Chapter Nine

Ryan

Marshall has finally loosened up, which isn’t a surprise because Sophia and I are absolutely nailing this so far.

“Excellent, Ryan”, he whispers into my ear as we rush to get into our wedding outfits, the final scene already upon us.

It’s always difficult to tell how an audience are reacting, but based on how animated Marshall is, I can only assume we are having the desired effect. Dad looks like he’s stumbled into someone’s weird dream, but theatre has never been something he’s ever understand anyway so I’m not all that surprised. Mom looks like she’s enjoying it, and the fact that they’re actually here in the first place, even if they don’t really get it, means a huge amount to me.

Sophia gives me a wide smile that reminds me just what’s coming up, and then before either of us have a chance to say any words of encouragement to each other, we’re already back up on stage.

This is the climax of months of work, and several weeks of anticipation. Finally I get to kiss Sophia, albeit in character, albeit in front of a hundred people, albeit under the pretext of something else. My hands shaking are for real, and even though I’ve just about been able to control them for the duration of the play, because I know what’s definitely going to happen now, I’m struggling to keep that up.

Sophia looks nervous too, which makes me feel slightly less anxious, and I have to hand it to Marshall that not practising our first kiss before now, is making this whole thing feel about as real as he could have hoped for. I have no idea how Sophia really feels about me, and no idea whether she can see through my character and read my mind, but to everyone else watching and suspending their disbelief, this must look like true love in it’s purest form because right now I’ve transcended this character and acting is about the furthest thing away from what this really is for me.

The celebrant smiles at us both. “William Carpenter do you take Elouise Moore to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish her for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do”, I say, without hesitation, my heart pounding so hard against my rib cage I half expect my buttonhole to leap across the stage.

Can I really do this for real? Getting married on stage for a play is one thing, getting married officially is a whole different thing entirely. I try and imagine it happening, Sophia and I saying our vows to each other, Mom and Dad watching, everyone thinking we’re doing it for real except for both of us. I guess it wouldn’t be any different to this, except it would last a hell of a lot longer if Sophia wanted to stay in the States permanently, and I wanted to receive my full inheritance, which might not be a bad thing at all.

“And you, Elouise Moore, do you take William Carpenter to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish him for as long as you both shall live?”

“Hell yes, I do”, Sophia says, practically licking her lips in anticipation, and I’m so caught up in the moment, I barely hear the ripple of laughter that tears through the audience.

“Mark, please come forward with the rings”, the celebrant says.

Mark steps forward with the rings laid on a cushion, and with a trembling hand I pick up Sophia’s.

“William, as you place this ring on Elouise’s finger, please repeat after me”, the celebrant says, and while I begin to place the ring on Sophia’s finger, the crazy way that art is reflecting life on so many different levels right now impossible for me to avoid thinking about, he continues according to the script we’ve practiced a handful of times. “You are my one and only.”

“You are my one and only”, I repeat.

“The love of my life”, he says.

“The love of my love”, I repeat.

“For now and forever.”

“For now and forever”, I say.

Sophia wipes a tear away from her eye and then shows the ring to the audience. I take a look at my mother who seems to be wiping a tear away from her own eye, and then my dad who seems to be looking at his phone. Sophia takes the other ring from the cushion.

“Elouise”, the celebrant says, “as you place this ring on William’s finger, please repeat after me.”

Sophia takes my hand in hers and begins to slide the ring onto my finger.

“You are my one and only”, the celebrant says.

“You are my one and only”, Sophia repeats.

“The love of my life”, he says.

“The love of my love”, she repeats.

“For now and forever”, he says.

“For now and forever”, Sophia repeats, another tear spilling out of her eye and railing down her cheek.

I take her hand in mine and squeeze it tightly. Sophia glances at me, and then bites her lip so seductively I almost jump the gun and kiss her immediately, a pang of animalistic desire twisting its way through my gut so strong it’s difficult to ignore. Everyone in the theatre knows what’s coming and nobody more than me.

“And now”, the celebrant says excitedly, “with the power vested in me by the state of New York, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife.”

There is a pause for dramatic tension, during which time you can practically hear my heart beating and every single one of the seats but the one my dad’s sitting in creaking while everyone leans a little closer to the action, before the celebrant finally continues to say the magic words I’ve been waiting weeks to hear, “You may kiss the bride.”

I’m about to pull Sophia gracefully towards me, when I hear her cut in. “Fuck that”, she says, going off script, before grabbing hold of my tie, and pulling my lips towards hers.

The audience’s clapping and cheering gets lost in a swirl of fuzzy excitement as Sophia presses her lips passionately against mine, slides her tongue teasingly into my mouth and bites my lower lip. She pulls away momentarily, perhaps just to see the effect she’s had on me, before she continues again, her tongue pressing tightly up against mine, while her plump lips dot mine with the kind of kisses that send shivers up and down my spine and make every part of me throb with desire. The whole thing lasts about a minute, and it leaves me absolutely speechless, which is fine, because thankfully I’m not required to say anything else before the curtain comes down around us.

“Too much?” Sophia says, her lips a little red at the edges where she’s pressed them too hard against mine.

“No”, I say, shaking my head, still a little dazed. “That was fine. Really fine.”

What the fuck was that? Marshall mouths at us from the wings, before the curtain comes up again to an audience on their feet in front of us, cheering and whooping.

The best kiss I’ve ever had, I feel like shouting back to him.

Sophia and I look at each other, step forward and take a bow, my lips still tingling and my heart refusing to slow down. The celebrant takes Sophia’s other hand and we bow again as a three, the audience whooping and cheering in front of us.

Again the curtain comes down around us, and this time all of the other cast members come on stage, ready for when it lifts again. Marshall is the last to join us, placing himself between Sophia and I, so he can lift our hands into the air excitedly.

“I think they liked it”, I hear Sophia say.

“That wasn’t what we discussed”, Marshall says between bows.

“It was better than what we discussed”, I say.

The curtain comes down for the last time and we can finally drop out of character. Despite the clear success, Marshall is fuming.

“Don’t you dare do that again”, he warns Sophia. “That’s not how it ends.”

Sophia shrugs. “Sorry, Marshall”, she says. “It just felt right. I guess I got lost in the moment. Sorry, Ryan.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me”, I say, still stunned at what’s just happened. “They loved it, Marshall, the play and the kiss. They’re still clapping.”

Sophia giggles. “I got carried away”, she says. “I thought I’d surprise you.”

“You did that alright”, I say, her taste still on the tip of my tongue.

“Just don’t do it again tomorrow night, got it?” Marshall says. “For fuck’s sake. William is meant to kiss Elouise, not the other way round. That was way too much.”

“I thought it was good”, I say, trying to appear objective. “It felt real.”

Sophia gives me a suggestive look. “Maybe we should practise more”, she says.

“You can practise all you like”, Marshall says, “just don’t go off script.”

“Come on, Marshall”, I say. “The crowd were going wild. They loved it.”

“That’s not the point—.” Marshall says, still sulking.

“Are you kidding?” I say. “It’s a success. Listen to them, they’re still going out there.”

Marshall waves his hands dismissively. “It’s opening night”, he says. “They’re always like that on opening night.”

“Don’t be so cynical”, I say, “go out there and find out for yourself.”

“I’m going to get changed”, Sophia says. “And then we need to celebrate.”

“Good idea”, I say, following her to the dressing room.

“Not too hard”, Marshall calls after us.

“Sorry about that”, she says again, “the way Marshall had written it didn’t feel like the kind of thing Elouise would do.”

I look at her suspiciously, unsure what to think. “No?” I ask.

Sophia shakes her head. “You were really good tonight”, she says, moving the subject on quickly.

“Thanks”, I say. “You too. You really nailed it.”

The way Sophia is looking at me makes me feel like we are about to kiss each other again but before either of us get the chance, one of the props guys barges through and breaks the moment. “Nice kiss”, he says as he passes. “Let me know if you need anyone to practise on.”

Sophia giggles. “You’re coming for a drink, right?” she says to me.

“Definitely”, I say, no intention to miss it. “I just need to find and thank my parents first, they came after all.”

“I hope we didn’t shock them”, Sophia says, slipping out of her wedding dress.

“I don’t think Dad was even watching”, I say, careful not to look like I’m looking at Sophia standing there in her underwear, which is exactly what I’m doing.

“At least he came”, she says. “That’s definitely a start.”

I take off my suit, fold it carefully and get back into my normal clothes, the lack of privacy in here pretty normal for this kind of job.

“That’s true”, I say. “But I expect it was only to prove his own point.”

Sophia pulls on her jeans and T-shirt. “You don’t have to worry about what he thinks”, she says. “I think you’re great.”

“You’re just saying that because we’ve just got married”, I say.

Sophia laughs. “Maybe”, she says. “Or maybe that kiss has just done weird things to my head. You didn’t warn me you knew what you were doing.”

“I do?” I ask.

Sophia nods, her cheeks going a little red. “Believe me, you definitely do. The French invented the kiss after all, I should know.”

Marshall appears in the doorway before I’ve got a chance to even think about what she means by that. “You’re parents are looking for you”, he tells me. “And don’t forget the rings. They cost an absolute fortune.”

I take off my fake wedding ring and hand it to him. “Seriously, Marshall”, I say, “you can chill out now, it’s a success. This is the part where you thank your actors.”

“Let’s wait and see what the press have to say tomorrow”, Marshall says, his hand out to take Sophia’s wedding ring from her. “But for the most part, good.”

I laugh.

“The end needs work, of course”, Marshall says, “and Sophia, you didn’t hit him hard enough over dinner. I want to see real rage in your eyes. I want people in the audience to wince.”

Sophia’s eyes go wide. “Really?” she says. “I can go harder, that’s not a problem.”

“Any harder I’ll have to cover up the bruises”, I say.

“We’ll talk about all of that tomorrow”, Marshall says. “Right now I’m going for a cigarette and a quadruple gin.”

“I’ve got to find my parents”, I say.

“Good luck with that”, Sophia says, “I’ll come and find you in when I’m done here.”

“Perfect.” I’m half way out of the door when I spin back round. “Hey, Sophia?”

Sophia looks up at me with her gorgeous big brown eyes. “Yeah?”

“That kiss was... amazing.”

Sophia can’t help but laugh. “I’m glad you liked it”, she says.

“I’m going to talk to Marshall tomorrow when he’s had some time to think about it”, I say. “That part, right at the end, the kiss, I think that every night we should do something different, something spontaneous.”

“Something that makes each show unique?” Sophia says.

“Exactly.”

“Or we should just do it our own way anyway and not tell Marshall”, Sophia says. “And get a kick out of seeing how he’ll react.”

“He might swap me for Brad if we did that”, I say, the thought of having to watch Sophia kiss him sending a shiver down my spine.

“Then I guess we better practise more”, Sophia says, her huge smile making it impossible to tell if she’s joking or not.

“Cookies and kissing practice?” I say, “How can I refuse that sofa now?”

Sophia laughs. “Go and find your parents”, she says. “And then we can go and get drunk and talk about when you’re going to move in.”

“Done”, I say.

“And, Ryan?”

“Shoot.”

“That was an amazing performance, by the way. Don’t listen to what Marshall or your dad say, you rocked.”

I practically float all the way to the front of house again, my whole body buzzing, my skin tingling and my stomach jumping somersaults. Move in with Sophia, ask her to marry me. That seems like a pretty normal trajectory to me.