Page 35 of Absolute Certainty
But then, how would he see Sahar’s glowing face almost every day? At what other place would he get the chance to hear her laugh?
Jay shrugged off his thoughts, looked at the time on the bottom of the register, and then went back to the breakroom to finish the week’s schedule. He rearranged some hours, glared at the chart for another fifteen minutes with his eyes freezing constantly, and then clocked out when their other manager, Nora, came in to take over.
Because he refused to go somewhere nice while smelling like coffee, he'd brought a change of clothes with him. He went into their small employees-only bathroom and switched into a pair of dark-wash blue jeans and a white, short-sleeved button-up, then reapplied cologne. He left the work clothes in his locker to take home with him tomorrow, beelining out the door before anyone could stop him.
Hell. He could still smell the coffee beans, but he hoped it was at least somewhat less potent than before.
With his shift ending at one thirty, he trekked the short distance to the theatre. Too many fucking people. Not enough space to walk. He blew out a grunt, trying to move away from a group of teenagers who were literally bouncing all over the already crowded sidewalk. Catching his opportune moment, Jay hovered closer to the brick wall and bolted in front of them, another audible grumble flinging out of him in sheer frustration.
With a few short strides, he veered to the relatively calmer street where the Hyacinth Theatre was located. Its architecture was already decadent, but withMidnights at Pemberley’smarquee maroons intermingling with the structure’s brownstones and shades of rust, the location came alive in a uniquely time-bending way. For a couple of hours, 2024 was 1813.
He observed the character posters along the brick walls, one of its principal stars, Ethan Everett, and another of Naomi Driver. Then, he spotted hers. Sahar’s was an exhilarating shot of her in some sort of dance move he didn’t know the name of—her one hand up, another behind her. She wore a bejeweled scarlet bodysuit and vibrant red lipstick, with her hair falling gorgeously along her back.
Adorned in red, but pure sunlight still. Her smile, even through a photograph, was overwhelming. He would have stood there all day, staring, but he continued walking forward, passing the poster of Sam Butler as Bingley next.
Jay sped to the end of the line where attendees stood, moving slowly ahead with them. He opened his phone to check in on his mom and Ellie, letting her know that he was putting his phone fully on silent, but he’d check during intermission in case they needed him.
He stepped through the metal detectors, scanned the ticket with his phone, and then went to his seat. He’d remembered the theatre’s interior from when Alex’s previous show was here, but with a completely different set design on the stage, it felt like he’d come to a different place. The stage was modeled to mirror the grand estate of Pemberley, embellished with gold railings. It looked like something that would have to open or slide up during the show’s duration.
The maroon wallpaper surrounding them featured a floral damask motif. He didn’t remember paying attention to them before or if they had changed forMidnights at Pemberley,but it matched the show’s theme pristinely.
Since photography was allowed for another ten minutes, he snapped a quick photo from his view and texted it to Sahar.
JAY
Someone told me this show’s good. Know anything about it?
He set his phone down on his lap, not expecting a reply from her until maybe intermission, if she even checked her phone then. Yet, he was surprised when his screen brightened. His heart did a little sprint at the sight of her name, signaling not one message, but two.
SAHAR
You’re here!
I hope you like it.
JAY
I’m sure I will. Break a leg, sunshine.
It was like every logical part of his brain went into some inexplicable trance around Sahar. He pressed send before he could second-guess the last word.
SAHAR
Thank you thank you! Also, are you that close or did you zoom in?
JAY
I’m close.
SAHAR
Nice!
At least he didn’t freak her out.
He placed his phone in his pocket and looked around. There was some sort of sultry instrumental tune playing that he’d just noticed must’ve been part of the show. The theatre was slowly filling up with more people, and a warning through the speakers announced that photographs were no longer allowed.
Three women sauntered over to the stage, and he recognized one of them as Willa. The other two he wasn’t sure if he’d seen at the coffee shop or not. He then spotted Sahar and Naomi, and shortly after, Sam, as Bingley, walked out and enthusiastically deemed Pemberley open to the public, kickstarting the first official number.
