Evangeline
Still on a high from finishing my first live performance in over a year, I scrubbed the stage makeup from my face. I didn’t land a lead role, but I had one solo, which was more than I expected given my yearlong absence.
Laughter floated into the small dressing room I shared with a couple of other girls, along with the distinct pop of champagne bottles being opened. Friends and family members roamed the halls, congratulating loved ones.
There was so much to be thankful for tonight. My ankle didn’t hurt. I hadn’t missed a note. The performance went off without a hitch, and I couldn’t wait to read the reviews. Judging by the applause and the electricity humming backstage, everyone expected them to be favorable.
Underneath all the excitement, I couldn’t deny I felt a thread of sadness that hadn’t gone away in months. I’d moved out of Kon’s apartment as soon as my agent told me I got this role, and I hadn’t exchanged a single word with him since. My mom had stopped reaching out to me over a month ago. Carmela had texted a quick note to say good luck this morning, but other than the time we met for coffee so she could hand deliver my suitcase stuffed with my clothes and personal belongings, I hadn’t seen her. And Gian…well, I hadn’t heard a single word from him.
Although I had managed to rebuild a couple of friendships and make a few new ones, nothing filled the hole in my heart from the loss of Gian and my best friend. During my late night searches of Carmela’s social media, I never found out anything about him. Not a mention. Not a picture. The thought of never seeing or hearing about him again made me sick to my stomach.
I quickly brushed away the thought. I couldn’t jump down the what-if rabbit hole tonight, because it led to a shit ton of tears and swollen eyes.
Someone rapped on the already open door, and I spun around.
“Hey, Evie,” John, one of my co-workers, said. “Do you need a ride to the after party?”
“Yeah. Let me finish up a few things, and I’ll be out in a couple of minutes.”
“Take your time. We’re not leaving for a half hour or so.” He took two steps backward then said, “Oh, and there’s someone waiting for you at the end of the hall.”
“Who?”
He shrugged. “He didn’t say.”
“Huh.” I shoved my arms into my jacket. “Okay. Thanks.”
I hoped it wasn’t Kon or my dad. I wouldn’t put it past Kon to show up tonight and pretend nothing had happened. As for my dad, while I didn’t think he’d come here, he was a wildcard. I had no idea what he would want from me, if anything, going forward.
“Sure thing, sweetheart.”
I cringed at his use of that endearment. It reminded me of Gian, and I didn’t want to think about him tonight. I wanted to celebrate a successful opening and the resurrection of my career. I stepped out of the dressing room and saw him.
“Evangeline.” Gian’s smoky voice raced through me like a shot of morphine.
“Gian,” his name rolled off my lips with longing, regret, and more than a little hope. “What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t miss your opening night.” He handed me a bouquet of stargazer lilies. “These are for you.”
“Thank you. They’re beautiful.” I brought them to my nose, inhaling their sweetly fragrant scent. “I hope you didn’t fall asleep.”
“No. I barely blinked.” He chuckled, and then his eyes softened, and they looked like warm honey. He brushed his fingertips along the tip of my nose, and I swayed toward him. It’d been too long since he’d touched me. “You had pollen on your face.”
“Oh.” I smiled through hollow ache in my chest. “Thanks.”
We lapsed into silence, and I twirled the bouquet in my hand.
“You were beautiful out there. I couldn’t take my eyes off you, and I’m pretty sure nobody else could either.”
My heart squeezed. “Thanks. Does that mean I changed your mind about musicals?”
His mouth twisted into a lopsided grin. “Only if you’re on the stage.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I better get going. Carmela said the cast is having a big party tonight to celebrate the opening.”
“Yeah.”
“Take care, sweetheart, and don’t be a stranger. Carmela misses you. So does my mom. I think they’re planning to catch one of your shows next week.”
The minute he turned his back to me, my eyes blurred with tears.
Oh, shit. Why now? Why when I finally had my life together.
“Wait, Gian.”
He halted mid-step, glancing at me over his shoulder. “Yeah?”
“I wanted to let you know you’re worth it. You’re worth everything. I didn’t mean what I said that night at Carmine’s, and I um…” I licked my lips, waiting, hesitating, not knowing if I should continue. Was I too late? He didn’t say he missed me. He said his mom and sister missed me.
His face was blank.
“I still love you.”
“You do?” His hands in his pockets, he turned to face me.
“I do.” He didn’t respond right away, so I kept rambling. “I didn’t mean what I said that night. It was stupid and hurtful. I mean, I don’t like what you do, that much is true. But I still want you in my life. I know there’s chance you’ve moved on, and you’re done with me…maybe we could still be friends?”
He sighed, and his body sagged, drawing attention to the shadows under his eyes. “Is that what you want? To be friends and nothing else?”
I dropped my arms, and the flowers brushed the side of my pants. “I’ll take whatever you’re offering. It’s up to you. I screwed up and didn’t fight for us when it counted.” I pushed my hair away from my face. “For what it’s worth, I really thought I was doing the right thing.”
He grabbed my hand and knitted our fingers together. “And what was that?”
“I was ashamed of my family, and I felt guilty for putting you in a position where you had to choose between your family and me. I refused to let you sacrifice anything for me.”
He raised his eyebrows. “So you made the choice for me?”
I dropped my gaze to the floor. “I guess so.”
“Well, you chose wrong.”
“I-I did?”
“I love you, Evie. I would’ve found a way to make things work. Your dad’s demands were just that: demands. There’s always room for negotiation. You walked away without giving us a chance to fix things.”
“What now?”
“You tell me. The ball is in your court.”
I tilted my head to the side. “It is?”
“What are you going to do, sweetheart? Are you going to fight for us, or are you going to run away again?”
I didn’t have to think about it. I knew exactly what I wanted. “I want to be with you. I want to fight for us. I want a second chance, one that starts with truths instead of lies. Life instead of death. Love instead of fear.”
A huge grin spread across his face. “Thank God,” he murmured. Then, his lips crashed against mine.
“Just so you know,” he whispered next to my ear, a few minutes later. “I won’t let you go again.”
“I don’t want you to.”
I didn’t, because Gian was my present, my future. My everything.
It was strange how fate worked. When I had left his club that night with him as my fake fiancé, I was sure I’d lost everything. Little did I know, fate had handed me the key to a new life. A better life. Sure, it might not be perfect, but it was perfect for me.