Page 21 of Don’t Love the Boy Next Door (Hotties Next Door #2)

Chapter Nineteen

Katie

I enter the auditorium and take a seat in the front row. I can’t believe opening night is only a few weeks away. We still have so much to do, but things are looking amazing so far and I’m so excited.

It’s a little hard to think that in only a few weeks, I won’t be spending nearly all my afternoons with Eric. I mean, I’ll still see him at band practice, but doing this musical with him is something special the two of us share. It’ll suck when it’s over.

I peer at Eric, who sits a few seats away from me. He doesn’t look as nervous as he did last week. I think now that he has the lines down, he finally believes he can do this.

As if he feels me watching him, he turns his head toward me. I’m about to tear my eyes away and silently yell at myself for staring like that, but he smiles warmly and waves. I return the smile, thinking back to Saturday. I had so much fun hanging out with him and wish we could do it every weekend.

“Good afternoon,” Miss Diaz greets as she walks into the auditorium. “I want Belle and Gaston on stage.”

We’re doing the scene where Gaston asks Belle to marry him.

I always feel everyone’s eyes on me when I’m on stage, and I’m kind of used to it, but now…

I’m nervous for some reason. I look out at the audience and find Eric’s eyes fastened on me, a smile on his lips.

He’s watched me perform my scenes since I got Belle, but I feel totally uneasy now.

I’m worried I’ll mess up and make a total fool of myself. In front of Eric. Which is ridiculous.

“I just don’t deserve you,” I say, dodging Gaston’s lips.

We end the scene, and thankfully Miss Diaz is pleased with it. We do a few more scenes that feature Belle, and then our director tells me I can return to my seat.

When I’m halfway down the stairs, she says, “Actually, Katie, wait. I think I want to do the dance scene.”

“The dance?” I ask, my blood starting to race.

“Yeah.” She rubs her chin. “You and Eric haven’t rehearsed it yet, have you?”

“Um, well…” Sort of?

She tells Eric, Gabby, Lumiere, and Cogsworth to join me on stage.

My heart speeds up even more. I can’t forget the way Eric and I danced together the last time. How his hand touched mine, the spark I felt, the way he dipped me and stared into my eyes…

I snap out of it when Eric’s cologne, or soap, or whatever it is that makes him smell so good seeps into my nose.

Every part of me is so wound up I wish I could smack some sense into myself.

I’ve always considered myself a professional, but I unravel every time I have to do a romantic scene with Eric.

Seriously, what’s wrong with me? It’s just a scene. Not real. It doesn’t mean anything.

Miss Diaz instructs us to begin. I go off to the side while Beast talks with Lumiere and Cogsworth. Then he and I meet at the center of the stage.

Eric looks just as nervous and awkward as he did the last time.

I reach to caress his face, and his eyes slowly flutter shut.

I swallow hard before I take his hand and place it on my waist. Electricity sparks through me, just like last time, but it’s more intense now.

My hand is a little shaky as I place it on his shoulder. Then I take his free hand in mine.

His eyes bore into mine as we glide across the stage. Everyone around me blurs into the background as I stare into Eric’s face. The only sound comes from Gabby’s beautiful voice as she sings “Beauty and the Beast.”

Our gazes don’t leave each other’s once, like they’re magnets.

His movement is gentle but commanding, and the hand on my waist feels strong but also feather-like.

He sweeps me across the stage as though he’s been dancing his whole life.

Even though I’m not dressed in the golden ball gown, right now I feel like a princess.

Eric dips me, his face dangerously close to mine. His lips are dangerously close to mine. It takes all I have to keep my eyes trained on his face.

Until his gaze drops to my mouth. I lose all resolve and look at his.

We remain staring at each other like that until Gabby hits a high note, yanking us out of our reverie. Eric gently tugs me upward and we continue dancing.

“Beautiful, Eric and Katie,” Miss Diaz says.

We finish the dance and the rest of the scene. I’m so…tense that I don’t think I’m doing a good job. But Miss Diaz cheers us on, so I push through. When it’s done, I’m so relieved I make a beeline for my seat.

“And I’d like to rehearse the kiss again.”

I freeze in my tracks and slowly turn around. The kiss scene?

My eyes immediately sprint to Eric. A look of unease passes over his face.

I know he’s remembering how I freaked out the last time.

I bet every single person in the room is.

Miss Diaz gives me an encouraging nod and a smile.

She’s right—I can do this. No more freaking out and taking a tumble down the stairs.

Raising my head, I walk to the center of the stage. You can do this. You can do this .

Eric steps next to me, his eyes searching mine. “You good?” he whispers.

I nod so fast I get dizzy for a second. “I’m good.”

He lies down on the floor and I, after taking a deep breath and telling myself for the millionth time that I can do this, lower myself over him.

Weeping and gripping his arm frantically, I say, “Please don’t leave me.” I bend my head close to his, my forehead brushing his chin. “I love you.”

With a jerk of his head, his eyes fly open and he straightens up from the floor, with me sliding off him.

I gape at him like I have no idea what the heck is going on.

He spins around and, per Miss Diaz’s instructions, holds his hands out to the audience, presenting the real man.

Then he slowly turns to face the girl who’s blinking at him from the floor.

He sings the short song where he informs me that it’s him, the Beast, holding out his hand toward me.

I stare at him for a few long seconds before rising to my feet. “It is you,” I gasp.

He takes my hand and gives me a small twirl, then sweeps me into his arms and closes his lips over mine.

I’m as still as a tree, so not prepared for that level of confidence.

Especially because of how awkward we were the first time we did this.

But then I remember I’m Belle and return the kiss, my eyes fluttering shut.

This kiss…it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before in my life. Eric’s lips move over mine so softly and leisurely, like he’s taking his time to savor this moment. His hands gently grip the sides of my chin as my hands tangle in his long hair.

I feel as though I’ve floated up to heaven.

His lips move over mine so sweetly, as though he, as Beast, is showing this woman—the woman who learned to accept him despite his appearance—how much he loves her.

How much she means to him. How much he cherishes this moment.

How he can’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her.

“Wonderful!”

Was that Miss Diaz? She sounds so far away.

“Eric, Katie?”

She sounds even further away.

“Aaaand scene!”

Did she say something again?

“Eric, Katie!”

Her sharp voice causes my eyes to snap open. I stare into Eric’s amazing blue eyes, getting lost in them. He stares into mine, seeming to get lost in mine, too.

A few chuckles echo off the walls. I stagger back and look around, my cheeks flushing when I realize exactly where I am and what’s going on. Eric and I break away from each other like we got electrocuted.

“Well that was…dedication,” Miss Diaz says, causing more chuckles.

My face is so hot I think I might melt.

“Maybe you guys should tone it down next time? Okay, now let’s have Gaston and LeFou on stage!”

I keep my head down as I follow Eric toward the steps. What was that? I’ve done kiss scenes before, but I never got so lost in them I couldn’t differentiate fiction from reality. It must be because Eric is a good kisser. Seriously, it’s like his lips are magic.

“Sorry,” he says as we climb down the stairs.

I look at him, my cheeks once again growing hot. “It’s okay. At least I didn’t freak out and tumble down the stairs.”

That makes him smile.

I sit down in my seat and do whatever I can not to replay the scene over and over in my head. Or how amazing Eric’s lips felt against mine.

***

Phoenix is watching Netflix when I enter the house.

I drop my bag in the corner of the room and sit down next to her.

She gives me a quick smile as she focuses back on her show, but I don’t think it qualifies as a real smile.

It’s rare to see her so down like this. She didn’t want to admit it to me, but I know she fell pretty hard for LiamC.

But he doesn’t exist. I wish I knew how to help her, but I suck in this department.

And anyway, I don’t think anything I say or do can make her feel better.

She’ll have to figure this out on her own.

“No live streams today?”

She shrugs. “I promised my viewers I would try a new FPS, but I’m not in the mood.”

Gaming has always been her way to escape, to cope with whatever suckiness was going on in her life. But this time, gaming would just remind her of Liam. And I know anything to do with her channel would remind her of him, too.

I think the only thing I can do for her right now is be with her. Just like she’s been here for me the past two months.

She’s watching an action movie that has zero romance.

Which is fine with me because honestly, I don’t want to think about romance, either.

Because that would just remind me of the hot kiss I shared with Eric only an hour ago.

My lips still tingle and my heart flutters every time the memory bounces in my mind.

I don’t know why I’m obsessing. I bet he hasn’t even thought about it once. I mean, we were just acting out a scene . Why has the reality somehow gotten lost in my brain?