Page 110 of Wish Upon A Star

The angels must have sent you

And they meant you just for me…”

Good lord,what a scene. No one speaks, nor even dares breathe, or rustle, or cough. There’s something sacred happening here.

You can feel it in the air, feel the weight of this moment on your soul.

She stands up and plays the melody, lost in the moment, lost in the music, and she does a step, a turn. She even knows the steps to the song? I can almost see her, alone in her room, watching this movie a thousand times, imaging herself as Debbie Reynolds, dancing with Gene Kelly in her mind.

My feet carry me, and I take the instrument from her, set it aside, and sweep her into the dance. Her eyes find mine, and the music is in our eyes, in the sparks flying between our gazes.

The steps, the number, the stage, the lights, the crew, the cameras—there’s none of it.

Just…us. Dancing.

Then there is music—slowly rising, imperceptible, from off-stage somewhere. Jolene smiles up at me, hand on my waist and the other in mine. It’s not the original choreography anymore, just improvised waltzing, step-two-three, turn and step back and in…

The music fades and we fall still, gazes locked.

And I can’t help but kiss her.

When we part, there’s applause.

Jolene starts, looking around in shock. “Have they been…”

I nod. “Yeah.”

She covers her mouth. “The whole time?”

Adam takes her hands from me, turns her to face him. “Young lady, that was…heavenly. I’ve never witnessed anything like that in my life.”

She blinks. “The stage was empty. I’ve…I’ve seen the movie so many times, and to be on this stage?” She blinks again. “I didn’t know anyone was watching. I hope I didn’t—”

He’s emotional. “It was magic, my dear. Just…pure magic.” He rubs his hands together, then his face. Shakes his head. “It’s the kind of Hollywood magic you can’t create on purpose. Thank god we got it on film.”

I notice then that the main cameras were running; the ADs are rewatching the footage on the monitor. They’ve got their hands over their mouths. I see some of the crew dabbing their eyes.

Jolene sees all this. Her breath catches, and she looks to me.

“You’re amazing,” I tell her, with a shrug.

Fingers fly on phones, and I know this is going to hit the media like a firestorm.

She sees this too. “They’re posting it online, aren’t they?”

I nod. “I can ask them to take it down, if you want, or not post it.”

She glances at Adam. “It’ll help the movie, though, won’t it?”

He grins. “Better than all the publicity we’ve done so far put together, honey.”

“It’s you and me in the public, isn’t it?” she asks me.

I nod.

She walks into my arms, and I envelop her in a hug. “I didn’t mean to…I didn’t know anyone was watching.”

“I know,” I murmur. “That’s what makes it so magical.”