The Ivy League

The Ivy League Part 45

GUYS! Hi :) So look to the right, there's a GORGEOUS chapter picture of Courtney, what she looks like in the play. Thanks to LunaReader for making it, that girl is the biggest sweetheart in the world :) So yep. Enjoy!

          Part 45: The Play

          Everything except my heart was frozen. This was it; the moment I’d been dreaming about since it first happened.

          My gaze locked with Nate’s emerald green eyes, and the rest of the world melted away. It was just me and him. For some strange reason, I wanted to cry. I wanted to feel my face crumple, to let the silent tears roll down my cheeks. I wanted to snuggle into his chest, and feel his strong arms go around me like it was the most natural thing in the world.

          I wanted to hear his heart beat at a tempo as crazy as mine; but most of all, I wanted to forever remember the expression that his eyes held now – tender, pained, urgent, pleading... and loving.

          He was sorry. I knew it; I’d known that he was for just about forever. And I’d already forgiven him. Time to let him in on that news.

          The rush of noise around us ceased, trapping us in a little cocoon while I leaned closer, my eyes never leaving his. The tears dove deeper into me, and instead I felt a smile lift up the corners of my mouth.

          Nate didn’t smile; he was too upset for that. But I fully intended on changing that as I leaned even closer, waiting for that moment when I knew Nate couldn’t stand it anymore and his arm would reach up behind my neck, pulling my lips onto his as he lay before me.

          I got even closer. His green eyes were a raging inferno now of pent-up emotions; I could sense him torn between holding himself back and the desire to kiss me. My smile got slightly wider. I could feel his mint breath on my face...

          Just as we were inches apart, noses touching, about to kiss, someone decided they had a death wish and yelled, “CUT!”

          Briefly, I considered ignoring the command, but before I knew it, Nate was already sitting up, and I leaned back, turning around with a fearsome scowl at my current least-favourite person in the world – Ms. Williamson.

          As usual, she’d left this scene to the last second – and I quite literally mean last second. And since we’d taken too long to get to the kiss, we weren’t practicing this part at all. Like we needed practice; kissing Nate was like riding a bike: once you learned, you never forgot. No, I frowned. That was way off. Kissing Nate didn’t even require learning – it was like breathing air, there was absolutely no thinking. Seriously, coherent thoughts disappeared as soon as that boy got close enough to smell.

          I sighed, standing up and stretching. Williamson was yelling something about half an hour until it would start, something about a first guest sighting, something about getting into costume and make-up, something about... I didn’t even know.

          Feeling suddenly insignificant and lost, I looked around and realized people were madly dashing to and fro, waving wigs and props, and something that looked like a papier-mâché horse’s leg. Suddenly, my make-up artist materialized before me, grabbed me and started dragging me backstage, avoiding the crew.

          I caught sight of Jeremy, one of the stage workers, helping to change the background for the first scene. He caught sight of my slightly panicked gaze, and sent me a grin and a thumbs-up. I swallowed drily.