Page 81 of A Certain Step
“But real talk, I didn’t think anything of it at first, and I’m kicking myself a bit because it means my telepathy with Wills is floundering. We gotta get our game back. The thing is, we’re all super close, so your vibe felt normal to me. But the night of my birthday, Clyde turns to me when we get to his place and goes, ‘You forget to mention the thing between Willa and Ethan.’”
He started cackling. “And I’m thinking I’m drunk as shit ‘cause what is he talking about? I’d given him the rundown of who was coming, your partners, etcetera, and he goes, ‘Babe, are you serious? Something is going on between those two,’ so I started paying attention, andwhat do you fucking know!Even my boyfriend, who’d known us all for a few weeks at that point, could read you two like an open book.”
Laughter erupted in the comfortably crowded space again. In truth, Ethan relished knowing that his love for her was on full display, and he didn’t have to hide it. Knowing that their friends were all legitimately happy for them, thrilled even, and had been waiting for this moment because of what they’d noticed and decoded.
Sam put Ethan in another headlock and then quickly released him. “Why the secrecy though? Parade this news around. You two are hot as hell together.”
Ethan noticed fear engulfing Willa. She shook her head forcefully. “We wanted to tell you lot because we trust everyone here, but I don’t want this to be public knowledge right now. There’s a lot we need to figure out, and I want to be able to do that without any outside noise.”
He felt Sam nod in understanding. “Makes total sense. We got you two, then. It won’t leave this theatre,” he affirmed.
Willa got up off the couch. “Okay, the party’s over now. We love you all. We need to go get ready.”
They all left his room, one by one, leaving him and his girl, her cheeks tinted and eyes sparkling. Shewrapped her arms around his neck and rocked against his frame.
“That went well. I’m glad we no longer have to hide our relationship from them.”
He kissed her nose, the tiny mole under her cheekbone, the curve of her jaw, then pressed his mouth to hers, brushing her lips quickly and reverently with his. “So am I.”
She drew her lips to his neck and lingered for a beat before hopping out of his arms. “Okay, bye, getting ready applies to me, too. See you out there.”
26
ETHAN
Bittersweet.
That’s how the day had been.
Earlier this morning, Tony Award nominations were released, and the entire cast had gathered at the crack of dawn to hear the announcements together. Ethan, Naomi, Sahar, Sam, and Declan were nominated for their respective roles, and if Ethan had any power, he’d give the award to each of them, excluding himself because he was in the running with Broadway legends. Really, he was immensely grateful to be acknowledged, but it was the team beside him he believed in far more.
The best part was that apart from the cast, the show had tremendous chances for accolades, especially Josie’s choreography and Marla’s costumes. He’d also be shocked if Peter Bradford didn’t win for scenic design, as well as Jeffrey for his directing.
Yet, he’d spent moments during the day moving through waves of grief.
Now, the rain was pounding ferociously against his window, and all he wanted to do was spend a few hours with Willa. Settled in his bed withhisgrayhoodie and a pair of sleep shorts, she had one hand wrapped around a cup of tea while she browsed through some interior decorating catalog with the other.
“You know, I really love this forest green shade in your room. The rest of the place would look so great with more of it. But there’s also this stunning navy,” Willa added, pointing to an example in the company’s book.
God, he loved this woman.She was, and would perpetually be, the best medicine, even while she was talking about things like paint.
“I finally called a plumber for the guest bathroom issue. Their earliest opening is mid-June, literally the Monday after the Tonys.”
He’d done a bunch of other things to distract himself today: laundry, grocery shopping, playedHades 2right up until the second he had to leave for work.
Taking a sip of her tea, she looked up at him. “Did you schedule an appointment?”
Ethan nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been putting it off too long already.”
“Good. And that’ll help with the guest bedroom afterward. Your family should have a place to stay when they visit. There’s something else on your mind, though. What is it?”
He shook his head in a wordlessnothingand then sat on the bed beside her.
Setting her mug aside, Willa leaned closer, resting her fingers along his knee. “I know you, Ethan. What’s going on? Something’s been bothering you all day.”
Another wave of grief drenched him its tide. “It was a really good day, you know? I’ve never been part of a production where we’ve all been close enough to even celebrate our nominations together, but I don’t know. The group chat with my family has been blowing up. Nick still hasn’t saidanything to me about his job, but he was enthusiastic with his replies for the first time in a while, and then it sort of hit me again that my grandpa isn’t here anymore. And then I started thinking about whether I’m even bringing my best to every show to make him proud—it just...”
He trailed off, swallowing a lump in his throat.
