Page 4 of A Certain Step
“Sounds amazing. Anything new and exciting here before I go eat and watch my shows?”
Declan looked at Ethan with a wink. “Oh, yeah, our boy is in love,” he noted.
Ethan let out an exasperated sigh.
Sam chortled.
Cocking an eyebrow, Carmen gave Ethan a knowing smile.
“Not you, too, Carmen,” Ethan nearly whined.
“Silently. I’ll think it in my head, but I won’t say a word,” Carmen remarked.
Declan grinned. “You two showed up at Naomi’s Halloween party dressed like Gonzo and Rizzo fromThe Muppet Christmas Carol.Carm was the first person to have noticed that there was something more going on there.”
Ethan shook his head. “It’s not my fault none of you get the reference, which isn’t romantic, by the way.”
“Eh, everything can be romantic nowadays. People ship my Wickham and your Darcy.”
Ethan held back a laugh.
“I’m going now. Stop hounding him. He’ll tell us when he’s ready to own up to his feelings,” Carmen declared.
Ethan released an exhale.Was he really this obvious? Did the entire cast know? Could everyone just tell that he was missing her like a limb was torn from his body and left 3,461.34 miles away in England?
This was not how he imagined the night would go. He hoped it’d be a welcome distraction from Willa, not a whole discussion dedicated to her. The air thickened around him, and the sounds of sirens wailing at a distance drew his attention away. He needed to change the subject because these two weren’t going to. They’d keep probing and pushing.
His eyes darted indoors, remembering the game ofSuper Smash Bros.from last Thursday that had nearly started a warbetween them. They’d promised each other a more fair rematch. “If you two are done getting on my nerves, we’re due a rematch from last week,” Ethan noted.
“Shit, that’s right,” Declan agreed, rising from his seat with Ethan and Sam following.
2
WILLA
Willa was used to darker makeup, a sharp and thick cat-eye, false lashes, smokey shadows, and blush in its most overt form to be seen by all members of the audience. The softer colors she got to explore for her brother’s wedding were a pleasant change. She blended oranges and burgundies with a sparkly peach that brought out the hazel in her eyes. And as much as she adored red lipstick, the subtle mauve felt nice after wearing “Midnight Dance” daily at work.
She placed a napkin between her lips to blot the excess. While she got to do her own makeup, she needed someone else to do her hair, which resulted in a sleek, straight ponytail, a hairstyle that always seemed easy but was impossible to get right for someone more used to fashionable wigs for every act.
“Willa, darling, are you almost done?” she heard her mother call out.
“Be down in a minute, Mum. I just need my shoes.”
Willa slid her feet into the nude pumps and stepped back for one last look in the long mirror. The caramel-colored A-line dress, decked out in glowing sequins, thankfully complemented both her body type and olive complexion.
She took her phone from the dresser and snapped a quick photo.
Willa opened the messages app on her phone and clicked on Sahar’s name in her pinned contacts.
WILLA
As promised, here’s the full look.
The three dots appeared immediately.
SAHAR
HOTTIE OF THE DECADE AWARD GOES TO…
