Behind Closed Curtains (Desires of the Forbidden)

Chapter 17

My eyes were trained on Kaleb's retreating back as he rounded the corner of the stage and stalked off towards the dressing rooms.

I could feel every pair of eyes in the theater watching me, digging into the sides of my stunned face and my back as they waited for me to say something; do anything.

"Leah..." Jackson's voice called out softly, his tone mixed with sorrow and regret.

"I didn't-"

"I know," I said without sparing him a glance. I was very aware that he didn't intentionally mean to throw me into a violent panic attack in front of our entire cast and crew.

Without comprehending exactly what I was doing, I took off in the direction that Kaleb went.

I left behind all of the curious faces without a word. All that seemed to consume every expanse of my thoughts was finding Kaleb and getting the answers that I was so desperately afraid of him confirming.

Even as timid as I was over Kaleb's suspicions, I still carried on. My legs took me across the stage, around the corner and directly back towards where the Male and Female dressing rooms were homed.

With steps as subtle as a mouse, I approached the Male dressing room first.

Placing my hand gently on the door handle, the rust embedded onto the knob brushing against my palm, I turned it.

The piercing squeak of the aged door rang out through the hallway and into the dressing room, effectively alerting Kaleb to my presence if he did in fact happen to be in that room.

And as it turned out, he was.

He must have known it was me who made the sudden appearance because he didn't move.

No, he stayed turned with his back towards me, leaning over the counter that lay up against the long mirrored wall that stretched across the room in which we would all apply our make up in.

His head was hung low, dropped so that I couldn't see his expression, yet that didn't matter much as the brooding, suffocating air that surrounded him gave away to his mood quite effectively.

Seconds trickled by and still nothing was said.

Kaleb's rise and fall of his back with every deep breath he took was the only visible movement in the entire room. I remained silent and patient for as long as physically possible before I felt like I would literally burst through the pores in my skin with the amount of frantic nerves boiling underneath the surface.

I needed to end it.

"Hi," I started out, my voice coming out meek and far frailer than intended.

Still, he said nothing.

I drove my fingers into my palm, rolling my fingers anxiously into my hand and feeling the warm, nervous sweat that was beginning to accumulate there.

Taking a deep breath into my lungs, I tried once again.

"Kaleb-"

"Where did those bruises on your stomach come from?"

Every muscle in my body tensed as a fierce thrill of terror sliced through me. I opened my trembling lips to respond, the words stumbling out in-eloquently.

"I-I already told you-"

"Don't lie to me, Leah," Kaleb growled out as he abruptly spun around, pinning his dark, storming eyes to mine.

"I'm not lying," I retorted forcefully.

Yes you are.

A frustrated groan vibrated in Kaleb's throat as his face screwed up in pure annoyance. Kaleb drew his hands up over his face, rubbing them across the planes of his face in frustration as he leaned his weight back against the counter top. Within seconds, his eyes found mine.