Limitless: The Second Edition

Hannah

I want to talk to Oliver as soon as I can, but I know rehearsal comes first. We're about to do our first attempt at Act 2. For now, I sing, dance, and act along with everyone else. But my mind never strays from Oliver, and in my opinion, it's a good thing my role requires me to be looking at him ninety percent of the time. My heart flutters in my chest, and for the first time in my life, I have to admit it - I'm in love with someone who's not a Broadway actor or character.

When I look at Oliver Carowski, I don't see the "class cripple" or anything else the bullies call him. I see a handsome face, eyes bluer than the bluest sky, a killer good voice, and a fighting heart made of gold. I see past the crutches and his disabled leg. Before I met him, I would have been flirting with Derek nonstop by now. Now, I'm content to just know Derek and become friends with him. But my heart is yearning for Oliver, and not even Derek can shake it.

We spend the next half hour stumbling through the first half of Act 2. While I read my lines off the script and work on blocking scenes with my cast mates, I try to focus. But it's hard to focus when, in less than an hour, I will confront the issue head on that I have been going out of my way to avoid for the past few weeks. Ever since I met him, I've been considering us just friends, and even though he makes my heart race faster than a race car, I've been able to talk to him. Even as my crush on him grew, it never prevented me from having a normal conversation with him. Until now, I've been able to talk to him easily.

So why am I suddenly working myself up over talking to him? This is different. I'm not just going to have an ordinary conversation with him. I'm going to confess my feelings to him. Is Courtney right when she says he likes me? I begin to think back to our dance that evening. If I close my eyes, I can still feel the sensation of his warm hands gripping onto my arms, feel him leaning on me as I help him take a few steps on his own. I can see him gazing deep into my eyes, right into my soul. I can see the smile on his beautiful face as he was liberated from his crutches, even if just for a few minutes. I can hear "I'm Not Broken" playing from my phone as it rests in my pocket. The memory feels real enough to reach out and touch.

"Are you okay, Hannah?" David asks, startling me out of my reverie. "You've been standing there staring into space for five minutes."

I turn around to face him and nod, a bit flustered and embarrassed. "I was just thinking about something."

"Let me guess. Oliver?"

While I was hoping that the entire cast didn't know about my crush on our star, I guess I'm out of luck.

I can feel my face burning red. "How did you know?"

David smiles shyly. "I've seen the way you look at him. I'm surprised you guys aren't dating yet. We all knew it was only a matter of time before one of you would realize it."

I put a hand to my face to hide my blushing cheeks. "Did you - did you see us dancing the other week?"

What a stupid question I just asked. Of course he's going to say yes. He definitely saw it. Probably everyone else did, too.

David nods. "Sadie saw it, I saw it, at least half the cast saw it. And you can say you two are just friends all you want, but friends don't look at each other like that."

I'm so flustered at this point I don't even know what to say anymore. "Th-that's exactly w-what Courtney keeps saying," I stammer.

David shrugs. "Can't say she's wrong," he replies. "Go talk to Oliver already. You're both so deep in denial it isn't funny. I'd laugh, but that would be rude. But watching you two deny your love for each other is exactly like watching a really bad rom-com. And trust me, I've seen some bad ones."

He walks away, and Sadie approaches me. "Everything okay, Hannah?" she asks, sounding concerned.

I give her a thumbs-up. "I'm fine. I've just got a lot on my mind."

Sadie suddenly hugs me. "I know what you're feeling. I overheard you talking to David. And I totally agree."

"How long have you guys been shipping us?"

Sadie takes a deep breath. "When I first saw you two together on the first day of rehearsal, I saw the way he comforted you when you were telling him about Courtney. That's the first thing. Then you two almost immediately started going to each other every day of rehearsal and just hanging out. He proceeded to track down your friend and bring her here. I remember you saying you had a crush on Derek at one point, but once he actually showed up, girl, I saw you acting the way some of these girls have been acting in front of Derek, but with Oliver."

"But I don't totally lose my mind in front of him."

Sadie chuckles. "It's pretty close. You become flustered whenever he touches you and your face goes redder than a tomato. And when you helped him dance right after Courtney showed up, that's when I knew. I knew you two were going to get together someday. That was a dead giveaway. I thought for sure you two were going to kiss that day."

I sigh. I guess I suck at hiding it. And I suppose that's okay. I don't want it to look like I'm ashamed to be in love with Oliver. I'm not. I'm proud of it. The boy is everything I've ever wanted and more.

Just then, Oliver sneaks up behind me. "You sure you're okay, Hannah? I've never seen you so spacey."

"I'm just in love, Oliver." I decide to just come right out and say it. It's now or never.

"With Derek?" Of course he'd say that. But it couldn't be further from the truth.

"No, Oliver. With you."