Just a Little Heartache (The Brotherhood #5) - Merry Farmer Page 0,3
ballet that the Concord Theater shared an alley with during breaks. But that didn’t mean Niall was ready to spill the whole sad story of his shattered love affair.
“Oh.” Martin seemed satisfied enough with the cryptic answer. “Friends are lovely, aren’t they?” Before Niall could answer, Martin breezed on with, “Anyhow, about this line.” He managed to hold the script up enough so that Niall could see the scene in question. “Do you want me to be serious or comedic with this line? Or with the whole part. I mean, I would never want to steal focus from the Everett Jewel, but it strikes me that quite a bit could be made of this part.”
Niall’s mouth twitched into a grin. Martin would never be competition for Everett in terms of leading man material, but as a comedic performer, Martin was perfectly capable of stealing shows, whether he knew it or not. That was precisely why Niall had pushed to have him cast in spite of Abrams’s hesitation.
“Make the most of it, I say,” he told Martin, resting a hand over his heart to make sure Blake’s letter was secure. “Go ahead and challenge Everett’s standing as the star of the show.”
“Oh, I could never be the star of any show,” Martin went on, eyes round.
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
Niall gave the man a friendly smile and would have slapped his shoulder in encouragement, if he didn’t think it would cause Martin to drop wooden swords all over again. Martin truly was the clumsiest man Niall had ever known, but he was also far, far more intelligent than anyone gave him credit for.
Not unlike Blake when they’d first met at university.
Another pang hit Niall’s heart as he walked on. He remembered the way Blake had smiled modestly whenever Niall complimented him in those early days, remembered the bright and youthful energy in Blake’s eyes. He remembered the warmth of Blake’s smile and the way his lips had tasted the very first time they’d kissed, remembered the way his heart had sped up, the bittersweet fear that they two of them would be caught. He remembered the perfection of Blake’s arms around him, the joy that had infused every part of him as their bodies entwined. He remembered the sounds of surprise and pleasure Blake made when he was worked up and the explosive way he cried out when he came.
Suddenly, the cramped hallways of the theater were too much for Niall. He changed direction, telling himself that costumes and set decoration and whatever other problems his production had could wait. He needed to get away from the closing walls of the theater, from the reminders of everything he’d lost.
He found the nearest door leading outside and burst into the balmy September afternoon. The heart of London buzzed with activity in the middle of the day. Carriages rolled up and down the streets of Covent Garden, men and women going about their business dodged tourists who stood marveling at the theaters and restaurants packing the streets. More than a few working girls—and rent boys—watched them or called out, carefully hawking their wares. It was the world Niall had immersed himself in after university, the world he felt most comfortable in. Yet, he felt the need to get away from it more strongly than ever. He needed to be alone with his thoughts, which had been suspended in the past ever since receiving Blake’s letter.
“And now the unimaginable has happened,” the letter went on. Niall recalled every word. “Annemarie has uncovered the truth at last. She puzzled out who and what I am and where my heart truly lies. And she has taken the children. I am beside myself. I don’t know where they have gone. I haven’t been able to eat or sleep in days. It feels like the last of my soul has been ripped from my body. I am terrified that Annemarie will take the children to her father’s home in America, in which case, I may never see them again.
“I don’t know what to do, Niall. I don’t know who else to turn to who will fully understand the position I am now in. I need you, more than I have ever needed anyone. I knew it the moment I saw you again. Please, Niall, please come to me. Please forgive me for turning my back on you by helping me now. I don’t think I can go on without you. Yours, truly, Blake.”