𝐈 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚, 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 • Jolivia

30 | I Love You

Finally, it was the moment of the big scene. Joshua was in the bathroom splashing water on his face, preparing for this moment. His hands were shaking, so he took a deep breath in the mirror, gave himself a quick pep talk, then headed over to film the scene.

Olivia was already there, and she smiled when she saw him walk in. "Hey! Ready for the big moment?"

You have no idea, he thought, but instead he said, "Ready as I'll ever be."

"That's the attitude," she smiled, warming his heart. That smile alone was enough to give him confidence to carry out the scene, especially since she had no idea that he was improving instead of performing what was in the script.

Once the word "Action!" was exclaimed, Olivia began the scene, locking her eyes on Joshua's, "Oh, uh, what was your question?"

"Hmm?"

"The question you were gonna ask me before we bowed?"

"Oh," he chuckled. "Yeah. No, I was just, um... I was just gonna say, what happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Um, I've never opened a show, or closed one. So, like, what happens now?"

"Usually the theater kids cry, and then we go to Denny's."

He laughed, "I mean, now that it's all over."

"Uh... Don't you and Big Red have, like, three months of video games to catch up on?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

They both chuckled awkwardly, staring down at their feet, then back at each other before she asked, "Is that it?" Followed by silence, she then continued, "Um... Great job tonight, Ricky."

She began to walk away, and that was his cue. He took a deep breath, and before he could psych himself out, he whipped around and proclaimed, "I love you."

She turned around, the look on her face clearly representing shock, yet also curiosity and longing. He continued, thoughts and memories of them flashing across his mind all at once, "I've loved you since the first time you picked up your ukulele and you wrote a song about clouds, a silly little song about clouds. I love you. And that night in your room when you told me you loved me, I meant to say it. I meant to say it. And I've kicked myself every day since then because I didn't say it. But I do. I love you. I've loved you since seventh grade when I made you ride in the front row of Demon's Destiny at Six Flags, and you told me you sometimes get a little seasick on roller coasters, and I said, 'Come on, live a little.'"

She fought back tears as she smiled, "I remember."

"Yeah. And then I puked all over your shoes and you didn't even make me feel bad about it. No. You just said, um..."

"'No worries. I've been wanting to get rid of these shoes for a while.'"

"Yeah, because you outgrew them. The thing is... I never outgrew you. And I don't really know what happens tomorrow, or in two minutes when we walk out that door," if he wasn't speaking from the heart this whole time, he was now, "All I know is... I want this feeling to keep going. Because this whole experience... I'm just... I'm not ready for it to be over. For us to be, I mean. And if that means doing another musical, then fine."

"I get to pick the musical."

"Fine. That's fine. It's all fine. I just... I don't want this to be just a showmance. Really. I want it to be the real thing. I mean, I think it is the real thing, I just... I want a chance to prove it. I do. I mean, look..."

"Ricky, um, you know in musicals when people burst into song when they've run out of things to say?"

"Yeah?"