Page 56 of Broken Romeo
Shakespeare’s words never sounded so sweet as they did coming from her lips. Not that I had a lot of experience in the subject, but she was mesmerizing.
We continued on like that, reading the lines and stealing glances at each other from over the pages of our scripts.
Interestingly enough, Kate kept her eyes fastened to her script as often as possible. The moment I would peer up at her and meet her gaze, her attention would jerk back to the book in her hands… even though we both knew she’d had every line of this play memorized for years.
As the scene continued, we’d somehow drifted closer to each other. Small, shuffling steps that I hadn’t realized I’d been taking until I smelled a bouquet of roses. What the hell was that intoxicating scent of hers? It was light and lovely, and she smelled like my mom’s garden.
Like roses and raspberries and… maybe a hint of chocolate.
I glanced up from my script to see Kate a few inches in front of me, her eyes peering at me from over her script as she recited her lines. “Oh, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon—”
“I don’t believe you, Ms. Harris,” Professor McCay called out.
I blinked, surprised, my focus broken from where I’d been transfixed onto Kate. That was unbelievable acting? I thought she was incredible.
“You’re giving us what you think the audience wants to see. You’re giving us a Juliet we’ve seen a million times. Yes, she’s an innocent, young girl. But she’s also a volcano, ready to erupt. We need to see your lava simmering beneath the surface.”
Kate’s throat went tight, cords roping from her jaw to her sternum. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes, trying again. “The inconstant moon, that changes in her circled orb, lest that thy love prove likewise variable.”
“What shall I swear by?” I whispered, certain that no one could even hear my line, it was so quiet. Kate truly was remarkable.
“Do not swear at all,” she said. “Or if thou wilt—”
“Come on, Kate!” Professor McCay shouted. “Give Mr. Dorsey something to work with. You expect him to want to grab you? Throw you down and make love to you? Whisk you away and marry you, when you’re standing there, stiffer than a statue?”
“—swear by thy gracious self—”
McCay’s voice was piercing. If anything was ruining the moment, making us feel stiff, it was the professor screaming at us amidst the scene. “Take her hand, Holden. Touch her while she talks.”
Kate’s eyes turned fearful as I reached out and threaded my fingers through hers.
Her words hiccupped. “W-which is the god of my idolatry.”
Energy zipped up my arm from where our palms connected, and with a little tug, her body brushed against mine, the script nearly falling from her free hand.
Sweat dotted across her forehead, glistening beneath the hot, yellow stage lights beating down on us.
“That’s it, Holden. Grab her waist. Touch her face. Her neck. Do what Romeo would do if he was unable to stop himself from touching a woman he desperately wanted. And Kate, keep reciting your lines. You want his touch, but you know you shouldn’t want it. Balance the desire to give in with the struggle to keep him at arm’s length.”
Fuck me. It was the section of the scene where Juliet did most of the talking, not me. All I had to do was touch her… want her.
No problem there.
“A-And I’ll believe thou… I mean, thee,” she stuttered, burying her nose further into the script.
My cock twitched, pressing painfully against the zipper of my jeans.
Dammit, Kate. You know these lines. Why are you hiding behind that script?
She gasped as I grabbed the book out of her hand and tossed it across the stage, saying my line, “If my heart’s dear love…”
She was supposed to cut me off with her next line, but she didn’t. Instead, she stood there, her jaw dropped, nostrils flaring.
Good. Get pissed. Anger is at least an emotion that might get McCay off our backs.
My cock brushed against Kate’s pelvis as I snaked an arm around her waist. Even though we were already standing directly in front of each other, I pulled her closer, flush against me.
I leaned in, my lips brushing her ear as I whispered, “I thought this was your dream role?”