Falling Fast - L.S

22

I opened my mouth to try and explain what I was feeling. But before I could say anything one of the boys assisting stage manager appeared. He cleared his throat nervously.

"Er, Harry?" He stammered. "Mr Nichols is looking for you... you were supposed to be on stage for Act 2 five minutes ago... er, we're meant to keep going... er, it's the dress rehearsal."

"I know what it is," Harry snapped.

He leaned forward and kissed my cheek, then pushed past the boy and headed back to the hall. I waited a second, a jumble of feelings crowding my head. Then I crept back to the hall myself. I could hear Harry in the distance, already on stage, performing.

"Can I go forward when my heart is here?" He sounded eager and excited - not a trace of the huge emotions of the moment just past in his voice.

I leaned against the props cupboard as Harry disappeared across the stage. He'd be back in view in a minute, for the balcony scene in which Romeo and Juliet declare their love for each other.

I sank to the ground and put my head in my hands.

"Louis?"

I looked up. Gigi was sidling up to me.

"Is it hard, seeing him with someone else?" she whispered sympathetically.

I turned away, trying to hide the fact that my eyes were filling with tears.

Gigi patted my arm. "Have you got a moment before you're on again?" she said. "There's something I want to tell you in private."

I hesitated. I had to be back on soon, as Nurse, to call Juliet from the side of the stage. On the other hand, I didn't think I could bear to watch the very next, highly romantic, exchange between Harry and Taylor.

On an impulse, I jumped up and asked Eleanor Calder to say my lines for me.

"It's just a couple of words from off-stage, El," I pleaded. "No one will notice and I really need to talk to Gigi about something.

Eleanor gave me a searching look, but agreed without asking questions.

Relieved, I followed Gigi out of the hall. As we walked along the corridor, it struck me that I was going to have to watch Taylor and Harry together many times over the next few nights. There would be at least five more kisses tonight and then two performances full of them. I couldn't bear it.

"What is it?" I asked Gigi, trying not to think about the kisses.

"Not here." Gigi lead me down to the girls' dressing room - a tiny classroom near the assembly hall. The windows had been covered with black felt to give us privacy. Although it was still light outside, the room itself was shadowy and still.

Gigi shifted a box containing Taylor's spare make-up off a chair and sat me down. She took the chair opposite, then leaned forever excitedly.

I stared at her, my own worries receding momentarily as I noticed her flushed cheeks and eager eyes.

"What's up, Gi?" I said.

"Zayn and I did it last night," she said.

I looked at her. Her face was glowing. God. She looked... well... radiant.

"You mean for the first time?" I said awkwardly, feeling I should know. I'd been so preoccupied with Harry for the last few weeks that I hadn't been aware of anything Gigi was doing.

Gigi nodded. "The first time with anyone."

"Wow," I said. "How was it?"

"Amazing," Gigi breathed. Then she screwed up her face. "Messy, though."