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Gilbert gives Sebastian the sign to pull aside the curtains and Billy walks on stage. He starts his speech and I fix Diana's hair before she has to go on stage. Billy starts to sing and Diana follows. Gilbert and Sebastian are very busy with the decor, and I'm not planning to interrupt their mindset.
"Thank you for doing this." I tell Olivia, when she comes out of the dressing room in her tree outfit. "Of course." She smiles and let me button the back of the outfit. "Grace?" Olivia asks. I look at her and she asks, "why aren't you doing the tree part?"
"I beg you pardon?" Olivia chuckles and goes on, "I mean, you didn't have a role. So, why don't you do the tree part. You already know the dance." I laugh and shake my head. "I don't belong on the stage. You on the other hand... have to go on right now."
Her eyes widen as she turns her head and see that all the other trees are almost on stage. "Break a leg." I push her towards the group and they go on stage.
I didn't lie. I'm not really a stage person. I like being backstage helping the people that need help. I smile as I see Olivia and the other tree on stage. They're really good, although they are just a tree.
"Grace!" I look over to Gilbert who just whispered my name. He nods me over and sticks out his hand for me to take. I take his hand and look with him at the play. After a while I lean my head on his shoulder and he says, "I'm really lucky to be here with you. Holding your hand."
People rush on and off the stage and some even bump into me, so I lose my balance and stumble back a few steps. I let go of Gilbert's hand and tell him, "I'll be in the audience. Then I'm not in the way of other people." He nods and pecks my cheek. I blush and I walk with my head down to the audience, so Gilbert won't see that I'm blushing.
I find a seat between Cole and Mike. They both give me a warm smile as I take the seat in between them. The show actually looks better from here. The lighting is great and Diana is glowing. They sing the songs pitch perfect and act like they belong on stage. I'm so proud of everyone. I doze a little off and admire how everyone is doing a good job.
The audience gasps and I focus back on the musical. The curtains close before I can see what happened. "What's going on?" I ask Cole, my concerned face takes over and I look around shocked. Cole exhales and shrugs. "Something from the decor fell on Billy." Mike informs me.
Cole and I share a gaze and try to hold our laugh. Mike coughs for our attention and tells us to be serious. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from grinning. The curtains open again and they go on like nothing happened. I put my head on Cole's shoulder and we watch the rest of the musical with a smile on our faces.
➳
The audience starts to clap and I follow while I stand up. The cast bows and they get a standing ovation from everyone.
When the show is over, I walk backstage to the others. First I go to Diana and with jump while we hug. "You did an amazing job!" I tell her. She has a big smile on her face and she puts her hand on her chest where here heart is. "My heart is beating so fast." She chuckles, putting my hand on her heart before pulling me into another hug.
Anne walks over to us and we pull her into the hug. "You also did an amazing job!" She smiles and thanks me. Soon almost the whole cast joined our hug. "Everyone did, by the way." I inform them and they start cheering.
"Who do we have here?" I ask when I spot Olivia. "If it isn't the best tree in the whole wide world!" She blushes and I pull her in a hug. "Really, you were really really good. Olive tree." I boop her nose and peck her cheek.
"Hem-hem." I turn around and Gilbert is behind us. He smirks and says, "aren't you gonna tell me I did a precious job?" I roll my eyes and take his face into my hands. I look deeply in his eyes and this warm feeling spreads through my whole body. He pulls me into a kiss, lifts my chin and asks, "well?"
I pretend to think about it, while he puts his hands on my waist, pulling me closer to him. "Maybe you did a pretty good job." I say acting a little innocent. He tilts his head, "maybe?" I nod and kiss him. "Maybe as in..." I peck his lips, "yes. Although, you weren't really in the musical." He chuckles and gives me one last kiss and I smile through it. "I did a pretty good job." He tells himself. I laugh and shake my head. God, I love him...
