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Genevieve sat up, a satisfied smirk playing on her lips as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. The sight of Eden's wetness glistening on Genevieve's chin was so erotic, she was momentarily tempted to push her director back down and climb on top of her for round two.
Instead, she closed her eyes for a beat and inhaled deeply, basking in the moment before it inevitably faded, and she had to pretend she wasn’t consumed by everything she felt for thewoman beside her. They sat in silence, both coming down from the high of their shared pleasure. Eden's mind whirled, still awestruck by what just happened.
"I can't believe we just did that," Eden finally said, giving voice to her thoughts. She glanced around the empty theatre, half-expecting to see scandalized faces peering out from behind the curtains. "Right here on the stage. Anyone could have walked in and seen us!"
Genevieve chuckled, the sound low and rich. She turned to Eden, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Sometimes you need to live a little, Eden," she said, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Eden's ear. Her touch lingered, fingers trailing down Eden's jaw in a gentle caress. "Take risks. Let yourself get caught up in the moment."
The way Genevieve was looking at her, with such open want and admiration, made Eden's heart stutter in her chest. For a brief, wild moment, she allowed herself to imagine that this was more than just sex, that the tenderness in Genevieve's gaze meant something deeper.
In that moment, with Genevieve staring at her like she'd hung the moon, Eden felt invincible. The words tumbled from her lips before she could stop them.
"I love you," she whispered.
The instant the confession left her mouth, Eden felt the world grind to a halt. She watched, as if in slow motion, as Genevieve's expression shifted from bliss to shock, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open slightly.
For a long, agonizing moment, neither of them moved. Eden's heart pounded in her ears, her heart caught in her throat as she waited for Genevieve to say something, anything.
Finally, Genevieve's hands slipped from Eden's grasp. She scrambled back, her brow furrowing as if she were trying tosolve a particularly complex puzzle while she rose to her feet and buttoned her trousers.
"Eden, I . . ." Genevieve began, her voice uncharacteristically shaky. "I don't . . . I mean, we agreed this wasn't . . ."
Eden felt her heart plummet to her feet instead, a cold wave of dread washing over her. She'd done it now. She'd ruined everything with three little words.
"I'm sorry," Eden rushed to say, desperate to salvage the peace from just minutes ago. "I didn't mean to . . . I just got caught up in the moment. You don't have to?"
But Genevieve was already shaking her head, backing away further. "No, I . . . I can't do this. I'm sorry, Eden. I thought we understood each other."
Eden watched helplessly as Genevieve turned away, her movements jerky and rushed as she gathered her things from the front row. "I should go," Genevieve muttered, not meeting Eden's eyes. "It's late. We'll . . . we'll talk about this another day."
Before Eden could formulate a response, Genevieve was hurrying down the aisle toward the exit. The heavy theatre door slammed shut behind her, the sound echoing in the empty space like a gunshot.
Eden sat frozen on the stage, knees pulled up to her chest, staring at the spot where Genevieve had disappeared. The silence pressed in around her, suffocating and absolute. She couldn't quite believe what had just happened. One moment, she'd been flying high, and the next . . .
Slowly, the reality of it all began to sink in. She'd confessed the love she’d been desperately trying to bury for weeks, and Genevieve had run. Literally run away from her. As if Eden's feelings were some kind of contagious disease she might catch if she stayed too close.
A choked sob escaped Eden's throat, shattering the stillness. She dropped her head to her knees, her body trembling beneaththe crushing weight of everything she’d just destroyed. How could she have been so stupid? She'd known from the beginning that this was just a casual thing for Genevieve, that she’d never want her for anything more than a quick fuck. And yet, Eden had gone and fallen in love anyway.
What would happen now? Would Genevieve fire her from the play? Would she ever be able to look Eden in the eye again? The thought of facing her in rehearsal tomorrow, of trying to pretend this never happened, made Eden's chest tighten until she could barely draw breath.
As the minutes ticked by, Eden remained on the empty stage, her mind racing like a sickening rollercoaster. She imagined herself begging Genevieve for forgiveness, promising to keep things strictly professional from now on. She pictured Genevieve coldly informing her that she was being replaced, that she wasn't mature enough to handle the role after all.
When the ache in her hunched spine got too fierce to ignore, Eden forced herself to her feet. With heavy steps, she made her way off the stage and down the aisle. She paused at the exit, her hand on the door handle. For a moment, she allowed herself one last fantasy – Genevieve bursting back through the doors, declaring that she loved Eden too, that everything would be different now.
But the doors remained stubbornly closed, the theatre empty around her. Eden took a deep, shuddering breath, squaring her shoulders.
With one final glance back at the stage where her world had shattered, Eden pushed open the door and let it close on the last moments she expected she’d ever spend in Genevieve’s arms.
13
GENEVIEVE
Genevieve's footsteps echoed almost ominously through the empty theatre as she strode down the aisle the next morning. The familiar scent of dust and old velvet enveloped her, usually comforting, but today only heightening her unease. She glanced at her watch - 7:30 AM. The tech run wasn't due to start for another two and a half hours, but Genevieve’s insides roiled with an unfamiliar anxiety.
She climbed the steps to the stage, her keen eyes sweeping over the set. Everything seemed to be in order, but something felt off. It took her a moment to realize what it was. The space felt incomplete without Eden standing resplendent at its heart.
The weight of last night’s disastrous finale felt like a pounding pressure on Genevieve’s skull. She took a seat in the same chair she’d watched from as Eden had mastered each of her scenes down to the finest detail. Massaging her fingers into her temples, Genevieve groaned. She could only hope that her discomfort would pass when Eden arrived. They just needed to have a calm conversation, to put emotions aside for the sake of their work. Now was no time for everything to go off the rails just for the sake of some hurt feelings.
Eden will see sense. It was just a post-orgasmic lapse in judgement. I’m not what she wants.
