. I don’t do it, but I want more than anything to lace my fingers with his.
Students surround us, congratulating us as they pull us into hugs or clap our backs encouragingly. Ellie beams as she gives me a tight squeeze. Family members of the cast start to make their way backstage. Then Ilya’s there with Whitney, congratulating me in his deep voice and offering Cassio a handshake that somehow surprises me.
It’s nice to see my brother coming around to the idea of Cassio and me dating–or not being upset about us being in close proximity, at the very least.
Then a silken voice, smooth and cold as ice, cuts through the celebratory moment. “You deliberately disobeyed me,” Lorenzo Marchetti states, stalking coldly up to Cassio, his eyes flat and deadly.
I freeze, still wrapped in Whitney’s embrace, Ilya tensing beside me. All eyes shift to Cassio and his father as Cassio stiffens visibly. The rest of Cassio’s family stand silently behind the don, expressions nervously uncomfortable.
“Something’s going on between you and the Popov girl. Don’t even try to lie to me.” Lorenzo steps within a foot of Cassio, and though they’re practically the same height, Lorenzo carries himself with a level of authority that makes him look intensely intimidating. “Is this some new game you’re playing? Using the girl to make me mad?” he demands.
Though his father seems to grow with his rage, expanding to fill the space, Cassio doesn’t falter or back down. Instead, he squares his shoulders as he faces his father head-on. “No,” he says flatly, his voice measured.
“Believe it or not,” he continues, “what I feel for Bianka has nothing to do with you or your orders to stay away from her. I can’t help it that I’ve fallen in love with her. She’s smart, talented, and beautiful. She captivates me, and it’s not her fault. We were cast in these roles, so it’s not like I could avoid speaking to her. She’s simply being who she is. You can’t punish her for that, and I can hardly believe you could blame me for loving her. That doesn’t mean anything is happening between us.”
My heart wrenches as I watch Cassio lie to his father’s face to protect me. He’s putting it all on the line, spilling his heart in front of his family, and in response, his father scoffs, his lip curling into a look of disgust.
“If you’re so pathetic as to throw yourself at a woman’s feet simply because she’s beautiful and a decent actress, then it’s my duty as your father to save you from yourself. I forbid you from seeing Bianka. That means in class or otherwise. You’re never to lay eyes on her again. You will change your major for this coming semester. To somethingIfind acceptable this time. If you don’t, then Miss Popov won’t be going to Rosehill for her final semester.”
Cassio’s fists clench and my stomach knots as his eyes drop to the floor, conceding to his father’s wishes now that my education is on the line again. I can see it all unraveling right before my eyes. This is the tipping point. Cassio won’t stand up to his father if it means hurting me.
But I know what it would mean for Lorenzo to choose which major Cassio graduates with. Cassio won’t be able to follow his ambitions to help people, which he only revealed to me after considerable prodding.
“Don Lorenzo,” I cut in, using my most authoritative tone as I step between him and Cassio, forcing them both to make room for me. “This isn’t some medieval world where our families get to dictate who we see or love. Try to kick me out of Rosehill if you want, but I assure you that won’t stop me from seeing Cassio. He’s the single most decent person I’ve ever met, and nothing you say or do will make me stay away from him.”
That shocks everyone into silence, no one daring to move as their eyes find Lorenzo Marchetti. Nobody talks back to him like I just did. I can tell by the way even Nicolo’s eyes widen with stunned disbelief.
I tense as I wait for the don’s response; sure this will be the last day I’m welcome on the Rosehill campus. Because if Lorenzo bans me from his territory, I know I can’t risk my brother’s life or his Bratva’s safety by disobeying. Instead, I will have to accept my fate and leave Chicago without graduating.
And now that the Veles has proven capable of kidnapping me to further their war with Ilya, I’m not so sure that New York is a viable option either. But I can’t bring myself to care right now, not when Cassio’s willing to give up everything for me. As I take my stand, I’m amazed to find how easy it is to do the same for him.What does it matter if I graduate from Rosehill as long as I’m with the man I love?
Then Lorenzo catches me completely by surprise as he smiles. “Perhaps you’re right. I can’t dictate your feelings, but if you mean that much to each other, I suppose I could be persuaded to allow this”–he gestures between Cassio and me, indicating our connection–“to continue.”
His eyes flick to Ilya thoughtfully. “It would strengthen our families’ alliance to be united by marriage….”
Ilya remains stoically silent, his eyes holding Lorenzo’s for a moment before turning to mine, indicating that this decision is up to me. It’s a weighty choice to make because, in the mafia world, marriage is a definitively permanent thing. Divorces simply aren’t allowed. I imagine if I decided things weren’t working between Cassio and me, my only way out of the marriage would be death–probably a violent one at the hands of Lorenzo’s men.
“So, tell me, Bianka Popov,” Lorenzo says casually, “are you that serious about my clown of a son? Would you agree to marry him?”
