With one final wave to the audience, the curtain descended from above. We were left in darkness for a brief moment until the stage lights came on.
I stood there, taking deep breaths. All the other cast and crew members around me were hugging and chatting. I had to compose myself because it wasn't as big of a deal to them as it was to me. They had done more professional production than I had. This was my first and implausibly; I was the lead.
That was so difficult to comprehend, even after months of rehearsals.
"Well done!" My cast-mate and on-stage romantic interest, Jake, who played Christian, enveloped me in a hug. "I can't believe we made it to opening night!"
"I know, it's crazy!" I laughed. "Congrats to you too!"
Jake was a little bit older than me and he had more experience in West End musicals. But he had been in the ensemble and understudies for the majority of shows he had been in. This was his first major lead role.
"I hope the critics liked it." He said to me, as the entire cast made their way down to their dressing rooms.
"Well, we can only hope!" Holding up crossed fingers, I chuckled. I had just received this job; I didn't want to lose it so soon. As Jake's room was next to my dressing room, I smiled at him as we simultaneously opened the dressing room doors.
"Will I see you downstairs in a bar for a few drinks when you're done?" Jake asked. Though this was my first job, I knew it was a tradition for the cast and crew to have a drink after opening night.
"If I'm having water, then yes." I laughed. I didn't enjoy drinking alcohol during the run of a show; another of my precautions. Though I had abolished thinking hard about my rules a long time ago. "Plus, my family is here, so they'd kill me if I left without saying goodbye. Especially because they've spent much of their day travelling down from Manchester."
We both laughed as we parted ways into our dressing rooms. Before I got changed, I sat on the chair in front of the mirror and let a giant smile spread across my lips. Then I squealed and jumped up from the chair and danced around my dressing room in a frenzy.
I had to keep up a calm façade in the interest of professionalism during rehearsals and in front of the cast and crew. I had tried to keep calm throughout the entire process and not let my ecstasy spike and become clear. But now that I was alone, I could finally let my excitement out.
And boy, was I excited.
When I had finally calmed myself down, I took the pins out of my hair and let it fall around my shoulders. I then got out of my tight costume and got into my normal clothes. I took my make-up off, bedraggled, and smudged from the intense, emotional ending scene. Then I collected all my things together.
I closed my dressing room door, and all but sprinted to the bar, excited to see what my friends and family thought of the show.
As soon as I stepped through the doors into the bar, thunderous applause and cheers met my ears. I didn't have to look to know it was my parents and Ashley and Michael. You know, for only four people, they could sure make a lot of noise.
As I put my head down, I felt heat appear on my cheeks at the scene they were causing. I rushed towards them to subside the cheering and make it end quicker. I was then consumed in a giant group hug by the four people who had come to support me.
"Talia, darling! I'm so proud of you!" My mum placed both of her hands on my cheeks. I noticed that her own cheeks were red, and I could tell that she had cried a bucket of tears. They more than likely started as soon as she arrived at the theatre and she had probably only just stopped.
I then received a giant congratulations and a hug from my father, who looked like he had also shed a tear or two.
"Oh, my god Tal! It was so good! Better than the film, even!" Ashley squealed, attacking me with a hug. I had to dodge out of the way, in fear of getting hit in the face with the giant engagement ring on Ashley's left hand.
Yes, Michael had finally gained the courage to pop the question. It had happened when the rehearsals for Moulin Rouge had started. All three of us went for a celebratory meal and then Michael finally asked her the big question.
At first, Michael asked me permission to ask her because, according to him, it was my evening. But of course, I let him do it. Frankly, I was tired of waiting for him to grow some balls.
I did think it was quite weird that I was going to be there at such an intimate moment in their relationship. Michael laughed when I asked him about it. He said that I was a big part of their relationship and it would actually be weird if I weren't there.
Which was a polite way of saying that I was a constant third wheel and that would not change anytime soon. But I could also be their personal photographer during that moment. That way, I got perfect images of their genuine reactions.
Obviously, Ashley said yes, and Michael moved in with us pretty much straight away. That should have happened a long time ago, in my opinion. They'd get their own place after they had gotten married, but there was no rush to do that. They were taking things slow with wedding planning.
"I doubt it was that good, because you and I both know how much we enjoy the film." I chuckled, detangling myself from Ashley.
"Yeah, but still!" Was her simple reply.
I got hugged and congratulated off Michael and we all fell into a conversation. Then various members of the cast and crew came up to me and gave me their congratulations. Even David was there, and he told me well done and all I could do was thank him for this fantastic opportunity. Only six months ago, I was wide-eyed, bushy-tailed, and fresh out of drama school. Now, I finished my opening night as a lead on the West End.
That was mad.
Not long into our conversation, Ashley's phone buzzed, and she looked at it. She then walked straight towards me and grabbed my arm.
"We need to go somewhere," Ashley muttered as she dragged me out of the bar and into the foyer of the theatre. She was walking so fast I had to run to keep up. Ashley then headed towards the front doors. "Please don't kill me. You'll thank me... Eventually... I hope."
She then opened the doors and threw me out. I went flying headfirst into someone's hard chest. I took a quick step back, and I followed the chest up to the person's face, ready to apologise for all but attacking them.
But all apologies fell on dead lips when I saw the person standing in front of me.
"Hunter!" I squealed.
Hunter was here. In England. In London. At the theatre. And they were all facts I was finding exceedingly difficult to comprehend. What was he doing here? Why was he here? Ashley clearly knew about it, but why? Was it she who hatched this plan?
All these questions were swirling around my brain, yet nothing came out of my mouth. So I stood there, dumbfounded, waiting for Hunter to say something.
"Talia." He whispered.
Oh wow, what a wonderful conversation we were having.
"What are you doing here?" I blurted out. I rejoiced at the fact that I had finally completed a coherent sentence.
"I came to see you." He said.
Yes, this conversation was definitely going somewhere.
"No, but I thought you were in New York. In Once. Or am I missing something?" I asked. None of my thoughts had become any clearer.
"I quit." Hunter shrugged, as if quitting a lead role on Broadway was a completely normal thing to do.
I couldn't respond (not that I had a response to that) because Jake came bursting out the doors. The sound made me jump because of the high tension in the air.
"Talia, there you are!" Jake exclaimed, walking up to me. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Sorry to disturb you."
"It's fine," I said, because what else could I say?
"Oh my gosh, you're Hunter Clarke, aren't you?" Jake spoke to the person standing across from me. Hunter nodded, looking abashed, which was unlike him. "I've seen loads of videos of you in Once. It looks amazing."
"Thanks," Hunter smiled.
Jake then looked towards me. "Anyway, I'm off now darling, can't stay out too long. Got a two-show day tomorrow!" He chuckled.
"Okay, see you tomorrow." I smiled. He enveloped me in an enormous hug and kissed me on the cheek before walking off. I waved as he walked down the street.
"Oh, I see," Hunter said unexpectedly.
"What?"
"I now know the reason you didn't return my calls," Hunter said, looking in the direction that Jake had been walking.
What was he talking about? Then it clicked.
"What...? You think...?" I stuttered. Then I let out a huge laugh. "You think something is going on between me and Jake? Well, that would be a bit awkward, considering Jake doesn't exactly bat for my team if you catch my drift."
Now it was Hunter's turn to be speechless. He also looked embarrassed. I bit my lip to suppress another bout of laughter.
"I just thought..." Hunter mumbled.
"Yeah, I know you did." I chuckled again. Then I sobered up and my face became stoic once more. "Besides, you think I'd move on that fast? Or even at all?"
"I dunno." He mumbled, looking like certain memories had come flying back. "I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't being rational."
"No, you weren't." I agreed with a slight smile. "You also weren't being rational when you told me you quit Once. Is that true? Or were you joking? Why would you do something like that?"
"I wasn't joking." He said. I stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue. I wasn't accepting that as an answer. Hunter sighed. "I went to New York and rehearsed for the show and everything. I did some of the shows and I got some excellent reviews. And I even got asked to extend my contract for a year. But as they asked me, I realised that something was missing."
"What was that?" I asked, a little afraid of the answer.
"You." He said.
"What?" I spluttered.
"Every time I stood on that stage, I always looked out into the audience. I was searching for someone that I knew would not be there. Yet I still searched every night. And that person was you." He said, all in one breath. "I know it's mad, but ever since I met you, I felt like I couldn't perform without you cheering me on. So, every time you weren't there, I was so disappointed. I knew you would not be there, yet it still hurt. And I felt like I couldn't go on. There was always something nagging me to sort things out with you because it was making me so miserable."
"Wow." I breathed, trying to comprehend everything. "So, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, what are you doing here right now?"
"Well, to be honest, I don't have a clue." Hunter scratched his eyebrow. "I knew I had to try to sort something out, so I came back to England as soon as possible. I saw posters everywhere for Moulin Rouge and, as stupid as it sounds, it was like fate. So, I ran to the box office and tried to book a ticket for opening night. When I finally got one, I contacted Ashley to see if there was any way to get you to speak to me. You know better than anyone how persuasive she is. She told me she'd sort something out and that I should just fight my way outside the theatre and, well... Here I am."
"Here you are," I whispered. My brow furrowed as I thought of something that had been bugging me for the past six months. "You know that night when it all happened? I wondered; you told me something as I was walking out of the park and I wanted to know if you meant it. You told me that..." I couldn't finish.
"I told you that I loved you," Hunter remembered.
"Yes," I whispered. "Did you mean it?"
"I knew it would not force you to turn back, though I hoped you would. But I did mean it." Hunter said, taking a small step towards me. "And I still mean it now. I love you, Talia."
I lost my breath as I felt tears well up in my eyes.
Hunter continued. "I didn't think I could feel for someone the way I feel for you. And it scared the shit out of me, but it felt good at the same time. That's why I was so scared to tell you about Once because I didn't want to ruin things. But now I see that me keeping it from you caused more damage than actually telling you. Then I thought the best thing would be space for us, but that didn't work for me. It killed me being apart from you and I know this is my career, but I realised something else. I didn't want to have a career if you weren't there with me."
"Oh my god," I whispered as tears rolled down my cheeks and I swiped them away. It was crazy that someone thought this strongly about me. But this was all I wanted for the past six months. All I wanted since that day I raced to the airport. I couldn't believe it was happening. I realised I was too quick to condemn Hunter for the things he had done, but everything he said made sense.
"I hope you can forgive me." Hunter softly said. "I know it may be difficult to trust me again, but I hope you can let me back into your life. In any capacity."
"Of course, I can let you back into my life Hunter. Because..." and then I said the three small words I found so difficult to admit. The three words that were hard for me to say and the words that could either make or break me. I took a deep breath.
"I love you."
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And that's definitely it! I said most of my mushy stuff in the last chapter so I'm going to try and keep this to a minimum. So thank you to every single one of you who commented, voted or even read this story. I couldn't have done it with you.
So thank you so much once again and I really hope you enjoyed this little story that I created.
Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!
Until next time my lovlies!