𝕄𝕪 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖, 𝕄𝕪 𝕃𝕚𝕗𝕖 - Theodore Laurence ✅

44

"I never knew they turned it into a play?" Laurie retorts back to reality. He was zoning out on her about the past and it only broke him when Cathy whispers between them to avoid more anger from the audience.

"Um, yeah. Just recently actually." Cathy moved her eyes from the stage for the first since they arrived to him, "Are you alright?" She has been noticing how nervous Laurie was acting, to shy from his confident self, "Should we do something else?" Laurie quickly shakes his head, giving her a reassuring smile, "I'm fine. Just give me a few seconds, I'm still in shock you came."

Cathy rolled her eyes at that but did as told, moving back her interest and full attention to the performance. As she did that, Laurie never much care about the play, he was more attentive to staring at the girl beside him and he knew his younger self would be in denial that he somewhat was able to be on good terms with her again.

He cares no more about what happened in the past, it was something he is going to learn from. Now more intended to set things right.

While his eyes move to her appearance, he notices the way she is dressed. It was different from all those times he had seen in Paris and around Wayne. Instead of those ridiculous hats covering half her face, she loses it and lets her hair down with a simple pin to hold the front of her hair away from her face. Instead of puffy dresses that enhance her waist and chest too much, she chooses to wear a casual outfit in a loose dress with a ribbon tied around her waist modestly.

Not wearing any bold red lip color or heavy makeup. She kept everything simple and natural, every unique feature of her face is clear to be seen instead of hiding to blend with others.

She looked more free and her age than before. The same style she had when she was young.

And then his eyes fell on something much more vital.

Looking at her hand, his brain already expected a huge diamond ring, the same ring that told him she was tied to someone else. The ring made him feel he sinned terribly for pursuing a woman that was beloved by another. But it wasn't there.

Her hand was bare and unrestricted from any glove or jewelry. He stares in awe and almost in denial as he watches her hand rose to clap along with the audience regarding the play. It hit him then, she said she was late due to a letter. Could it be?

He knew she was supposed to leave today, even now. But here she was, with him instead, laughing and chuckling now and then, dress carefree and safely as she drops the formal speech and no longer hiding her emotion or fear about others.

Laurie had to hold back his smirk, his ego was raising high at an extreme rate. But he pushes it all back, as a substitute, he leans over to Cathy's side, his shoulder on her armrest as he took note of the performance before them. It was the scene where the girl will leave Erik for good, "Are you still hopeful she would choose him?"

Catherine turn her head to him, almost having to stop herself from yelping as she notices how close and confident Laurie had gotten. Smiling, "I do even if I know the ending already." They both watch as the girl kissed Erik for once and for the last before leaving with Rauol.

Laurie turned to Cathy, his eyes filled with the warmth of genuine affection. Despite his growing desire to reveal his true feelings, he knew better than to rush such a delicate moment. Instead, he gently took her hand, offering her a reassuring squeeze. As the theatre lights dimmed and the performance continued, Laurie wondered if the amorous tragedy unfolding on stage might somehow mirror his journey, as he traversed the uncharted landscape of his love for Cathy.

His eyes filled with sincerity and determination, "If you were the one making the choice, would you stay with Erik?" he asked, a hint of vulnerability in his voice. Cathy noticed, and it made her heart soar. The parallel between the characters on stage and their own lives seemed uncanny. As Laurie empathized with Erik's struggle to prove his love amidst the challenges brought forth by a powerful rival, he couldn't help but acknowledge the striking similarity to his situation. All the while, the desire to free his emotions and share them with Cathy only grew stronger, urging him to come forward even as he found himself tangled in an emotional struggle.

Cathy's heart raced as she was reminded of their past when Laurie had been her first love, a love that ultimately left her heartbroken. As she felt the weight of growing remorse and shame for her choices and actions, she found herself contemplating their possible future together. With each shared glance, whispered word, and stolen touch, Cathy felt the old embers of their love reigniting, slowly molding her heart to the man in front of her once more. Gradually, she found herself surrendering to the idea that perhaps fate had delivered them a second chance, intertwined in this theatrical narrative to rediscover the love they had once believed was lost.

"I would," she whispered so softly that Laurie could barely hear her. "Time was all he need to prove himself worthy," that whole sentence gave Laurie a chance and prove that Cathy was slowly accepting him back into her life, forgiving and forgetting all the wrongs that had happened in the past.

Carefully, his hand reaches closer to hers, and with permission and approval from each other gaze, he intertwines their fingers together. Bringing it up to place a soft lingering kiss on the top of her knuckles.

Instead of the awkward and yet nervous atmosphere at the start of the play, Laurie and Cathy both felt a sense of comfort as the silence lingers about them, focusing back now on the play as it reaches the end. As the curtain falls, Laurie gently squeezed Cathy's hand, expressing his gratitude and affection without needing any words. He then leaned over and whispered a heartfelt "Thank you" into her ear, recognizing that this moment symbolized a new beginning for them.

They both stood up along with the audience as they all applaud and cheered for the actors and directors. All this, Laurie kept his eyes on Catherine, feeling happy and proud that she was there, smiling and beaming so brightly like when they were young.

Without a second to first, despite being the last to arrive at the theatre, Laurie reaches out for her hand, pulling them out to be the first to leave. Ignoring the adult's look of disapproval and disappointment, Laurie merely focus on Catherine's laughter behind him as she tried to follow his pace towards the exit.