Page 24 of Forbidden Romeo
His eyes dart to mine, the corners soft and pensive as I suck in a breath. This is it. He’s going to tell me.
Then, the vulnerability vanishes and a curtain drapes across his expression once more. “Not really. I met with my lawyer about buying your family’s pub, though.” His smile lifts, but doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Not in the same way I saw when he was with Jamie.
“Oh.”
“I think it’s going to work out really well… for all of us.”
I force my face to rearrange into a smile and nod. “I hope so.”
He tilts his head. “Everything okay?”
I clear my throat and nod, looking down at my feet. I’ve never been as good at lying as him. It comes naturally for Holden. A product of being a politician’s son, I suppose. “Yeah. Just… nervous about the show.” Then, in a moment of bravery, I add, “Any luck finding Megan?”
Holden searches my face for a long beat, his eyes scanning mine.
But before he can answer, McCay stalks over. “Enough chit chat! This show will open this week, come hell or high water!”
“Guess we should…” Holden’s words fade and he gestures at the stage around us.
“Yeah. Dinner tonight? After rehearsal?”
Holden nods but before he can say anymore, McCay shouts, “For the love of God, you two, places for act two!”
Reluctantly, I move away from Holden and sit down on the couch where I’m supposed to be when the curtain goes up.
The first moments of the second act are just me, center stage, singing about my betrayal. While normally I’m determined in the song to continue with my lies, this time, it’s different. I can’t seem to help the tingling from my sinuses. Or the tears filling against the bottom of my lashes.
Normally, my blocking for this scene is to circle the apartment, but today, I don’t move. I stay seated on the fake couch. Singing my fake song.
But for once, with real feelings.
On my final note of my song, Holden bursts into the apartment in character. He staggers for a moment when our eyes connect and for the briefest second, it’s not his character standing there before me, seeing me near tears… It's Holden.
With a subtle shake of his head, Zach is back on stage with me. No, not me. Skyler.
Holden takes a step towards me, his eyes flashing with anger. "You lied," he spits out, more pain than anger in his words. "I know about what you’re doing at night. Don't try to deny it."
I stand from the couch. "It's not what you think–"
"Save it," he whispers. "I saw the texts. I know you've been sneaking around behind my back for weeks." His hands clench into fists.
Even with all the lights on us, I can feel McCay’s eyes watching from the front row.
"Zach, please..." My voice cracks. "Let me explain."
But he's past listening. With two long strides he closes the distance between us, grasping my shoulders roughly. I wince as his fingers dig in harder than Holden ever has before.
"Explain how you betrayed me? Made a fool out of me?" His breath is hot on my face. "I loved you, damn it. And you threw it all away."
Tears blur my vision. This isn't just acting anymore. The pain in his voice is real.
"I'm sorry," I choke out. "I never meant to hurt you. It was a mistake, the biggest mistake of my life."
He searches my face, and for a moment I see a flicker of doubt in his eyes. But then his expression hardens again.
His eyes blaze as he stares me down. "Never meant to hurt me?" Holden scoffs. "Well you did. You lied right to my face, pretended like everything was fine between us when it wasn't." He steps closer, looming over me. I shrink back instinctively. "I trusted you," he hisses. "I let you into my life, into my heart. And this is what I get in return?" His lip curls in disgust.
My mouth opens but no words come out even though I know it’s my line. These words, this moment on the stage feels too real.