Back to you || A Redcrackle Story

6--T-Minus

Song: Counting Stars by One Republic

Gray POV:

It was T-Minus eight hours till their date, and Graham still had no idea on where to take Carmen. What would the latina like? He chewed on his bottom lip, a bit nervous. He shot a glance at his watch. Seven hours and fifty-six minutes.

"Graham? You alright there, mate?" Logan said, breaking into his thoughts.

"What? Oh, uh, yeah. Fine."

Logan threw him a cocky grin. "I bet you're thinking of that Sheila from yesterday. What was her name, again? Scarlet?"

"Carmen." He corrected. "Carmen Sandiego."

"Scott and Pallman, quit screwing around. Intermission's on. Pallman, check in to Sound Booth C. Scott, You need to take over for Baston. She's calling in sick." The stage manager griped, chewing on a bagel while scanning over a clipboard.

They both shared a look before heading off to the lighting area, ready to relieve Rachel of her duty.

They entered the stage lighting room to find a female figure slumped over at the seat. Rachel Baston, aka one of the few women in the crew.

"We'll take it from here, Rach." Logan said a bit too enthusiastically when they entered the room. The woman turned around in her seat, her warm bronze waves swishing over her pale cheeks. Her dark eyes seemed to glimmer when she spotted Logan, and Gray tried not to laugh. It was clear the two liked each other, yet they hadn't done anything about it. Well, at least, not to his knowledge.

Rachel smiled, batting her eyelashes. "Try not to mess up too much, yeah?"

Logan snorted, helping her out of her chair. "Take your own advice, Baston, and then we'll talk." She rolled her eyes but left the room, patting Graham's shoulder as she did.

"If that wasn't flirting, I don't know what the hell I've been doing with Carmen this entire time."

"Shut up, Scott, or else I'll tell everybody how lovesick you looked last night." Logan shot back.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, I reckon I would."

Graham raised an eyebrow. "Fine. But this conversation isn't over."

"Actually I'm pretty sure it is."

"You---"

"Shut up. We need to test the lighting before the intermission is over."

"You mean I need to. You need to get moving to the soundbooth." Obviously, he'd come to see Rachel. Half yanking-half pulling Logan out of the seat, Gray clapped his hand before he left the room.

He sat down at the seat, taking a moment to peer at the mostly full seats of this theater. In a few minutes, the few empty spots would be filled again.

Gray adjusted the lighting, humming to the tune of "Un bel di," the most famous Aria from the opera they were playing today, Madama Butterfly. It was one of Gray's favorites, telling the tragic story of a Japanese girl in love with an American soldier who left her for an American woman.

He received a signal that the intermission was over before getting back to work. The curtains reopened slowly, the third and final act beginning. The main character, a Geisha known as Butterfly, stood waiting for her American husband (who she had married in act one but left to America. He came back to visit Japan for a visit near the end) to arrive. Only Butterfly's faith and love for her husband were not returned. He never came to see her, only to take their child away and raise it with his new American wife.