Waiting in the Wings by Melissa Brayden Read Free Book Online Page A

guys tomorrow.” And without waiting for a response from anyone, she was gone.
    What was that about? I decided I at least needed to try to talk to her and make sure things were okay. I said good night to everyone and headed for the door.
    It was starting to rain a little. I had an umbrella in my bag, but I didn’t bother. I caught sight of Adrienne halfway down the block. I doubled my pace and jogged up beside her.
    “Hey.” I slowed her down with a hand to her arm. “That was a pretty quick exit. Everything all right?” Thunder rolled in the distance.
    She paused. She looked thoughtful, turning to face me fully. “You didn’t tell me you were gay.”
    Okay, here we go. “It didn’t come up, I guess.” I took a moment to gather my thoughts. “It’s not like I meant to keep it a secret,
    Adrienne. I’m sorry if it upsets you. I didn’t want it to. I guess if we’re being honest, that’s maybe why I didn’t bring it up right away. It was stupid, I know but—”
    “It doesn’t upset me. I just didn’t realize. I think if I had—” “Then what? What would you have changed?” I was starting
    to feel a little defensive. “Would we not have been friends? Does it make you uncomfortable?”
    “No, I just would have handled a lot of things differently.” “Differently how?”
    “Like this.” She dipped her head and captured my lips in an unexpected though utterly searing kiss. As she released me, I stared back at her, stunned.
    “But you and Ben are—” “Close friends,” she said.
    “Close friends,” I repeated slowly, taking in this new information. If Adrienne was a lesbian then my mind had a lot of rearranging to do. Not that I was at all against rearranging.
    “Jenna, I’m gay. I thought you knew that. Hell, everyone here knows that.”
    “Wow.” I ran my hand through my hair, noticing it was getting wet. The rain was beginning to pick up, but I wasn’t finished with this conversation. I took Adrienne’s hand and pulled her under the awning of a nearby store. For a moment we stared at each other. The dim light from the nearby streetlamp illuminated her face just enough for me to find myself disarmed by the way she was looking at me. I let the fingers of my right hand brush her cheek.
    She turned into my hand slightly. “Is this a good idea?”
    I leaned in a little and my lips slowly pressed against hers in a soft, lingering kiss. It was a simple kiss, but I felt its results all the way to my toes. As I pulled back, she looked at me, surprised it seemed, before closing her eyes and resting her forehead against mine.
    “Jenna,” she began quietly, “I like you a lot, but I’m fully com- mitted to this show, and I’m not sure what I can offer at this point.”
    “I’m not asking you for anything. I just know I like spending time with you. Can we start there? No strings, I promise.”
    She seemed to consider this for a moment. “I wouldn’t mind us spending some time together. But you have to understand these people look to me as a leader both on and off stage. I have to set an example, and I have to be professional about this and remember why I’m here. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for much else. I’ve been down that path and it doesn’t often work.”
    I nodded my head, fully understanding her concern. “I think we’re on the same page. Why don’t we play it by ear?”
    “We could do that, I suppose. Play it by ear.” Adrienne leaned in and kissed me softly on the cheek. “Sweet dreams, Jenna.” She turned and walked back to the hotel. I watched her go and shook my head, marveling at how quickly things could change.

    C hapter t hree

    I

    was exhausted. Beyond exhausted. It was my last day of rehearsal, and I refused to give in to it. There was too much
    going on. I popped a multivitamin and got myself dressed. After today, I would be on my own, and I was filled with self-doubt at that prospect. Questions raced through my head. What if I wasn’t ready? What if