#Chapter 39: Backstage

YENA It was not how I’d expected to spend the night before the show. Fucking and fighting with Nolan. I figured I’d be up obsessing over the work, finding something to mess with and maybe mess up at the last minute. All the drama at least distracted me from thinking about all that. Next thing I knew my alarm was going off in the morning. Nolan was in the shower. I went in after him and he left the room without looking at me. I was getting dressed when he came to tell me he was leaving. He walked up from behind me and put his arms around me and kissed my cheek. “You’re going to be great,” he said, making eye contact with me in the mirror. “Thank you,” I said. Neither of us tried a smile. The air in the room was thick. I turned around before he could leave and looked him in the eye directly. Nolan opened his mouth and froze. I could almost see the words trying to fight their way out of his mouth. “I just want you to be safe,” he said. It seemed like he