I turned involuntarily at the sound and saw that Trip was standing only a few paces away, looking right in my direction. Lisa was busy hugging Penelope, so she didn’t see him nod his head at me in greeting. With Lisa distracted, I was flying solo on that one, so I took the path of least resistance by politely smiling and giving a quick wave.
I turned my attentions back toward my little group and saw that Lisa and Pick were trying very hard not to look at one another as they excitedly discussed the play with Penelope, but I did notice that they were, in fact, holding hands. I was so stunned by that that I hadn’t noticed the tap on my shoulder was coming from Trip.
I turned, startled to see him there, smiling at me as if the past five months of our standoff hadn’t occurred at all. Before I could think of how I was going to handle that, he directed my attention to the older couple standing next to him, by way of making an introduction. “Mom, Dad, I want you to meet Layla. Layla, these are my parents.”
I wasn’t about to snub the guy on his big night while his parents were standing right there, so I held out my hand to them both. Plastering a smile on my face, I said, “Nice to meet you.”
Mr. Wilmington was a hulking, stern-looking man, but a smile cracked his fa?ade when I did that. He gave my hand a good shake as Mrs. Wilmington just prattled on about how proud she was of Trip. Something about the way she was lavishing on the compliments made me think she was the type of mother that would have been just as indulgent in her praise had he just taken out the garbage extraordinarily well. But it was actually kinda cute.
Mr. Wilmington finally cut in, saying, “Okay, Maddie. You’re going to embarrass the boy in front of his friend.” He was almost laughing, sliding an arm around her shoulders and trying to get her to make with the farewells. At last, she gave Trip a final hug and they said goodbye to the both of us.
There we were, alone in the middle of a roomful of people. I wasn’t quite sure why Trip had broken our silent treatment, but he looked so elated that I figured he’d have been busting with excitement toward anyone he encountered that night, even me.
I was glad to have been given the chance to tell him in person, “Trip, I gotta say... You were... so good!”
That made him grin even wider than he already was, and I could tell he was puffing up with pride even as he tried to downplay my compliment. “Thanks. But I think you’re being too kind. It was no big deal, I was just okay.”
I wasn’t going to gush all over him, but he deserved to know what a great job he’d done. He deserved to know how he’d mesmerized the audience. How he’d mesmerized me. “Trip, stop. You blew the roof off this place tonight. Everyone loved you.”
“Everyone?” he asked, without even missing a beat, looking at me like he expected me to answer him with unconditional adulation, answer him like the old Layla who idolized him and harbored a big, fat crush on him.
But New Layla wasn’t biting.
“Truly, Trip. You could just feel how much the audience enjoyed themselves whenever you were on stage. I swear.”
That seemed to please him immensely. He grinned ear to ear and immediately wrapped his arms around me for a hug. I’m sure he had only been trying to thank me for the nice words, but the gesture was startling enough on its own.
But then suddenly, the embrace turned into something much more.
Before I knew it, I was hugging him back, my heart leaping out of my chest, the electricity passing between us like lightning. Trip felt it, too, because the hug went on for much longer than necessary. I could feel his hands smoothing against my back almost imperceptively, his lips turning toward my neck ever so slightly, breathing me in, sending shockwaves through my veins. He pulled back slowly to look me in the eyes and I’m sure I must’ve looked as stunned as a deer in the headlights. His smile was gone, replaced with a seriousness I’d never seen on his face before, his heavy lids focused on my lips... and as he leaned in...
...Rymer jumped on his back, almost knocking my teeth out.
“Heeey, Brando! You believe this guy, huh? Warren, can you get a load of this guy or what?”
Rymer noogied Trip’s head quickly before releasing him from a full-nelson and giving him a high-five. It was as though he were going for gold in the Cliché Eighties Jock Triathlon. Coop and Sargento opted for a simple handshake instead, announcing that they were splitting for the Barrens.
“You gonna make it over there later?” Cooper asked, and I didn’t know if the question was being put to me or Trip.
Trip answered, “Nah. Probably not. I have to hit the wrap party tonight. Hey, you guys wanna come?”
Rymer looked at him like he’d grown a second head as he laughed out, “Party with the Theatre Fags? Thanks, but I think we’ll take a pass, dude.”
Coop and I just rolled our eyes at each other as I leaned in to kiss him goodbye.
Lisa popped over just then, letting me know that she and Pickford were ready to leave. She gave me the bug-eyes, silently willing me not to offer commentary while whispering, “Can you believe this?”