Audrey’s eyes met mine, and her face lit up.That’s my girl.

I grinned, waving at her, and she almost missed her cue to go on stage because she was so busy staring at me.

Ella chuckled next to me.

“What?” I asked, watching her sew a few extra stitches into one of the ensemble’s bodices.

“She doesn’t even see it,” my girl’s twin murmured. “But damn, I’ve never seen her like this. So smitten. You two are so cute, it almost makes me sick.”

“Thanks. I think?”

She patted my shoulder. “Go get her. Be her knight in shining armor.”

I wasn’t sure if she was talking about the musical—or about real life.

Audrey floppeddown onto my bed, wearing one of my lacrosse t-shirts.

“How are you feeling?” I asked her, pressing a kiss to Audrey’s forehead before going over to switch off the overhead light. “With opening day being tomorrow and all.”

I could count the nights on one hand that she’d spent in her own bed over the last week. Maybe it was just because we were trying to spend time together, even as the semester ramped up and we got busier and busier. Neither one of us wanted to be apart.

Still, we fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.

“Good, I think. It’s still a little surreal, you know? But I’m excited. And it sounds like they almost sold out the theater, which is always good.”

I hummed. “Of course they’ll be there for you, sunshine.” Because her people showed up for her.

Slipping under the sheets, I drew her close to me, burying my nose in her hair so I could inhale her sweet scent. There was probably something wrong with me that I got hard just from sniffing my girlfriend’s hair, but damn, I wanted her.

It was like an unspoken vow between us. We hadn’t talked about it. To be fair, there wasn’t time for anything else, considering how late rehearsals finished each night and I had to get up early every morning for practice. I was barely fitting in my gym session every day, let alone studying for my architecture degree.

Not for the first time, I questioned why I was getting such a difficult degree, but I loved what I was learning. I always thought it was fascinating, planning and designing buildings. One day, I’d get to oversee the construction of something I’d built, and that thought excited me more than I could properly describe.

It would be worth it, in the end. Plus, I liked the idea that I could work almost anywhere with my degree. It meant that if Audrey wanted me to follow her to New York as she chased her dreams of being on Broadway, I could. I’d already started researching firms in New York City, finding internships I could apply to, and starting the processes. After all, in just over a year, I’d have my degree and my certification.

And though I might have had family connections, since my dad knew people in just about every field thanks to his job in finance, I wanted to do it myself.

Audrey let out a little yawn. “Do you think your teammates are going to come watch you?”

“Probably.” They’d teased me a little about it at the beginning of the semester, but now, I think they thought it was cool. Plus, the single ones had realized how many girls there were in the theater department and had sniffed around. “They haven’t told me when, though.”

She cuddled up against my chest. “You know, you make a fantastic pillow.”

“Happy to be of service, baby.” I played with her hair, enjoying the act of just holding her. Fuck, I loved her. So damn much. It was practically bursting out of me, wanting to tell her.

Not yet. The musical was almost here, and I’d tell her after that.

“You know, I just remembered something,” Audrey whispered. “Millie said something about a photo of me?”

“Oh. Right.” I switched back on the light, untangling us so I could get out of bed. I hated leaving her arms, but I knew this was important.

Grabbing my wallet, I pulled out a piece of paper I’d kept in there for years.

I held it out for her, watching as she unfolded the photo that I looked at often in the years we were apart.

“This is—” She looked up at me, eyes wide with surprise.

“Us,” I answered. We were eleven and twelve in the photo, our final summer together before I moved away. She had pigtails and a cute pink gingham dress on, beaming at the camera next to me.