Thank you to the two people that reviewed last chapter.
Other than that, what happened to you guys? Are you not interested in this story anymore? I can see in my stats that more people are reading it besides the two people that reviewed, so where did everyone go? It's very disheartening, as I've said before, when no one reviews to let me know if they're liking the story or not, especially when I worked so hard, so if I don't get any reviews, I might just take this story down, even when there's only one chapter left.
So unless you don't want that to happen, please review this chapter. It would mean a lot. Thanks guys!
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Toby skirted his way through the crowd of people holding up playbills like weapons, finally making his way backstage to meet with the other cast and crew members. He was decked out in a black sharkskin suit, a black dress shirt, and a black tie - he was not new to the tech tradition of wearing black to a performance, even if you didn't need to blend in when moving things onstage.
It was about twenty minutes before opening night started, and Ezra was standing in the middle of a huge circle formed by the group, giving a pep talk.
"We have worked incredibly hard for this moment," he said enthusiastically, his stubble disappearing into his red face and his eyes burning with a madness only a director of a Shakespeare production's eyes could contain. "Now let's fucking SHOW THEM WHAT WE'RE MADE OF!"
Everyone started clapping and hollering, while Toby just stood back and watched. He wasn't really into "getting hyped", especially when he wasn't even doing anything tonight. His job was to design the set, and see that it got built, but he wasn't part of running crew. He just had to make sure that nothing went wrong tonight, but he had nothing to be nervous about the way the actors did.
The way Spencer did.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Spencer walking away from the circle, her arms intertwined with Aria's and Emily's, and Toby immediately averted his gaze. He wished he didn't have to - she looked so beautiful in her dress, her makeup done to perfection, her hair pulled back so that her cheekbones shimmered in the florescent light - but for reasons he didn't know about, Spencer had been avoiding him lately. The last interaction that they had was when he was helping her with his lines, and then they hadn't spoken for the next week. Toby could understand where she was coming from - she took her acting very seriously, she was most likely just preparing for the show - but that didn't stop him from hurting inside. If Spencer liked Toby as much as Toby liked Spencer, then Spencer would have tried to talk to Toby regardless, right?
When Toby sensed that Spencer was walking toward him, he felt trapped. If he moved away, it would look suspicious, and not only would Spencer feel hurt - even though she shouldn't since she had been doing the same to him all week - but he knew people would talk. He was the talk of the entire cast, which was ironic because he thought the cast didn't even know who he was.
In his peripheral vision, he saw Hanna come up in a short black dress, squealing about the amazing job she had done on the girls' makeup, and with that Toby made his great escape. He pivoted on his heel, ducked his head, and walked into the theatre, a motion he had gotten used to over the years. He had always hated unnecessary interaction, but the sad thing was he would never view any interaction with Spencer Hastings as unnecessary.
As he slipped into the theatre, he took a deep breath. The air smelled clean, unpolluted by the audience ready to burst through the doors, and his set, dare he say it, looked breathtaking. He was so proud of the tech crew for the amazing job they had done, and he was proud of himself for his design. The moments before the show, when he could stand back and admire his hard work, were always his favorite.
As his eyes followed the path of the lights on the set, bringing everything on the stage to life, Toby leaned back against the wall and began to think about Spencer. Once this production was over, would that be it? Would he never see her again? He knew he probably wouldn't be staying with this company, as he had to expand his career in stage design, and eventually become a carpenter, but he almost didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay with Spencer, but what would that mean? Would he be shoved into the background again? Forced to watch her interact with a male counterpart onstage through the holes in the curtains? Did he really want that?
No, he didn't. And seeing as Spencer didn't want anything to do with him, it was best that he moved on anyway.
No sooner could he have thought these words than the object of his demons came waltzing into the theatre.
Toby whipped around, entranced by the sight of the angel before him, which was incredibly strange considering she had inadvertently been terrorizing his brain for so long.
"Hi," she said, the first one to speak, and while Toby tried to work his tongue, he was amazed to see that it felt heavy against his palate, and he was unable to lift it. So he ended up just not answering.
Spencer simply nodded her head at his shocked expression, which he supposed was the best reaction he could've asked for. But then she started to speak. "Can I ask you something?"
Oh, great. He could only wonder what that could be, but he nodded his head regardless.
"Is it true that you... like me?"
Technically, Toby should've just been happy that Spencer kept asking him yes or no questions since he still couldn't work his tongue correctly, but this wasn't such a simple question. So instead of nodding or shaking his head, he cleared his throat. "More like... I'm in love with you."
The words exited his lips like smoke, released into the air and filling the space between them, suddenly making him feel claustrophobic, a guest in his own house. All he had to do was wait for a reaction now, but the waiting period was like opening an admission letter from college - he could either be accepted, or denied. Spencer could either love him back, or tell him to get out of her face.
But she did neither. Instead, she just said, "Why?"
Suddenly, Toby was wishing that they had stuck with the yes or no questions. "Because..." Toby rubbed the back of his head, searching for the right answer. He could come up with a million different reasons why he was in love with Spencer Hastings. Her face, and the way the sun hit it. Her sculpted body, and the way he imagined maneuvering his hands all over it. Her smooth voice, and the way he imagined it would sound when she first woke him up in the morning.
The conviction that coursed through her body when she was performing. Her intellect, her reasoning, her kindness, her genuinity, her beauty, her everything.
But he didn't laundry list. Instead he said, "Because I think you're beautiful. Inside and out. Which is rare in this industry... and in this world."
Tears met the ducts in Spencer's eyes, and Toby was suddenly aware of the stakes they were in. The show started in less than fifteen minutes, and he had somehow managed to reduce Spencer to a sobbing mess. He was going to mess up all of her makeup, Hanna was going to kill him, Mona was going to blab to Ezra, who would take it out of his paycheck most likely, and everyone would blame him for fucking up again.
Thinking fast, he gently grabbed her shoulders. "I am so sorry," he sputtered, feeling tears of his own start to come on. "I know you're about to perform, and I didn't mean for this to happen. And I know you probably just want to focus on your career, and I totally understand. After this show is over, I'll leave. If you want, I'll leave right now! You'll never have to see me again if you don't want to, and I would never want for you to - "
Before Toby could say another word, Spencer's lips were on his.
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And now it gets interesting. Hopefully I'll see you guys for the final chapter! 10 reviews and you'll get it :)
