“Um, oh, right.” Candice peered at the script before speaking robotically. “Is it possible disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick? Courtesy itself—”
“Thank you,” Adri said, forefinger and thumb rubbing at her temples. Then she smiled beatifically. “Wonderful, Candice, we’ll be in touch.”
Candice skulked away, and Stevie collapsed onto the stage, limbs flailing out like a starfish.
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Adri said, but she was laughing.
“I thought that was the point,” Stevie said, staring up into the lights and wires.
Adri sighed. “I can’t help it if these people can’t act.”
“You didn’t even let the poor soul finish the line!” Stevie sat up and rubbed her face. “I need a break.”
“Okay, yeah,” Adri said, plopping down into one of the velvet seats. “It’s past lunchtime anyway. Maybe we could get something delivered.”
“No,” Stevie said, getting to her feet. “I’ll go pick something up. I need some air.”
Adri nodded. “Sushi?”
“Sushi,” Stevie said, coming down from stage right and grabbing her bag from the first row. “You want your usual?”
Adri’s eyes went soft, her smile small and a little sad. “You still remember it?”
Stevie didn’t answer at first. Of course she fucking remembered it. Spicy tuna. Philly roll, but with avocado added and fresh salmon instead of smoked. Steamed gyoza. Six months couldn’t erase six years, no matter how much Adri sometimes made Stevie feel like it could.
Stevie nodded, clearing her throat as she dug into her bag for her phone. “Okay, I’ll be back,” she said after she put the order in at their favorite place, then started heading up the aisle.
“Stevie,” Adri said, grabbing her hand as she passed.
Stevie froze, her breath locked in her chest. Before she could stop herself, her eyes went to a tiny tattoo at the base of Adri’s throat—a solid black heart, inked five years ago. Stevie had a matching one just like it, an ill-conceived romantic gesture on their one-year anniversary she couldn’t bring herself to get removed.
She didn’t want Adri back. She knew she didn’t. Toward the end, they were practically roommates—no kissing, no sex, just quiet nights and sleeping back-to-back.
But.
She missed being someone’s.
She loved belonging to one person. Always had, ever since she and her middle school friends sneaked their mothers’ romance novels, reading them under the covers at sleepovers and giggling over the sexy bits. But Stevie had always loved the final declarations even more. When one person—usually a man, because heteronormativity—would confess that he couldn’t live without the other person. He couldn’t even breathe. That single-minded devotion always sent her heart racing. That union that felt both impossible and inevitable.
Six months single, Stevie still wasn’t quite sure who she was on her own, which scared the shit out of her.
“Thank you,” Adri said softly, squeezing her hand. “For doing this with me. I know the Empress isn’t your first choice.”
Stevie didn’t know how to respond to that, so she said nothing. She simply squeezed Adri’s hand back and let her go.
CHAPTER NINE
THE EMPRESS WAS a tiny building between a laundromat and a cheap fortune-telling parlor. The brick facade sported a small marquee announcing the upcoming Much Ado production in rainbow ombre letters, though the o was crooked and fluttered a bit in the morning breeze. The glass ticket box, while a bit smudged and in need of cleaning, was encased in maple-colored wood and topped with vintage brass embellishments.
“It’s charming,” Iris said. She’d never been here before, but the more she thought about participating in an all-queer Shakespearean romp, the more she warmed to the idea.
“Isn’t it?” Simon said, grinning and opening the door for her.
Inside, the lobby was small and modern, but with vintage touches here and there that Iris loved. The floor was poured cement, the walls exposed brick, the crown molding a deep purple. Swaths of rainbow silks layered the walls here and there, along with framed black-and-white photographs of previous plays. The lighting was soft and honeyed, adding a homey feel to the entire space. Despite this ambience, there was evidence of shabbiness everywhere, worn carpets and fraying curtains.
“Hi there!” A Latinx person in a lacy black blouse and black jeans sat behind a table near the closed theater doors. She was tapping away on a silver laptop, eyes shifting to Simon and Iris every other word. “Here for auditions?”
“Uh,” Simon said, mouth practically hanging wide open as he stared at the woman.
Iris rolled her eyes. Queer as he may be, Simon was such a doofus sometimes when it came to talking to beautiful women. And there was no denying this woman was drop-dead gorgeous.
“Yes,” Iris said, looping her arm through Simon’s and giving him a yank. “Company.”
“Great, great,” the woman said, unearthing a clipboard from under a pile of books. “Our assistant director, Julian, is handling the company auditions in the back hall.” She looked up at them and handed over the clipboard. “If you could just—”
The woman blinked, her eyes locked on Iris.
Iris blinked back. Glanced at Simon.
“You’re her,” the woman said.
“I am?” Iris asked.
The woman’s smile grew so wide, Iris couldn’t help but smile back. Jesus, her teeth were pristine.
“Yes!” the woman said. “You’re Iris, right?”
“Um, wow, I . . .”
“I’m Vanessa.” She reached out to shake Iris’s hand. “I’m so excited to meet you. Does she know you’re coming?”
“What?” Simon asked. “Does who—”
“Oh my god, it’s a surprise,” Vanessa said. “You’re surprising her. That is so damn romantic.”
“Um,” Iris said again, brilliantly. “I’m sorry, who—”
“Hang on, hang on, let me get Adri,” Vanessa said, then flung open the theater doors, holding one open with her butt.
“Babe!” she called down the aisle. “You’ll never guess who’s here!”
“Who?” a deeper voice called back, sultry and husky even with that one syllable.
“Iris!”
A beat of silence. Iris tightened her arm around Simon’s, ready to make a run for it. He gave her a What the fuck look, which she readily returned.
Footsteps bounded up the aisle, and then a pretty woman appeared, deep green wavy hair cut to her chin and framing her heart-shaped face.
“Oh my god, it is you,” she said, frowning. “She didn’t tell us you were coming.”
“I don’t . . .” Iris shook her head. “What? We’re here to audition for the company. That’s it.”
“Wonderful,” Adri said, eyes flitting up and down Iris’s body in a way that made Iris feel the need to check and make sure nothing was on her face or clothes. “You act?”
“Baby,” Vanessa said before Iris could answer, grabbing onto Adri’s arm. “Beatrice. You haven’t found her yet, right?”
The two women looked at each other, Adri’s mouth open in a thoughtful circle.
“Wouldn’t that be perfect?” Vanessa asked.
“Oh, Van, I don’t know,” Adri said.
“Why not? We already know they have chemistry. And she’d be so happy,” Vanessa said, her voice taking on a more tender tone.
“She’d be surprised,” Adri said. “She doesn’t always love surprises.”
“She likes good surprises.”
“Well, who the hell likes bad surprises?”
“No one, I guess,” Vanessa said. “I’m just saying, I think she’d like this.”
“Excuse me,” Iris said, ready to get off this Willy Wonka roller coaster. “But what the hell is happening?”
Adri and Vanessa laughed.
“Sorry,” Vanessa said. “We were just wondering if you’d like to read for Beatrice.”
“Van,” Adri said, folding her arms.
“What does it hurt to try?” Vanessa said.
“Beatrice?” Simon said. “As in . . . the lead?”
“Whoa, what?” Iris asked. She was vaguely familiar with Much Ado About Nothing. She’d read it in high school, seen the movie with Emma Thompson, but she couldn’t really remember anyone’s names.
“We have our Benedick,” Adri said, eyes narrowing on Iris, “as I’m sure you know. We’re still looking to fill the co-lead.”
“You might be a great fit!” Vanessa said.