Page 28 of Something Cheeky

“Then we jump right into Cám’s number where she vows to repay T?m’s kindness. For protecting her from the evil stepmother.”

“Hmm. Maybe.” Th?o rubbed the shaven side of her head the way she did whenever she was deep in thought. “But the audience needs to see what T?m means about the emperor. After all, they’re supposed to have their happily ever after.”

“To prove that she’s not imagining the way he takes her for granted.”

“Maybe the emperor needs a name,” said Th?o.

“You know I’m terrible with names and titles.” Derek shook his head. “So many micro decisions. Should it be a Vietnamese name, and do we want to base it off a real emperor or—”

“Keep him as ‘Emperor.’ To keep with the fairy-tale vibe,” spokea feminine voice from the doorway. “And the story is focused on the sisters’ relationship with each other. Not him.”

Zoe!Derek spun around. How much had she heard? It was best to pretend that she’d been there for only a minute or two. He swallowed and smiled brightly.

How could she look even more beautiful than the last time he’d seen her? She was wearing what had to be one of her designs. At first glance, it looked like the Vietnamese traditional dress áo dài, but the light blue fabric from the waist down was sheer, giving it a cropped look. Instead of the typical flowy, wide-legged pants underneath, she wore white capris.

“Hey!” He ran over to Zoe and pulled her to the cluttered table, where he and Th?o had been working. “Th?o, this is Zoe, my best friend from undergrad. Zoe, meet my cowriter and composer.”

“The famous Zoe!” Th?o pulled Zoe in for a bear hug. She winked at Derek and mouthedWow.“You’re the one who helped Derek survive college.”

“Nice to meet you,” Zoe said as she shot him a surprised look. “Someonehas barely mentioned you.”

Th?o clicked her tongue with the same disappointing tone that his mother made when he forgot to take his shoes off at the door.

“If you’d responded to my texts, I would’ve mentioned Th?o,” Derek shot back.

“So this is the room where the magic happens.” Zoe ignored him as she ran her fingers over the side of Th?o’s keyboard.

“You play?” asked Th?o.

“If you count scales as playing.” Zoe chuckled. “My parents quickly realized that Eddie and I weren’t music prodigies.”

“I can teach you a few bars of something fun if you want. It makes for a good party trick.”

Zoe shook her head. “I’ll stick to my riveting topics of stretch lace and corset construction.”

“You’re in the right place for it,” said Th?o. “Speaking of places, what did you think about the video and script Derek sent over?”

Derek shot Th?o adon’t rush herlook, but she shrugged it off.

“That’s why she’s here, right? To give us an answer.”

“I meant to text you, but...” Zoe started.

“It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it right now. Want to grab lunch?” He looked at his phone. It was only eleven o’clock. “Or brunch?”

It was Th?o’s turn to give him awhat the fuck?look. If Zoe planned to reject him, he’d rather it be one-on-one and not in front of Th?o. She’d be empathetic, but she’d want to over-analyze everything as soon as Zoe walked out the door. He was very capable of overthinking every one of Zoe’s words and facial expressions on his own.

“No. I mean, I had a late breakfast with my friends this morning.” Zoe drummed her fingers on the top of the keyboard before arching them over the keys. Her hands shook, but soon the familiar warm-up notes filled the rehearsal room.

Maybe he’d put too much pressure on her yesterday. He should’ve asked her if she even wanted to return to theater. He hadn’t realized how the incident from senior year still affected her.

“Zoe, it’s okay if you don’t—can’t—do the costumes.” If he gave her an out, then her rejection wouldn’t sting so hard.Right. Keep lying to yourself.He’d be gutted, but he didn’t have time to wallow. The show had to go on no matter what.

“It’s not about can’t or won’t.” Zoe’s hands curled into tight fists at her sides.

Derek’s chest tightened as he braced himself.

“Ihaveto do this. I’ll regret it for the rest of my life if I don’t,” she whispered to the keyboard.

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