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“Charlie, love, stop worrying so much,” Orlando said, taking my hands in his. “I’m sure he’ll ring you soon.” He leaned over and kissed me gently. “Just relax.”

I tried to smile, but the nerves that were knotting wildly in my stomach made it more of a cringe. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve been waiting for that phone call since I was a little girl.” I sighed and let him pull me closer to him on the sofa in my living room. “I never thought it would actually be a possibility.”

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Once I’d finished with my make-up and hair, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed home. Orlando answered on the third ring.

“What?” He sounded annoyed.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” I said immediately. Being British and sickeningly polite most of the time, he never answered the phone that way.

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My hangover the next morning was vicious, and I contemplated not getting out of bed at all. That is, until my stomach told me it had other plans. I felt Orlando stir beside me as I sat up, then bolted to the bathroom.

When I returned to the bedroom ten minutes later, with freshly brushed teeth and a headache that felt like someone was drilling a hole in my skull, specifically above my left eye, Orlando had set up a tray on the bed, with dry toast and two bottles of water on it. I smiled to myself as I crawled back under the covers, careful not to dislodge the tray.

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A few days later, I went shopping with Lisa, trying to find the perfect dress for the Tony Awards ceremony. We still weren’t sure if Orlando would be able to go, but whether he did or not, I still had to look fabulous, just in case I won.

“So what kind of dress are we looking for?” Lisa said as we looked through some dresses at an upscale boutique a few blocks from our apartment. “Sassy, slutty, sexy?”

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“Where the hell did that come from?” Nick said, looking directly at me. “She just unloaded!”

I rolled my eyes. “I know,” I said. “I was there.” I looked up at Adam, at the hurt on his face. “Are you okay?” I whispered.

He nodded. “You’d better go after her,” he said softly, trying to smile. “She needs you more than I do.”

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I can’t have been out for very long, because there was still lots of shouting when I came to. But it wasn’t Adam or Orlando leaning over me when I opened my eyes. I was staring up into the most beautiful blue eyes I’d ever seen, and I reached up a hand to the face they belonged to, just to make sure it was real.

“She’s coming to,” the face said, not turning away from me. “This isn’t exactly what I had in mind for our first meeting, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers, right?”

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I was running, my legs pumping fast and hard. Sweat was pouring from my body as I tried to go faster, but couldn’t. It seemed as though every step got slower, and whatever I was running from got closer. I screamed as Sean’s face loomed above me, so suddenly that I crashed into him. He grabbed me and threw me down on the ground, tackling me and holding me down as I struggled, screaming and crying. He ripped the dress I was wearing, and I could smell his sour breath on my face as he came down fast to kiss me. I gagged, fighting with all my might, but he was too strong. I felt his weight crushing me, I heard his words, heard the awful things he was saying as he began lightly shaking my shoulder.

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I spent the rest of the day in bed, trying to relax, to rest. Orlando curled up with me as best he could, and for short periods of time, I could handle being in his arms, but it never lasted very long. I got up at six o’clock to get ready to go to work.

Just as I was pulling my hair into the required bun so it could be put under the wig, Elijah showed up at the door. I came into the living room to find the biggest fruit basket I’d ever seen. But when I opened it, there was no fruit inside, there was wine, CDs, and bath products. I had a feeling he didn’t pick it out himself.

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When I got home, Orlando and Elijah were waiting for me in the living room. They both looked to me expectantly as I closed the apartment door behind me and threw my purse on the coffee table.

“Everything all right, love?” Orlando said, getting up from the sofa and coming over to me. He didn’t look suspicious at all, but I felt like his eyes were boring into me, the guilt was so strong. I kept telling myself that I hadn’t done anything wrong.

I tried to smile. “Just fine,” I said, reaching up to kiss his cheek. “I’m going to have a bath, and then get some sleep. You guys have fun, okay?”

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For the next three hours, I sat, spellbound, as the performers in front of me put on a spectacular show. They were in street clothes for the most part, not costumes, and they were only doing bits and pieces of the dancing and other choreography, but each and every one of them completely became their characters. They did so well, it could have been a full-blown show, rather than a concert. I couldn’t take my eyes off Adam when he sang, loving how rich and powerful his voice was, how beautiful he was under the lights. I tried not to let my thoughts show on my face, but I know they did, as Orlando squeezed my leg gently every once in awhile, as if to let me know he was still there. By the end, I had tears in my eyes, and not just because the show was so powerful. I dashed them away as the lights came up and we stood to applaud.

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