ANMELDENEveryone in town knows Jeffrey Williams—the hometown star who went from small productions to Broadway and television fame. But after years in the spotlight, Jeff has returned home, craving the quiet of familiar streets and the comfort of community theater. Daniel Lewis, the assistant stage manager, never expected his latest show to come with a front-row seat to his longtime crush. Shy, meticulous, and still nursing the wounds of a past relationship, Daniel wants nothing more than to keep his head down and do his job. But when Jeff’s piercing blue eyes land on him, the stage lights aren’t the only thing leaving him breathless. As rehearsals stretch into late nights and the line between performance and reality begins to blur, Jeff and Daniel find themselves drawn into a connection neither of them anticipated. But with gossip swirling backstage, old insecurities rising, and Jeff facing new offers that could pull him away again, both men must decide— is this just a fleeting spotlight romance, or the start of something real when the curtain falls? A heartfelt, slow-burn M/M romance filled with stage banter, stolen glances, and the magic of love found in unexpected places.
Mehr anzeigen* Jeff * The discussion at the bar went on for hours. So did the drinking. Once the events leading up to the cast party had been thoroughly rehashed, Mark and Scott both unbent. Scott promised to read the scripts and get back to us by New Year's at the latest. As I had expected, the prospect of championing an overlooked talent was irresistible to him. Mark—gruff, irritable, standoffish Mark—treated first Daniel, then me to rib-cracking bear hugs once he fully comprehended where we stood with one another. When she learned the full story, Kelly was horrified at her role in letting Timothy backstage. She actually burst into outrageous death threats against him when she realized the trouble that action could have caused. Personally, I thought setting her loose on Timothy was exactly the right idea. It would have been gratifying to see the mama bear unleashed against someone I felt thoroughly deserved it. Daniel
* Jeff *The cast party was a time of great hilarity. Strong word of mouth had brought in large, appreciative audiences during the last week of the run, so the theater managers, board and donors were in an expansive mood. Our little family of performers and crew members swung back and forth between exhilaration and sorrow that our adventure together had come to an end. Scott, taking a break from his latest directing project, was there celebrating with us, the life of the party as always.Our parents-to-be, Heather and Justin, once again stole the spotlight when Heather showed up sporting a brand new sparkling engagement ring. We fell all over each other trying to outdo one another with our congratulations. She proclaimed, "I know, it's a huge cliché, a shotgun wedding, but we were really just postponing the inevitable, so why wait?" She snuggled up to her fiancé's side.Julie and her family had driven into town for Christmas, and Joe and Mom
* Daniel *The rest of the week flew by in a giddy blur. We didn't say anything to the cast about our plans for the future, but something must have showed in our faces. Angela took one look at me Tuesday night and gave me a dazzling smile. Heather managed a weak one—as it turned out, she was indeed suffering from morning sickness. Christina pulled me aside for an awkward hug and whispered, "You're a lucky man, Daniel Lewis."The afternoon of the final performance, we were hurrying around the house—our house, in just a little more than a month it would be home for real and I could call it that—getting ready to leave. After much discussion, we had decided to bring four of Ron Gordon's plays for Scott to see: one comedy and the final three dramas, which made up a trilogy about a tragic love affair between two men in the 1930s."Babe, where are the copies of those scripts for Scott?" I asked, searching the bedroom.From the kitchen, Jeff replied, "The
* Daniel *Monday. Dark day at the theater. The weather had turned cold again, with snow in the forecast for later in the day. I had hoped we could spend one of our long lazy mornings in bed together, but it turned out Jeff had a doctor's appointment. So I was hanging out alone in his living room sipping my coffee and thumbing through back issues of Vanity Fair when the doorbell rang. I cracked the front door open and peeked out. A blast of chilly winter air numbed my cheeks and hands. A young man in a heavy jacket was standing there with a large manila envelope in his mittened hands."Jeffrey Williams?" he asked."He's not here right now. Can I help you?" I asked."I have a delivery from Professor Ryan at the university. Some plays he asked me to bring over.""I can take that for him. Do you need me to sign anything?""No, sir. Have a nice day."Sir? There were, what, maybe six years between us?"Thank you, you
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