Promises

Chapter Six, Connections

I woke up this morning expecting to feel scared or overwhelmed, but I instead felt calm. I started thinking about Noah, and our conversation at our last rehearsal. Remembering his deep voice and how he talked to me as if we've had many casual conversation. How he called for me with the words of Shakespeare. Just the memory of him made me happy. It scares me how much one person can control my emotions without even knowing that they can.

Then my mind shifts and thinks of Charlotte, I still have only had one brief text conversation with her since we said goodbye to Isaiah. The conversation was only three sentences long.

Charlotte: We are walking to rehearsal together right?
Me: Yeah! Of course we are!
Charlotte: Okay, I've got to go, see you tomorrow.

With just a few lines the conversation was over.
Charlotte has always been a happy and lively person, but for the past few days she's seemed drained. That's when I hear my mom call for me downstairs. I think, It's Charlotte, I was wrong.

"Uhh Toni, there's a boy here asking for you." I hear when I'm walking down the stairs. A boy? For me? I'm still a mess I haven't had any time to get ready, I'm still in my fuzzy pajama pants, my tight tank top, and my slippers. My hair is in a messy bun and I threw on an old robe that my dad gave me when I was ten. I looked ridiculous. I walk down the stairs and into the front room. That's when I saw him, Noah Brackson.
"Noah?" I say while trying to move behind the couch.
"Uh, hey Toni! Uhh I saw you walking home yesterday, turns out that you live a few houses down from where my grandparents live!" He says with the cutest smile on his face.
"That's cool! So, what are you doing here?" I say still crouching behind the couch while my mom invites him into the house.
"Oh, I'm staying with my grandparents this summer and I wanted to know if you would want to walk to rehearsal with me?"

I pause and start to panic, I am supposed to walk with Charlotte. I was gonna ask her how she's doing after the while Isaiah thing. I freeze and start to over think. Why would he want to walk with me? He has other friends right? What does this mean? Is this a good thing? That's when Charlotte barges through the door and saves my life.
"Toni! Your beloved best friend is here!" She says in a British accent before she stops running up the stairs, turns around, and spots Noah.
"Noah! What are you doing here?" She says as she slowly walks down the stairs and back into the front room.
"I was here to ask Toni if she wanted to walk to rehearsal with me."
"Oh that's great! Of course you can walk with us!" She says looking around, probably looking for me.
"Thank you!" He says with a soft laugh.
"Anytime, uh, do you happen to know where Toni is?
"She's uh behind the couch I believe."
"Hi." I say popping up from behind the couch.
"Toni!!" She says grabbing my arm and dragging me upstairs, "we'll be right down Noah!" She says right before she shoves me in my room.
"What was that?"
" I don't know! I froze and dove behind the couch as a defense mechanism... I thought that it would make me disappear, because believe me I wanted to!" I say picking out an outfit as fast as I can.
"No, I mean what why was he here? And how does he know where you live?" She says helping me fix my hair.
"I'll tell you later! Right now, Noah Brackson is waiting for us downstairs!"

We finish getting ready in five minutes and head back downstairs where we see my mom "interrogating" Noah.
"So how long have you two been together?"
"MOM! Noah and I are just friends from theatre, that's it!" I say before Noah gets a chance to answer.
"Oh! I'm so sorry Noah, I just figured since you are picking her up and all."
"It's okay Mrs.Greene" He says looking at me with an awkward smile.
"Okay well let's get out of here, we wouldn't want to be late!" Charlotte says pushing me and Noah out of the door.

As soon as we get out of the door we all start laughing until we're in tears.

"Oh my god, Noah I am so sorry!" I say giggling.
"It's so fine, now we all have an inside joke." He says catching his breath.
"And what would that be?" Charlotte says elbowing me in the ribs.
"That Toni is my wifey of course." He says laughing.
We all start laughing again as he hands me a paper clip bent in the shape of a ring, but his statement made me blush and it made me happy. I have an inside joke with the guy of my dreams, the one that I never thought I would be able to talk to. While we're walking we all can't stop laughing because of the scenarios we're making up to go along with our inside joke.
"And where did you two get married?" Charlotte says breaking the endless laughter.
"Why in my brides kitchen of course" He says as he takes my by the hand and spins me around.
We all laugh again and before we even realize it were at the theater. My stomach is burning because of the memory that I just made with Noah. The way his eyes lit up when he laughed. The way he was so gentle when he spun me around. That's when we began blocking. My scene with Noah is blocked last, as actors we have to hate each other for this scene. I think about how hard it is to hate him, that's when we begin. He enters with his line.
"I'll met my moonlight proud Titania."
"What Jealous Oberon? Fairies, skip hence" I read off.
"Hold it!" The director calls.
Noah and I walk over to her to hear her instruction.
"I cast you two as a married couple because of the romantic connection I felt between you two" she turns to me "now I know it's hard to hate a face as sweet as his but you're an actor, you've got to pull that hate out of somewhere and put it into this scene" she turns to Noah "I saw you do this scene no problem last year, there is no difference besides there is a new Titania. Alright, let's try it again."

We get back in our places and start over. He enters from the wings with a face of pure evil..
"I'll met by moonlight proud Titania" he says as the director applauds.
"What Jealous Oberon? Fairies, skip hence." I say with a strong and commanding voice.
"Perfect!" The director says as she applauds us.
"That's enough of this scene for today, we kind of ran out of time there, we will work on this scene a lot more tomorrow." She says as she waves everyone goodbye.

Me and Charlotte start walking out when Noah runs up to us.
"Hey, do you guys want to walk together again?"
"Actually I'm sorry Noah but Toni and I are going back to my house, but we will so walk together tomorrow!" Charlotte says.
"Oh okay! Good work today guys! Bye!" Noah says as he jogs off down the road.

"Oh my god!" Charlotte says stopping.
"What?" I say giggling
"Are you kidding me? Today was epic! Noah so totally likes you and that scene was amazing! You could feel the emotion from it all the way backstage!" She says practically jumping off the walls.
"What? No he doesn't, Noah is just a really sweet guy."

We walk the rest of the way to her house listening to broadway soundtracks and dancing. But I can't help but think what if he does like me? I mean at least I know I'm not the only one who feels a connection between us. If he does like me then what does it mean for the future of our newly born friendship?
I push all of my questions to the back of my mind and prepare myself for seeing him again first thing tomorrow morning.