Page 105 of A Certain Step
She kissed him, slowly for a moment. “I’ll pluck up the courage for you.”
34
WILLA
Willa was fortunate to be able to reschedule her regular bi-weekly therapy sessions to once a week to work through the fears and hesitations that kept creeping up after their relationship went public.
It was a process, to be sure, but she was getting there. It helped to continue posting dance videos with Miles, which often led to positive reinforcement about their work as artists. It disconnected her from the noise concerning their personal lives.
It was also reassuring to be made aware of the detail that many people werewaitingfor Ethan and Willa to get together—still, one step at a time.
But tonight wasn’t about her. It was about all of them—it was a day to commemorate the best of theatre, and it was a time to celebrate the show that’d perpetually leave a mark on each of them.
She got her hair and makeup redone after the matinee show, where their performance of “Midnights at Pemberley” was recorded to air during the awards later in the evening. Ethan’s suit, courtesy of Armani, was pressed and ready to go. Willa was set to wear a gorgeous champagne, sequined dressfrom Donika Loci Peje.
Their ride to the Lincoln Center was scheduled to arrive in two-ish hours. When she strode in, Ethan was sprawled against his couch in his dressing room. He looked up at her, his expression soft and brimming with contentment.
“Did you write your speech?” she asked him.
“Nope. I’m not trying to be humble, Wills, but there’s no way I’m taking it when Henry Niven and Andy Hendricks are also nominated. There’s no point.”
She scoffed at him. “Ethan. Writesomething.You have a huge chance at winning and you’re going to stumble on your words and hate yourself if you have nothing to go off.”
“Your faith in me is adorable.”
Raising an eyebrow, she then looked around his dressing room for the journal she knew he kept for notes. She spotted it on the edge of his vanity, beelined over to grab it, then set it in front of him. “Write,” she demanded.
He sighed, trying not to smile. “Can I just write about how much I love you?”
Willa ogled him for a beat; the vision of him sitting leisurely in her graphic tee was among one of the hottest things she’d ever seen. She had stayed over the night before, and when they had been getting ready for the day, she noticed him eyeing her Muppets T-shirt folded on the vanity.
He had promptly stopped her when she was about to pack it into her backpack.
“Mind if I borrow this?” Ethan had mused.
Willa had laughed. “Sure,” she’d consented, watching as he pulled the shirt over his exposed chest. The unisex fabric that was purposely oversized on her fit his frame superbly.
“Looks good on you. How long have you been wanting to steal it from me?” she had joked.
He had guffawed.“You know this shirt on you is my kryptonite, but the need just came to me.”
“Well, what’s mine is yours, babe. Honestly, it’s a little surprising we didn’t start swapping tees earlier in our friendship.”
He had then taken her face in his hands and kissed her so tenderly that she thought she’d evaporate.
She let the memory settle at the forefront of her mind again. He’d be suited in a few hours, but this moment was a mark of their closeness that well and truly established he was her person. If to no one else, then to every agonizing thought that had once plagued her.
She bent down and kissed the top of his head before leaving him alone.
“I’m going to walk away now. There better be words on paper at some point.”
The man dared to laugh. Willa was sure he’d win, and she couldn’t wait to experience it—to tell him that she was right. She went back into her dressing room and sat down on her chair. Sahar’s sister, Amina, was in town from London, and the two had gone to Amanda’s Coffee to grab drinks. Taking in the brief moment alone, she reveled in the quiet comfort of how lovely life was turning out to be.
Willa walked over to her dress hung on a rack and snapped a close-up of the sequins and the colors. She posted it to her stories with the sparkling emoji. This was fine. Little things like this seldom made her anxious. Still, she considered it another step in embracing the new normal.
She knew that life wouldn’t always be this bright and exciting. There was much about the industry that needed to change. It was a stunning place in more ways than one, but corrupt, too. Many actors weren’t as fortunate as they were. Who knew what the next gig would bring? She had the luxury of ignoring those what-ifs for a while—a chance to temporarily be present in its lovelier corner.
The thrillin the room was already infectious after the amount of winsMidnights at Pemberleywas taking home. Willa was especially ecstatic to be right about almost everything. She did want to fight someone because Naomi, Sahar, Sam, and Declan all lost in their categories—though she was still proud of them beyond measure for the nominations.
