1. All characters are 18+
2. No characters represent real people
3. Enjoy the fiction
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CHAPTER 7
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The curtains opened at 7:02, after a short message to the audience to silence their electronic devices. Serena strutted on-stage, looking fabulous in her 1890's dress. I watched her the whole time from off-stage. She sang in the opening number, and I'm sure she was amazing the audience.
After she was done, I came on with my character's buddy. We joked about life and women, and sang a quick duet, before Serena's Eloise returned to meet my Kenneth for the first time. In the story, Eloise and Kenneth clash at first, bantering back and forth with witty verbal jabs, which evokes laughter from the audience. It takes the entire first act for Kenneth to realize Eloise is his match.
I sang my solo, 'Her Eyes', at the end of that act, and I knew Serena was watching from the side. I didn't have to look; I just knew she was there. When I finished, the curtains were closed quickly, and I heard my dad yell "BRAVO!" loudly from the front row.
I turned just in time for Serena to run up and catch me into a hug. "That was so great!" she told me. We held each other for just a minute before Chuck rushed us away to change for the next act.
The second act starts with Eloise arguing with her wealthy father. He wanted her to marry the son of his also-wealthy friend, but she was having none of it, and alluded to her meeting the middle-class Kenneth. The father forbade her to see more of Kenneth, which of course made her want to see him more. Watching the scene, I wondered what Serena's father Frank thought of me. I imagined it wasn't good, if he thought I was keeping her from fame and fortune in the city.
Finally, Kenneth and Eloise reunited, resolved their issues, sang a duet, and kissed. I didn't have to fake the love I felt for Serena, and I liked to think she felt the same. There came a scene later where Kenneth persuades Eloise's father for his blessing, which, after much argument, between the three characters, he finally and reluctantly gives. The wedding isn't shown in the play, but there's a final song that reprises the love song duet from earlier.
As the show ended, the audience burst into cheers. At the curtain call, Serena and I came from opposite sides of the stage, meeting in the middle to join hands, and the crowd rose to their feet to applaud us. Eric jumped up from his seat to give us matching flower bouquets.
All told, the show went perfectly. No one dropped a line, at least from what I could tell. Chuck was beaming. Backstage, he brought Serena and I both in for a big hug. "Brava and bravo, my stars!" he exclaimed, before letting us go back to the dressing rooms to change back to our street clothes.
After changing, we went to find my parents and Eric. To find them, we had to wade through a packed lobby of the theater's patrons. We spent almost ten minutes shaking hands with people, thanking them for coming, thanking them for supporting the theater, before we finally got over there. My mom hugged me close, then immediately grabbed Serena into a hug. Eric grinned at the whole scene.
As my dad pulled me in for a hug, I spotted something unusual over his shoulder. Betsy was leaving the building, but I could swear she was looking straight at me. And she was smiling. It gave me the willies. What was she up to?
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Serena and I held hands walking out to our cars. "So, what now?" I asked. "Do you have any post-opening night rituals?"
"Just one I can think of," she said, lust in her eyes. I got the idea of what she meant.
"My place or yours?"
"Mine," she told me, "and I'll cook you breakfast tomorrow."
I grinned. "It's a deal if you promise to let me help."
We raced back to her house. She pulled in just before I did, but I ran across the yard to beat her to the porch. "Any day now," I teased as she jogged up after me.
"Hardy har," she said, grabbing her keys to unlock the door. While she fiddled with her key in the doorknob, I started grabbing at her cute behind. "That's really distracting, you know?" she said, laughing while trying to stay serious.