Chapter 264: Asher
I wake up before the alarm.
Not on purpose
just instinct, maybe. The room’s still dim with early morning haze, the city outside muffled and still half–asleep, and beside me, Penny stirs under the blankets like her body knows it’s a big day before her mind fully catches up.
The moment the alarm buzzes at 6:30 a.m., she blinks awake and exhales like she’s been holding her breath all night. She turns to me, eyes puffy from sleep but wide with nerves.
“It’s today,” she whispers.
I nod, brushing her hair back from her cheek. “It is.”
She stares at the ceiling, then rolls onto her back and sighs loud enough for the neighbors to hear. “I think I’m gonna puke.”
“You’re not gonna puke.”
“I think I’m gonna puke emotionally,” she clarifies. “Like… my soul is nauseous.”
I laugh softly and kiss her temple. “Come eat. I made breakfast.”
“You cooked?” she groans. “Are you tryin
“Only a little.”
to make me cry before sunrise?”
She follows me out, dragging her blanket around her like a cape, and sits cross–legged at the counter
while I plate the food: her favorite scrambled eggs with sharp cheddar, roasted tomatoes, a little
fruit on the side, sourdough toast. And coffee, of course, with too much oat milk and just enough
sugar.
She stares at it like it’s the final act of a love story.
“I love you,” she murmurs.
“I know,” I say, stealing a bite of toast. “Try not to combust before curtain.”
Her phone buzzes nonstop while she eats. Good luck texts. Memes. Voice notes from Boomer and Max, all unintelligible yelling. Mila sent a selfie with Luc captioned “The curtain rises for our queen.” Her mom sent three identical heart emojis. Tyler texted just “You got this.”
Her phone buzzes so often she eventually flips it over, face down on the counter. “I can’t deal with anyone else’s feelings today. My own are already too much.”
Chapter 264: Asher
I grab her hand. “Then just deal with mine. All I’m feeling is stupidly proud.”
She doesn’t say anything for a second. Just squeezes my hand and keeps chewing.
We get to the venue around ten.
It’s the real stage this time – not the rehearsal room, not the studio. The theater is dressed to the nines, the lighting rig already humming with purpose, backstage crawling with production techs and dancers and assistants. Penny clutches my hand all the way from the car to the greenroom entrance.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she murmurs. “I’ve had nightmares about this place since I was
eleven.”
“And now you’re headlining it.”
She looks like she might faint. “No pressure.”
I wrap my arms around her, pull her into my chest, and hold her for one long breath.
“You’ve already won,” I say. “Just get out there and make the stage wish it knew your name sooner.”
She laughs into my hoodie. “You and your cheesy military metaphors.”
Ikiss the top of her head. “Break a leg, baby.”
“I love you.”
“Knock ‘em dead.”
And now it’s night.
7:22 p.m., to be exact.
The lights in the auditorium are still up, and the buzz in the crowd is a quiet, excited hum. The show starts in just under forty minutes, but we’re all already here, parked in the front row like it’s a
wedding.
Because it kind of is. At least to her.
–
she told me last week, “You better look like a secret I’m in a black suit, charcoal undershirt, no tie agent, not a dad.” So I do. I even shaved. My boots are polished. I feel like I should be sweating, but I’m not. I’m steady. Focused. Because she needs me calm.
–
To my left are Penny’s parents her mother already clutching a tissue in one hand and her father holding the program like it’s sacred scripture. Beside them are mine, both dressed up like it’s their daughter performing too. My mom keeps whispering about how proud she is of Penny. My dad hasn’t
Chapter 264: Asher
said much, but he’s got that quiet, reverent look on his face – the kind he had the day I graduated
BUD/S.
To my right, chaos reigns.
Boomer’s fidgeting with his sleeves, grinning like a kid in a candy store.
“She’s gonna kill it,” he says, for the fourth time in ten minutes.
Rooster just hums. “I hope she doesn’t see me cry.”
Anna snorts. “You are going to cry.”
“I’m not- Okay maybe.”
Max leans forward from two seats down, adjusting the collar of his button–up. “Guys, can we just appreciate how I am the reason Penny even got that solo–in the showcase last semester-”
“Max,” Piper says, deadpan, “You’re embarassing me.”
Everyone laughs. Even Boomer snorts.
I lean forward and rest my forearms on my knees, glancing up at the velvet curtain- still closed, waiting, holding all the weight of what’s about to happen.
I close my eyes for a second.
Breathe.
Penny’s in the wings right now.
Probably pacing. Stretching. Whispering her entrance counts to herself. Going through every beat of choreography she’s already drilled into her bones. I can see her in my head – every line of her, already glowing before she even hits the lights.
She texted me an hour ago.
“I’m about to throw up.”
I replied: “Do it like a ballerina. Gracefully. With a pirouette.”
She didn’t answer, but I know she smiled.
I know her too well.
The lights dim slightly.
Chapter 264: Asher
People begin to hush.
And somewhere behind that curtain – behind all the nerves and pressure and years of dreaming-
she’s getting ready to take flight.
And I’m here.
Right where I promised I’d be.
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