Sophie nodded, her gaze dropping to Jules’s lips.
Without giving herself a chance to second-guess things, Jules leaned in, eyes sliding shut as her lips met Sophie’s. Soft. That was the first thought that reached her brain. Sophie’s lips were unexpectedly soft. They lingered like that for a long moment, lips pressed together, exactly what she would do upstairs with Micki, but Jules couldn’t help thinking this was somehow better, and not just because no one was watching.
Sophie tilted her head to the side, changing the angle of the kiss, and wow, that was good. Jules leaned in a little more, thrilled by the faintly fruity taste of Sophie’s lip gloss and the way her lips moved against Jules’s. There was a tingle in her belly, an awareness that spread warmth over her skin and ignited a yearning ache deep inside her. Whoa. She lifted her head, dazed. She could hear herself breathing, blood pumping hard and fast through her veins. Was this her reaction to kissing a woman, or was it a reaction to kissing Sophie?
Sophie grinned at her, lips glistening from their kiss. A flush had spread over the pale skin of her chest, which was heaving for breath, the same as Jules’s. “That was nice.”
Jules nodded, reaching up to fuss with her hair, suddenly not sure what to do with her hands. “Very nice.”
“I really don’t want to rush you, but we’d better get back up there before Andrew comes looking for you,” Sophie said, and was Jules imagining things, or did she seem a bit flustered too?
She nodded. “You’re right. I’m ready.”
They stood, and Sophie opened the door. Jules didn’t know where to look, what to say, how to act as she followed Sophie. She felt like her whole world had been knocked off its axis, like she was spinning sideways, careening out of orbit. Really and truly, she needed a few minutes alone to collect herself, to calm her emotions and figure out how she felt about that kiss, about confessing her sexuality to Sophie, about all of it.
“You sure you’re okay?” Sophie asked, giving her an inquiring look.
“Yes.” Because this wasn’t the time for her to sort herself out. She had a job to do and a whole stage full of people waiting for her to get back out there and do it. She touched Sophie’s shoulder as they stepped into the hallway together. “Thanks.”
“Any time.” Sophie led the way to the stairs.
Jules walked a step behind her, taking the opportunity to compose herself before they reached the stage. The other actors seemed to have gone on their break. Only Kari, Andrew, and Simon remained on stage, deep in conversation.
“Everything okay?” Kari asked as she caught sight of Jules and Sophie.
“Yes,” Jules said with a nod. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem,” Kari said, giving Jules an assessing look. “Unless there is a problem I should know about?”
“Nope. First-onstage-kiss jitters, but Sophie talked me through it.” Among other things…
“Great. Well, please let me know if you’re feeling uncomfortable with anything, but otherwise, let’s finish blocking this scene.”
“I’m ready,” Jules told her with a nod.
Micki sauntered onto the stage, giving Jules an odd look. “I don’t bite, you know.”
“I know,” Jules said. “Sorry about that.”
“Okay, then,” Kari said. “From the top.”
Jules and Micki ran smoothly through their lines, hitting their marks. Their hands clasped. Their eyes met. And then, Jules leaned in, pressing her lips firmly against Micki’s. Unlike her kiss with Sophie, this time she felt absolutely nothing.
“A bit more to the front, ladies,” Kari called.
Onstage, Jules and Micki angled themselves toward the audience, lips still pressed together. Sophie looked down at her shoes. She’d already been dreading watching Jules kiss Micki. And now that Sophie herself had kissed Jules? Yeah, this was torture.
She ducked behind Amir and made her way down the hall to the break room. After snagging a bag of chips from the table in back, she sank into a chair and began to eat, crunching through her feelings. Oh, she was so screwed. And still reeling from Jules’s confession. Her vulnerability in that moment, the weight of her choosing Sophie as the first person she came out to, the wonder in her eyes as she brought their lips together…
Well, suffice to say, Sophie’s crush had grown exponentially. But at the same time, she was no closer to acting on her feelings. Because, while Jules definitely seemed to enjoy the kiss as much as she did, she probably wasn’t looking for a relationship while she was still sorting herself out, and Sophie didn’t date people who weren’t out.
She’d learned that lesson the hard way when she fell head over heels in love with a woman who’d kept Sophie in the shadows of her life, not willing to introduce her to her friends or family, despite constant promises that things would change. Eventually, Brianna had gotten cold feet entirely and dumped Sophie rather than come to terms with her sexuality. Sophie refused to put herself in that situation again.
She crunched through the rest of her chips, washed them down with some water, and made her way back to the stage, hoping Jules and Micki were finished kissing. And apparently, she was in luck. Two theater employees were in the process of wheeling the piano onstage for Jules’s solo. Sophie went down the steps into the audience and sat beside Tabitha and Elena to watch.
“What happened earlier when Jules ran off?” Tabitha whispered.
Sophie shrugged. “She was just nervous about her first onstage kiss.”
“And you talked her through it?” Tab’s eyebrows rose questioningly.
“Yep.” And that was all she was going to say on the matter.
Onstage, Jules began to sing, her rich voice filling the theater. She glanced toward the audience, looking straight at Sophie. A smile touched her lips before she shifted her gaze to the musical director, Francesca.
By the time they’d worked through Jules’s solo, it was almost five, and Kari sent them home for the night. Sophie headed downstairs with Tabitha, who was in a hurry to get ready for a date. Sophie gathered her things and walked down the hall, finding Jules’s door open. “Still on for that drink?”
Jules looked down at her hands as she nodded, a hint of her earlier insecurity reappearing. “Yeah.”
“Cool. I thought Dragonfly might be a good option. It’s kind of on our way home, and—”
“It’s a gay bar?” Jules gave her an amused look. “Yeah, that’s fine.” She slipped into a navy-blue wool coat that belted at the waist and grabbed her purse.
They didn’t talk much as they walked to the bar. Sophie figured their conversation would be easier once they’d had a drink or two to loosen up. She had so many questions, but she knew her role here was to listen and provide support. She had to keep her personal feelings out of it.
Dragonfly was comfortably empty when they arrived, a handful of people at the bar and two tables occupied in the back. A steady hum of conversation mixed with the bar’s jazz music, just enough to keep them from feeling self-conscious about being overheard, but it wasn’t too loud to hear each other talk.
Josie and a male bartender were behind the bar, mixing drinks. She waved them over with a smile. “Hey! How are my two favorite Broadway actresses?”