Page 82 of Love Me Not
“If he isn’t here, how did he know there was an issue?”
Miles shrugged. “Someone named Leo called him. You’re all good now.” To Josie, he said, “I’m going to go sit down. You coming?”
She turned to me. “Do you need me to stay back here? I’m happy to help out.”
Unnecessary, but I appreciated the offer. “You can go. Are the others here yet?”
“Donna and Calvin are holding the seats so I know they’re out there.” She leaned around the side curtain to check the audience. “I see Megan and Ryan, but no Becca and Jacob yet.”
Being late was now their norm. None of us blinked an eye about it at this point.
“They’ll be here before show time, I’m sure.”
The girls never missed an opening night, but this was a first for all the guys. They likely would have preferred to be anywhere else, but I appreciated the sacrifice to show their support.
If only I had that kind of support from my supposed co-coordinator.
“How are we doing?” Trey said, charging in as if I’d conjured him into being. After a quick kiss on the side of my head, he surveyed the audience around the curtain. “Looks like a good-sized crowd.”
I was too stunned to reply.
“Backdrop is all good,” Miles said, as he and Trey exchanged a fist bump. “Just needed a little lube and a shave.”
Josie jabbed an elbow into his ribs. “Don’t say it that way.”
“What?” His attempts to play dumb fooled no one. “Anyway, we’re heading to our seats. Did you get it all taken care of?” Miles asked Trey.
“Finally, yeah,” he replied. “Thanks for the assist. I owe you one.”
“You don’t owe me a thing, buddy.”
As Josie and Miles walked off, I said, “What did you have to take care of?”
Meeting my eye for half a second, he flashed a suspicious smile. “Nothing important. How are you doing?”
Did he mean right that second or in life? Neither were great at the moment.
“Am I missing something?” I asked. “Why are you acting like everything is fine?”
Brows gathered, he did the head tilt thing. “What do you mean?”
Too stressed and exhausted for mind games, I said, “Didn’t we call this thing between us off?”
“I…” he started, hands on his hips. “Not that I’m aware of, no.”
“But—”
“Two minutes until show time,” Madison called. “I’m about to make the announcements.”
Before I could say anything else, Trey cupped my cheeks in his callused hands and kissed me right on the mouth. When he pulled back, all I could do was blink.
“We’re all good, I promise. You trust me, right?”
Trust him with what?
Madison’s voice echoed through the auditorium asking the audience to take their seats and silence their cell phones, while Trey hustled off to take his spot near the backdrop. In a haze, I watched him give instructions to three football players before they all disappeared out of sight.
Adrenaline took over as the cast settled into place and the curtain opened on what looked like a teenage house party. Emma, in the part of Darcy, reminded her friends that she didn’t want to be there, then she took a seat on the couch center stage before Aiden, in the part of Connor, plopped down next to her, leg outstretched in a cumbersome black knee brace.