Kate in Waiting Becky Albertalli (best way to read books TXT) đ
- Author: Becky Albertalli
Book online «Kate in Waiting Becky Albertalli (best way to read books TXT) đ». Author Becky Albertalli
Itâs a Rapunzel kind of feeling. A when-will-my-life-begin kind of feeling.
Mattâs so close to me now, by the piano, and I keep expecting my voice to go haywire or disappear altogether. But I push through, and I sound much more okay than expected. Not like Iâm perfect or anything, but I get the lyrics mostly right. And Mattâs as dreamy of a Sir Harry as ever, even though he canât quite nail the octave leap at the end of the second verse. But somehow this little vocal glitch makes him even cuter.
Mr. D is terrible at time management, so we only have time to run through âYesterday I Loved Youâ once before he hands us over to Ms. Zhao. By now, weâve already blocked bits and pieces of the scene with âIn a Little WhileââMs. Zhaoâs really good at squeezing little moments into the margins of full-cast rehearsals. But itâs the first time weâve ever run through it from the beginning of the scene, and Zhao keeps stopping the action to adjust us. âMatt, step forward. Good. Kate, lean back into him and put your hands over his hands. Yup.â
Cheesy prom pose for the win. Matt keeps quietly apologizing for the dampness of his shirt, which is so sweet, it makes me giggleâat least it would make me giggle if my lungs were even kind of working. But no, apparently my entire brain and body are closed for business, except that little spot on my rib cage where Mattâs hands are pressed.
I mean. These intensive rehearsals are something. They really are.
âOkay, great,â Ms. Zhao says. âDevonâs taking all of this down, so you can sit down with him later to add the notes to your script. But I say letâs keep it moving and knock out âYesterday I Loved You.â Whoâs ready for that kiss?â
Um, apparently Mr. D is. Because now heâs playing that âKiss Meâ song, the one with the line about milky twilight that Anderson swears is about semen. And wow. I sure do love associating that thought with Mr. D. Iâm probably super bright red now, and even Matt looks flustered. He shoots me this tentative look, like, are you ready?
Um, I was born ready. I was conceived ready. For the kiss, though, not for Mr. Dâs milky twilight. The kiss.
The Kiss.
Deep breath. I nod.
And . . . thunderclap. It catches me so off guard, I jump. âThatâs a loud one,â says Mr. D.
But Zhao acts like she didnât even hear it. âLetâs get started. Okay, Act Two, top of scene six. Itâs the middle of the night. Harry, youâre there pacing. And Larken, weâll start youââshe pauses to write somethingââdownstage left. Good. So Kate, youâre actually leaving the castle, running away to Normandy, but Harry hears you, and he turns around and saysâMatt, go ahead and say your line here.â
Matt puffs his chest up. âFriend or foe?â
âFriend,â I say.
âOkay, great. And letâs have you both stop in your tracks. Right there, yup. Center stage. And youâll stand there for a beat, looking at each other, and then Larken, you take a step toward him. Youâre drawn to him. And youâll say your line there, and then we have Harryâs line, and we move into the song.â
I glance up at Matt, and then back at Devon, whoâs got his head down, writing, and I donât even want to know what I look like right now. I feel like someone hollowed out my insides and replaced my bones with marshmallows. How am I supposed to survive blocking this song? Especially when this song is the only thing standing between me and the Kiss. The third kiss of my life. And since the first two were with Anderson, this is definitely my first kiss with potential. Iâm standing right at the edge of my happy ending. I just know it.
Maybe this is the kiss Matt and I will tell our kids about in thirty years. Weâll line them up on the couch, How I Met Your Motherâstyle, and describe every single moment in detail.
Blocking the song out feels like a dream. Like Iâm sleepwalking. Face each other. Now clasp your hands together. Now take a step closer and draw your hands up between your chests. Then cheat out, so youâre holding hands but facing the audience. And Matt, you step behind her again. Kate, you turn . . .
âGood,â Ms. Zhao says firmly, and everything blinks back into focus. âOkay, letâs block this kiss. Everyone feeling good?â
âGreat,â Matt says, smiling. He looks straight into my eyes when he says it.
âOkay! So letâs start from where you are. Kate, youâre turned all the way into his embrace, and letâs put your arms around his shoulders. Perfect. And Matt, letâs have you put your hands on her face. Really swoony and romantic.â
âOkay.â Matt cups my cheeks. âYou good?â he whispers.
I nod. âGood.â
âHmm. Actually, Matt, why donât you slide your hands a little farther back, just so weâre not losing her face. Good. Yes! Perfect. Kate, tilt your head up just a little bitââ
I honestly canât believe this is happening. Like. Holy shit. HOLY SHIT. And I know itâs onstage, and I know itâs being choreographed by a teacher, but the feeling in my stomach, in that spot below my belly button? Thatâs real.
Mattâs lips are so close now. Inches away. I can feel his breath.
Ms. Zhao looks up from her notebook finally. âAnd . . . they kiss.â
âAnd we kiss,â Matt says softly. Suddenly his lips are on mine.
And okay. Itâs not a makeoutâmore like a slightly extended peck. But itâs so achingly sweet, I could melt. I could seriously melt on the spot.
Matt Olsson just kissed me. He really did that. And now Iâm standing here tingling from my head to my feet, and he
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