Opening week was as stressful and wonderful as expected, everyone on edge one minute and crying tears of joy the next. Each night a new crowd flooded into the theater, bringing with it a constant stream of celebrities and politicians looking to be a part of the hit show's first week so they could share in some of the spotlight. Each performance was packed, not an empty seat to be found, and the pressure to be perfect was settling on the cast and crew's nerves like sediment accumulating on the shore. After such a successful opening night, no one wanted to stop the flow by missing a cue or breaking a prop, so they all endeavored to make sure everything was flawless. This, however, resulted in everyone being, as Aunt Millie would say: too worn out to whip a gnat. Already, Blue was ready to relax and have some fun, blowing off steam at the Arcanum reunion concert and sleeping in as late as possible the next day.
Gael had been even busier than before, with press and interviews taking up his entire mornings and afternoons, and the show taking up his entire nights. The only day Blue was able to see him outside of work was when he randomly texted her on an afternoon that she just so happened to be at home with nothing to mend or wash; he asked if she wanted to grab coffee at their favorite place, Village Cafe. She hadn't ever actually been there with him, he had only brought her coffee to the theater or she would often go by herself. Jumping at the chance to see him more than the few minutes she got to be around him during shows, she quickly threw on a warm chunky sweater and some black jeans. On her way out the door, she was so excited she almost tripped on Molly who had decided to sleep precisely in the middle of the hallway. Blue cursed as she stumbled and hopped over the ginger cat, who never so much as stirred as her human only missed her by a whisker. Literally.
When she arrived at the cafe, it was easy to spot Gael since there was basically no one there at such an odd hour of the day. He was already sitting on a couch with a coffee of his own and one, she assumed, for her. She smiled brightly as she weaved through all the empty tables to reach him in the back corner, oddly enough in the exact comfy couch she preferred to sit at when she went there by herself. He was wearing a black beanie that slouched slightly, his hair sticking out all around from underneath, and a dark denim jacket. When he saw her coming towards her, his smile was warm enough to chase away the chill she brought in with her from the cold autumn day. He sat his phone down on the little table that held their coffees and stood up to gently kiss her cold and rosy cheek, warming her skin with his perfect lips. As she sat down - as close to him as the overstuffed couch would allow - she propped her leg up underneath her so she could turn and face him while she sipped her perfectly sweetened latte.
Blue sat her cup down, musing, "it's not as good as yours, but you have to give them credit for trying."
Gael laughed gently at her, "you're right, but their ambiance is a lot more appealing than the break room."
"I'll give you that one," Blue agreed.
"Also, I get to do this here," he murmured as he quickly closed the distance between them, his unexpected kiss in the shape of a smile. She could taste the bitterness of his rich cappuccino mingling with the sweetness of his lips, immediately creating her new favorite flavor. "And no one can interrupt," he said as he pulled away from her and quickly gave her one more small kiss, just for good measure.
Blue couldn't believe she was sitting in a cafe with Gael Nevárez, making out on a couch in the spare time between what seemed like his millionth interview that week and the evening performance of their hit new show. She had no idea what would happen all those months ago when she accepted Arjun's invitation to interview for the position of costume designer, but this was definitely not it. He made her laugh, she opened up to him about things she never spoke about, and she always felt something pulling her towards him. The silvery thread that had been forming between them was stronger; Blue could feel the bond tugging her closer to him while it also helped Gael's feelings for her grow clearer to him each time they were together.
They spent the few minutes they had together drinking their coffee and talking about the interview he had just done. Blue noticed that Gael began to shift uncomfortably towards the end of his story, picking at a stray thread on his jacket. He looked up at her and finally asked, "I have a question, and you can say no - seriously there's no pressure!"
"Sure, what is it?" Blue replied, unsure of what he could possibly be so fidgety about.
"When we were in the middle of the interview, they were asking about the costumes," Gael took her hand in his, "and I may have gone on and on about the costume designer and how amazing she is and the interesting process she had behind her designs...so they wanted to schedule an interview with you, if you're willing."
Blue was definitely not expecting this to be what he asked, and it left her speechless for a moment. The show hadn't even been open for a week so she wasn't prepared for anything like this. "You mean right now? Vanity Fair wants to talk to me?"
"No, actually their sister publication...have you ever heard of a little magazine called Vogue? They are giving you an entire month to prepare!" Gael assured her. "They want to give the show time to garner more attention and for people to get tired of hearing from me." He smiled at her, flashing his bright smile and making it seem impossible that anyone could ever tire of him. "Once the main cast gets worn out, they want to be the first place to start branching out and hearing about different aspects of the show. What better place to talk about costumes than with Vogue, if you're interested?"
Thinking about giving an interview to the most-read publication in the fashion world made her feel a little queasy, but she really wanted to promote the show and get it out to the world as much as possible. "I can try...I don't think I've spoken in front of people since my junior year of high school when I went to a school board meeting and berated them for cutting one-third of the art and music department's budget."
Imagining a teenage Blue in front of a crowd of miserly old men that were taking away her theater facilities made Gael laugh out loud. "And what came of that meeting? Did they raise the budget?" he wondered.
"Nope, two months later they lowered it even more. My friends and I were so furious we took matters into our own hands and fundraised every dollar needed to do Fiddler on the Roof without anything from the school board. When it came time to open the show, we specifically didn't allow them to come see a single performance."
Gael looked at her like he expected nothing less from her. "Of course you didn't," was his only response as he stole a piece of her hair for himself again, twisting it in his fingers absentmindedly.
A wicked smile appeared on Blue's face as she reminisced. "I don't think I've ever experienced a more vindictive satisfaction since that moment; it's hard to beat."
"I wish I knew you then, we could have used you on our side. My high school here in the city was severely underfunded, of course, so we basically did what we could with what we had. I remember wearing costumes that smelled like they were made thirty years before and never once washed."
Blue shuddered at the horror, "I promise to make sure your costumes are always fresh so you don't have to relive that nightmare." She asked him more about his high school and learned that he was as popular as she imagined he would have been, easily blending in with each crowd and getting along with everyone. He really was a chameleon, able to change to match his surroundings and make everyone feel comfortable. But this is also what made him feel lonely, he admitted, never feeling like he could really open up or be himself.
"Always putting on a show..." Blue said quietly, remembering the way he could slip on the mask as though it was second nature to him, always holding back from her in the beginning.
Gael looked sheepish and put his hand on her cheek, turning her to look into his eyes. "And yet you're the only one that has ever seen through that, I don't know how...but I feel more like myself when you're around. You have this way of not caring what I do - which sounds crazy to some people I'm sure - but for me, it's so refreshing; like being under water all day and then finally getting to come up for air when I'm around you."
"It's not that I don't care what you do, my success relies heavily on your success." Her joke made those crinkles she liked so much appear at the edges of his eyes as he smiled at her. "It's just that I have this incessant need to dive deeper with you, for some reason. I see the mask and want to pull you down to the depths with me to see what really lies beneath." Blue put her hand on the collar of Gael's jacket and gently kissed him, savoring what she knew might be the last moments she would have alone with him for a few days. When she looked up at him she eventually agreed, "okay, I'll do the interview, but will you go over interviewing techniques with me? Teach me how to not make a fool of myself and the show?"
"You don't have to do it, you know? I'll gladly help however I can, but most costume designers don't have much of a media presence, so if you don't feel comfortable you don't have to do anything but show up every day and help make sure Kalani and I do your costumes justice on stage." He took her hand that was still cold from her brisk walk to the cafe earlier and held it with his own warm hand, melting away the chill.
"It's fine, if there's one thing I'm good at it's talking about something powerful that I'm passionate about. I'll gladly tell everyone I know about it." She echoed her own words from the first time she met Gael, seeing the recognition dawn in his eyes as he also remembered.
They stood up to leave and Gael said he'd ask Malik to forward her the email with the details for setting up the interview. As he was opening the heavy wooden door of the cafe, the New York City street noises began to flood Blue's ears and she turned to Gael before they parted ways to ask, "this was a date, right?"
He stopped walking and turned to look at her, the question surprising him. "I think so...do you?"
"I do. I'm glad we agree. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page, I guess." She put her hands in her pockets to keep them warm, but also because she felt awkward questioning his intentions, as though her life was a Jane Austen novel.
Gael gave a short laugh and mumbled, "I'm not sure you are ready to be on the same page as I am yet," but Blue didn't hear him over the noise of two taxis honking their horns at each other in protest of their opposing driving skills.
—
By the time the end of opening week had finally arrived, everyone was excited to completely indulge themselves that evening and fully celebrate the success of the show and all their hard work coming to fruition. Ken told Blue that the guys were fully prepared and had been practicing in every spare moment. Their wives would be there that night to relive their golden days, since most of them had been together when the band was still performing shows.
Natasha and Blue had spent hours the days before getting everything ready in the spare room that Blue had cried on Arjun's shoulder in weeks before. Once the last curtain fell they wanted to be able to immediately bring it all out and start the party by the time everyone was done closing up the show. They had the framed posters ready to hang, t-shirts ready to hand out, and all the 90's themed decorations ready to set up on the cocktail tables they would spread around backstage. The plan was for everyone to hang out backstage and get drinks from the bartender they hired while Arcanum set up onstage. When they gave the thumbs up, everyone could go sit in the house to create a realistic concert ambiance. Curating this experience for everyone made Blue wonder if she missed her calling as a party planner, or if she just really enjoyed seeing Ken and his friends, and even Natasha, rekindle their love of creative outlets they had let fall by the wayside.
Blue was making sure all of the cassette tapes she had glued together as centerpieces were still holding up as Arjun stormed in and proclaimed, "I'm done! This is my official resignation! I'll no longer be the production manager for Nothing but Tombs, sorry you'll just have to find someone else. My new role as road manager for Arcanum has fulfilled all my dreams of being praised and adored at every step I take." He sat down on a pile of boxes as though they were the glittering throne he deserved. "The wives have not only been fawning over every word I utter, but one of them even cried when they saw the green room I set up for the band. She cried, Blue! Is there anything better? I think not." He put his hand over his heart and looked satisfied with their adoration.
"You can't leave us, Arjun! Who will make sure the delivery guys for concessions leave their boxes in the right location? You know no one else can persuade them like you can." Blue was opening all the disposable cameras she bought for everyone to use that night, creating a pile of plastic wrappers that crinkled each time she added another on top.
"Ahh you're right...what was I thinking?" Arjun came over to help her unwrap cameras. "I can't leave you all here to flounder without me keeping everything running smoothly. I guess I'll stay, just for you darling." He gave her an inquisitive look then, eyeing her as he unwrapped the last camera. "So...I've been meaning to ask. How are things with you-know-who? Any updates since you guys slept together?"
Blue froze, looking up at him slowly. "Uh...how did you know?"
Arjun shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms, admitting, "I didn't until now, but I had my suspicions."
Blue let out a groan that turned into a small embarrassed laugh; she was half disappointed that she was about to have to endure this conversation, but also half relieved she wouldn't need to keep her relationship with Gael from Arjun anymore. "You're too sneaky and too good at reading people, it's honestly just not fair. What gave it away?"
"First of all, his entire demeanor has changed. He's prancing around like, well, a guy that just got laid. It's incredibly obvious. I swear to God he is actually bouncing when he walks, it's embarrassing." Arjun raised one accusing eyebrow at Blue, "and then there's you...do you have any idea how much you light up when he walks into a room? You look like a kid that just found the cookie jar." Blue's cheeks filled with a blush as she rolled her eyes and laughed nervously. "If you guys are wanting to keep this thing a secret, for whatever reason, you are both going to have to be a little more discrete. At least you had the sense to take my excellent advice last time, so I'm assuming you'll do the same this time?"
"Well I don't think it's necessarily a secret, we are just taking things slow. I mean, we are now. After we...well, it was a little fast and now we are slowing down." Blue took a breath and explained, "he is worried about what others will think, but he's made some big progress in that department so for now we are just keeping things between us. It's no one's business really, and things are so chaotic right now with the show that it's better to not add one more thing to his list of stressors. Besides, it's kind of fun having a secret fling - well at least a secret to everyone else except you and I'm pretty sure Kiara suspects the same but won't say anything."
Arjun had to keep to his meticulously planned out schedule, so he had to leave her to begin prep for the show. As he was walking towards the door he turned to her and said, "just make sure you don't get hurt, okay? I don't think he would do anything on purpose, but he's got a past and it makes me worried for my girl Blue." He kissed her on the cheek and turned to leave her alone with her party planning.
Blue thought about his warning and wondered if he knew exactly how she felt about Gael already if he would be even more worried. She could feel herself being wrapped up in Gael quickly and wasn't sure if she could stop it. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stop it. Not being young and inexperienced, she assumed she wouldn't feel this way, but when she was with Gael it almost made her believe in soulmates.
Almost.
—
Looking forward to his first costume change was the only thing keeping Gael sane during his busy day with Malik and the press. As he walked into his dressing room to prepare for the show, he knew he would get what he had been looking forward to since he arrived at the theater earlier that day to begin warmups. Blue looked up from the rack she was hanging clothes on and smiled for him when she saw him. She let the last hanger clang against the rack and walked over to him without hesitation, standing on her tippy toes and wrapping her arms around him tightly as he bent down to kiss her. This kiss told her that he missed her and was tired of not being able to be around her; it told him she felt the exact same way.
Gael put his hands on her cheeks and gently held her as he whispered, "guess what?"
Blue was feeling lightheaded after his kiss, but was able to answer, "hmm?" and open her eyes to look at him.
He grinned triumphantly at her, as though he had just won a prize. "I have the entire day off tomorrow. As in, no interviews, no phone calls, no shows. Nothing." So, he had won a prize and now he was hinting at exactly how he wanted to collect it.
"What a coincidence! I, too, have the day off tomorrow." Her hands slowly slid down his back and pushed him closer to her. "Too bad, I already have plans."
His face fell, "oh yeah?"
"Mhmm, NASA called and they need help designing the next space suits. I just can't cancel on them again, they've been begging me for years." She gave him an exasperated look as he rolled his eyes.
"Wow, I have no chance beating that, do I? All I was going to do was ask you to go to The Met with me for a special behind-the-scenes tour to see the basement passageways, secret doors, boring stuff like that." He waited for her response and enjoyed watching her try to contain her excitement with each word he said.
"Fine, I guess I can have my people call their people to try and reschedule. I wouldn't want you to go alone, after all." She ran her finger along the curve of his lips and then kissed him once again. "That's for luck, now go get changed while I check on everyone else." Ever since opening night, she had been giving him a good-luck kiss before each show. It had become a superstition that confirmed that the show would go well, and made them both feel lucky.