Page 107 of Something Cheeky

“If I push back too hard, Greg could take it all away. Or he’ll never have me back. Then how would I continue to tell our stories?”

“You’re smart and resourceful. You’ll find a way.” How many times would she need to say it, so he’d believe in himself as much as she did? Maybe it was too late.

“So you expect me to give Greg an ultimatum and possibly sabotage the entire production? To sabotage Katie Mai and Danny Kim, and all the other actors’ job security, because I think the art is more important?”

“Wouldn’t you rather put on a production you’re proud of instead of one you’ve whitewashed?”

“I’d rather have a production happen than not at all. If I push back, he’ll just find someone else to take over my job.”

“You know, in college you didn’t join our protests against Professor Richards because you could have lost your scholarship. But here’s your chance to really stand up for something important. To stand up for yourself and our—” Zoe blinked away tears.

“Not everything in life is cut and dry. Please try to understand,” Derek pleaded.

He took a step toward her but she shook her head and backed away. If he touched her right now, she didn’t know if she’d slap him or try to kiss some sense into him.

“I can’t be with someone who can’t stand up for our community. Who can’t stand up for me.” She slung her bag over her shoulder and took a deep breath. Even though she loved him, thiswas one thing she refused to compromise on. What did she have if she didn’t stick to her values?

“After the show opens, I don’t want to see you ever again,” she said flatly. Zoe walked out with her head held high but the tears fell anyway.

Chapter 46

Their final five days in the rehearsal room had been grueling. The actors worked their asses off learning the English lyrics that Derek had rewritten. Th?o had begrudgingly helped so he didn’t make a mess of them.

“Thank you, everyone,” said Derek as he officially ended rehearsal for the day. “Make sure to rest and drink some tea with honey to soothe your throats.”

His weary cast nodded as they gathered their things and headed out.

“Th?o!” Derek called out as she followed the cast out of the room. After a grueling five days, tech rehearsal started tomorrow.

She stopped but didn’t turn around until Katie Mai nudged her.

“Want to grab a drink and go over notes for tomorrow?” he asked with an embarrassing amount of hope.

“I’ll email you my notes tonight,” Th?o replied flatly, but there was still sadness in her eyes.

He nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets. Every day after rehearsal, he’d asked Th?o if she wanted to go over notes and received the same response.

Th?o and the rest of the cast had barely spoken to him outside of rehearsal. They still maintained an expected level of professionalism, which he should be grateful for. Except he didn’t want to spend another evening alone in his apartment remembering thedisappointment on Zoe’s face before she walked out after their argument.

He turned to Heather to seek her company.

“Sorry. I have to meet with the crew,” she apologized. “Things will get better, I’m sure.”

He shrugged. Th?o was as stubborn as all the other Viet women in his life. He didn’t expect her to come around anytime soon, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying.

Derek toed off his sneakers and dropped his backpack on the floor then slammed his apartment door shut. His keys clanged loudly as he tossed them onto the coffee table. He overshot and the keys slid onto the carpet with a jingle.

“Whatever,” he muttered. He’d pick them up tomorrow before he left for tech.

The space had felt like home only when Zoe stayed the night. Now it felt more like a hotel room: a place for him to shower and sleep before walking back to Prestige. He’d lost everything and everyone else, but at least he was still the show’s director.

Like the past four nights, he ripped open a frozen dinner and stabbed the plastic film before microwaving it. How the food tasted didn’t matter as long as it filled his belly so he could do the same thing again tomorrow. He reached into the fridge to grab a beer, pushing aside Zoe’s squeeze bottle of sweetened condensed milk.

All he needed to do was make it to opening night. Then he’d return to New York, where the distance would make it easier to forget about Zoe.

No, he wasn’t letting her ghost him as easily as she had after college. He neededThe Brocaded Slipperto succeed so she’d understand what he was sacrificing. He vowed to send her every ravereview. Not to gloat but to demonstrate that compromising didn’t dilute their people’s story.

His phone rang as he settled down on the couch with his dinner.

---