They're Playing Our Song

Rhapsody in Blue

They'd opened the house doors ten minutes ago, and almost every step Nora took, she was besieged by a parent talking about how excited they were, a member of the staff consulting with her on a problem, or some of the other school students here to support their peers. She didn't mind it per se, it gave her a chance to see who was in attendance.

Nora moved backstage, where she spotted Daisy, Ben, Rose and Jon peeking out at the gathering audience through the curtain. Ben was, of course, doing a great impression of acting like he didn't care. But Daisy? Her face was pure joy, wonder and excitement. Nora smiled.

"How many people are out there, you think?" Rose asked, looking lovely with her hair pinned back.

"There has to be at least a hundred—" Jon tried, but Ben scoffed and interrupted.

"No way the venue can hold a hundred people," he said.

"What's the matter, Ben, you nervous?" Jon teased.

"I am not," he grumbled, but the rest of the argument was halted when Isabel emerged from the back and spotted the four of them. Nora could see the moment the kids realized they were being watched, and they all shuffled off to different directions, pretending they had never been peeking at the audience in the first place.

Isabel, looking stunning in a ruby red dress, a clipboard and a headset, walked up to Nora.

"Looks like you're running a really tight ship back here," Nora teased, and Isabel gave her a wink and a curtsy.

"I feel like I was meant to be a stage manager," Isabel laughed like she wasn't the CEO of a cosmetics company that had 15% of the local market share. "I saw your boyfriend. He looks really good."

"Was he nervous?"

"A little, maybe. But I think he could use some...encouragement." Isabel suggested, giving Nora a wink so exaggerated that it made Nora roll her eyes at her friend in a way she never had before. "You could talk to him, you know. The last time I heard, you could do that if you were dating someone."

"Maybe later," Nora shrugged, and she didn't know why she was avoiding it. Maybe because she knew if she saw Leo, she would maybe ask him to stay, and she wasn't ready to do that. Not when she wasn't sure what her feelings her, what their life would be like if she asked him to stay. Nora had never been in love before, and had no idea what it took to maintain a relationship with someone. She didn't know if she was ready for all of that, not yet.

Time's running out, though, a little voice in her head reminded her.

Soon enough, the kids were being ushered onstage. Nora was with Isabel, making sure everyone was accounted for, and giving them last minute encouragements and reminders to smile.

"Coming through," a voice behind her said, and she turned to see Leo, looking striking and handsome in a barong. It actually made her smile. He held a sleeve out to Nora. "Help?"

She complied, quickly and quietly buttoning up the cuff for him. He grinned at her, just as someone called his name over the microphone.

"Kiss for good luck?" He asked. The audience started to applaud, fully expecting him to walk out onstage. But still he stood there in front of Nora, waiting for a kiss.

"Fine," she smiled, smacking him quickly on the cheek. "Cheeky."

"Dearest," he looked over his shoulder and gave her a little wink before he walked out on to the stage, waving and smiling at the audience, basking in the knowledge that they were there for him.

They began the show with Rhapsody in Blue. As she promised, Daisy killed at her solo. Leo had put her in the front of the room for the start of the song, the lights on her and the pressure on to open the entire show. Daisy started low on her clarinet, but then perfected that opening glissando slide. Nora wanted to cheer, but held on as she kept playing to the thrumming opening notes and the orchestra slowly came to join her. She moved to stand in between Ben and Leo, and Ben started his solo too, grinning at her.