Page 12 of A Certain Step
They completed the edge pieces and bits of the middle before Ethan left for the night, reminding her not to touch anything until he was back tomorrow.
4
ETHAN
Ethan appreciated many things about Willa, and he especially appreciated the way she moved her body. As a dance captain—or co-captain, rather, as she shared the title with Miles Dahl—she was transformative in her coaching.
“Let’s take it from the top with ‘Marry Me’. Naomi, your form is excellent, but Ethan, I need you to make the grip on her arm more believable. Darcy’s proposal has to come off too strong—too brash. The edge is there in your voice, but your movements are a bit on the graceful side today,” Willa called out.
Ethan nodded, positioning himself to face Naomi again.
He placed his hand underneath her chin, waiting for the orchestra to begin the charged opening notes of the number.Wait, stop—there’s something I need to say,he sang.
What is it you want from me?Naomi belted out, Elizabeth’s frustration pushing through.
They moved and meandered in their blocked space, voices blending together. Then Ethan gripped onto her forearm, using his physicality and facial cues to make it appear tighter.
“Yes! Perfect! Just like that,” Willa shouted through the melody.
It was a good thing that “Marry Me” fell right before intermission because the intensity of the number drained Ethan in a way nothing in his career ever had. From the use of the gruffest parts of his vocal cords to the movements in the choreography, his body could have given out if he hadn’t trained so vigorously for it. It was both depleting and rewarding to experience something like it as an artist. He knew as much, and he was grateful for it.
When they came to a stop and parted after the kiss, he briefly angled his head toward Willa’s gaze. A smile rose on her lips.
His eyes mapped out Willa’s curves, which were accentuated by her fitted taupe workout set. Ethan wanted to drag his hands along the hard planes of her abs. His lips and teeth, too.
He thought about what it would be like if she ever went on as Elizabeth, knowing how rare it would be because Lea Driver, Naomi’s sister, was the role’s standby. He imagined trailing his lips along Willa’s neck, up toward her mouth. He shouldn’t think any of these things about her, and yet…
The past few days since Willa’s return from England made him feel foolish: two whole nights spent doing a puzzle together, takeout meals, and one too many instances of catching himself staring. He was so raptly tuned into everything she did, so incontestably besotted that he didn’t know what to do with himself.
He couldn’t stop himself from wanting her, determinedly attempting to push aside those thoughts, knowing she wasn’t interested in him like that.
Despite his efforts to ignore Sam and Declan’s pestering, they were right. Ethan was a goner. He liked Willa far more than he ever thought possible. Being around her day and night fueled him, both on and off the stage.
She made him a better person and a better performer, too.
“Incredible, team,” stage manager Dina Rollins noted. “Take five.”
Ethan sauntered over to the edge of the stage and sat down. Willa jumped down and strolled to Sahar, Tanya, and Innila, who sat in the orchestra’s first row.
He wanted her to look at him again. He wanted to ask her to come over tonight, eat takeout Chinese food, and continuePeaky Blinders.
Declan crept beside him, resting his head on Ethan’s shoulder. “You’re in a daze, lover boy,” he said, low enough so no one else would hear.
Ethan shrugged him away. “Fuck off. No, I’m not.”
“Yeah, you are, boo,” Declan remarked, then snorted loudly. It made Willa look, a smile dancing across her face. She turned and walked back to them.
Thankfully, Declan would never say anything near her. He had too much respect for Willa—too much respect for both of them unless it came to hounding Ethan in private.
She stood in front of them. “You’re smashing the new bits of the choreography Josie implemented. I’m so damn proud of you.”
“I’m also proud of you,” Declan added.
His face heated a bit. “Thanks, Wills. You too, Dec.”
Declan smacked Ethan’s back flippantly and stood up. “I’m going to callmy wife,” he emphasized.
Ethan suppressed an eye roll, sure of the fact that the overt use of the words “my wife” was on purpose.
