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“Are you okay, Cara?” Elise asks with a fearful expression.
I force a smile and try to tuck my mortification away somewhere safe. I can’t believe I lost it in front of them like this.
“Y- yes, I’m fine,” I say as I fight to catch my breath. “I didn’t mean to freak you guys out, sorry. Just really… got lost in the role, I guess.”
Zoey comes over to me, her eyes searching mine as she waves the kids off. “Why don’t you all take ten? I need to speak to Cara for a bit.”
“I’m fine,” I repeat once we’re alone.
“No, you’re not. Now tell me what the hell has you acting like a crazy person, scaring these kids half to death.” She digs her hands into the pockets of her cargo pants and waits.
I sigh heavily, feeling like a pathetic mess because my answer is Edward. I’m acting this way because of a boy, like some naive school girl with a crush on someone who doesn’t like her back in the same way.
“Edward’s upset about me leaving to New York for the Sanchez movie,” I mumble, unable to look her in the eye.
Zoey scoffs. “Edward? You’re seriously going to let some guy get you all twisted up like this? Over a dream you’ve had since you were a little girl? I know you’re not saying this to me right now, Cara.”
I deserve the harsh tone, the wake-up call. My best friend is the right person to do it, too. She knows me better than anyone. Knows how hard I’ve worked and how badly I want this dream to come true.
“He just has me so mixed up, Zo,” my shoulders sag in defeat. “I know it’s stupid, but that’s how I feel.”
“Which is what?” she asks.
“I don’t know! That’s the problem.” My frustration bubbles out of me again, causing me to raise my voice. Looks from the kids help me to quiet back down again immediately, though.
Zoey considers me for a moment, then takes my hand in hers. “I think you’re acting this way because you know exactly how you feel, Cara. It’s his feelings you’re unsure of.”
Hearing it from her makes something click inside me. Not just my head, but my whole body, like molecules falling into place. Because yes, I do know what I feel. My fear is that Edward doesn’t feel the same.
“That rude guy from last time is here,” Elise calls out.
Zoey and I turn at the same time, and see Edward walking into the auditorium, a bunch of red roses in his arm. My heart picks up and begins to race at the sight of the smile that breaks onto his face once he spots me on stage.
“Looks like you two are about to get to the bottom of that question mark,” Zoey says to me out of the corner of her mouth.
She moves across the stage to collect the kids and takes them all through to the music room for a practice session. Before disappearing into the wings, she gives me a reassuring nod and mouths ‘You’ve got this’.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Edward says, climbing onto the stage. “I’ll wait until you finish with your class. I’m in no rush.”
“It’s okay, Zoey has them for singing lessons now anyway.” I thank the stars that he wasn’t around for my little meltdown just now. That would’ve made the whole thing even more embarrassing.
Edward comes over to me and holds out the roses weighing him down. There must be at least two dozen.
“For you,” he says, smiling softly. “What’s your favorite flower, by the way? The florist asked and I didn’t know, so we just went with these.”
I stick my nose into the middle of the bouquet and take a deep, slow inhale. The sweet scent fills me up and I hold it, basking in the feeling of calm that settles over me. It’s not the flowers, I know, but they don’t hurt.
“Gardenias,” I reply, going over to place the flowers on the top of the piano. “My mom used to have loads of them in our front garden.”
Edward nods, making a mental note. “Good to know. Mine are sunflowers, by the way. In case, you know, you ever need that information.”
“Okay…” I say with a confused chuckle. “Why are we exchanging bytes of information like a live action dating profile?”
“I wanted to ask you something,” he locks his gaze with mine, his eyes reflecting the calm that’s just come over me.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen them without his signature storm. They’re so brilliantly gray I can’t look away.
“If it’s about New York, I’m not going to do it-”
