Page 27 of A Certain Step
They quickly disappeared into the wings, handed over the glasses to the props crew, and moved back out just as swiftly.
The stylistically slow music started to rise in rhythm, the percussion of low drums ascending higher, and then she stopped center stage where all three women pretended to converse. A woman’s voice in the track subtly sang the wordenter, but no one other than the cast and crew had yet distinguished those lyrics as part of the remixed melody.
Willa then arched backward, twisted, and moved around the stage. The music came toa crescendo before its fall brought Naomi and Sahar onto the stage as Elizabeth and Jane. Slow claps from the audience came first at the sight of the women, then for the curtains opening to reveal the vast staircase, signaling their formal entrances into Pemberley.
The “Doors Open” number introduced the entire ensemble, with Bingley coming to greet the women.
And with that,their first official preview on Broadway had begun, resulting in the kind of exceptional performance only possible in a state of dreaming. It had been deliriously wondrous. Enthralling. Willa couldn’t believe she’d get to do this daily. Eight times a week.
The dressing rooms buzzed with chattering sounds and glasses clinking together as everyone came together to salute a successful new beginning backstage.
After they’d finished, they got word of an overly packed stage door taking up the entire block.
Her eyes darted toward Ethan. He stood in front of her, right next to Declan and Naomi. He cared about meeting fans and was so good about understanding their perspective, but more often than not, stage door meetings made him anxious.
He had told Willa that during his third Broadway musical, he learned about a group of fans who stalked him daily without attending the show, making the process even more frustrating. At the same time, they also discovered things about his personal life that felt deeply invasive.
Still, he never wanted to disappoint people, especially those who’d traveled to see him. If he didn’t show up, they’d call him stuck up.
Some days, it was a breeze for him to go out and meet people; other times, she knew it required laborious willpower. Willa clocked the changein Ethan’s posture easily—shoulders stiffened, fingers digging into his palm. Heaviness now replaced the effortless magic she’d watched come to life on stage.
“Wait for me?” Willa asked him.
He concurred with a nod and then went into his dressing room to change.
Willa removed the glittering emerald costume and switched into distressed denim jeans and a white T-shirt, completing the outfit with her camel-colored coat. She took off the lashes and tossed them in the rubbish bin, leaving the rest of her makeup to wash off at home.
She waited for Sahar to finish before walking with her to meet Ethan by his door. The three of them strolled out together, finding a few cast members already signing playbills. The crowd erupted like a volcanic explosion at the sight of Ethan.
An avalanche of pride poured out of Willa as she turned to look at him.
She understood it. She’d be in their shoes if she wasn’t an actress and merely watched him perform as a fan. Ethan Everett was magnetic in every way—and his voice,good lord, his voice should come with a warning.Side effects include the risk of heart palpitations and ovarian explosions.
The fact that she knew him beyond his talents made the praise far more worthy. They were right to root for him. He was one of the good ones, on and off the stage, the type of man Hollywood unquestionably needed more of in its horrendous ranks.
They started signing, kind words being thrown to them all, like long-stemmed red roses onto the stage.
“Oh my God, how does your body move like that? Also, can I please get a photo?” a fan asked her, gushing with a huge smile.
She couldn’t believe the kindness. She adored compliments about the way she danced. Who didn’t want to hear that they were good at the thing they loved doing the most?
“Aw, that’s so sweet! Thank you, and, of course,” Willa responded, signing the playbill and posing in front of the fan’s phone.
“Thank you,” she said again before walking to the next, making their way through the riotously long queue.
They made their way down to the end of the crowd, signing for almost everyone who showed up. When they rounded the corner of the block, Willa lunged herself onto Ethan’s back. His hands drew back to hold onto her. “I’m so freaking proud of you,” she screeched before jumping down. “Andyou two,” she added emphatically to Sahar and Christian.
Ethan exhaled a monstrous sigh of relief. “That might’ve been the smoothest preview of any show I’ve done. I’m so damn glad it went well.”
Willa was equally thrilled with his mood; the temporary tension in his shoulders had shifted, and the look in his eyes found their natural glow again.
He put so much weight on his shoulders that she knew he’d blame himself if anything were slightly off. If even a single person were out of line at the stage door, that would have messed with his headspace.
“Everyone was so good. Like, so freaking good. Holy shit. I don’t know how I’m going to sleep,” Sahar commented.
Willa agreed. “Same.”
“Not to burst anyone’s joyous adrenaline bubble, but in two months, we’re going to leave that stage and be sweating in the gross heat,” Christian dropped out of the blue.
