Read What if I Fly? for Free Online Page B

door behind her and he stands immobile, staring at her front door.
    Did I just lose her?
    He rubs his palm over his chest, his heart heavy and finally walks to the car.
     
    ***
     
    From behind the living room curtain, Julia watches Will drive away from her house. The tears are building, threatening to spill over the dam, and she runs to her bedroom, crawls under the covers and hugs her old teddy bear close.
    Now she’s acting like her mother, crying in bed because of a man…  She hasn’t called Gabby yet, she’s too upset to talk to anyone. Thank god her mother slept out last night. All she wants is to be left alone right now.
    Finally, Julia closes her eyes and is flooded with memories of the night she met Will. She wishes she could turn back the clock and take away that night. She wishes she could change a lot of things… 
     
    On the first night of rehearsal for West Side Story , Will walked into her life, and though she didn’t know it at the time, was about to turn her world upside down.
    The cast of thirty people had gathered in the recreation room at the Congregational Church for a read through and from what Julia could see, with the exception of the children in the cast, she recognized everyone, having performed with all of them in the past. It was a reunion of small town thespians.
    Her eyes were scanning the room when someone unfamiliar walked through the arched doorway, looking a little nervous and very out of place. He was tall, with wavy blond hair, and an athletic build, definitely not one of guys she’s performed with for years.
    She watched him pick up a script from the table near the door, look uneasily around the room, staying away from the crowd, then turning to read the notices on the bulletin board behind him. His discomfort was palpable.
    Who is he? she wondered and moved a little closer to the mysterious stranger.
    Julia hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should say hello, then shrugged her shoulders. If she were the new person she’d want someone to welcome her, so she tapped him on the shoulder.
    Turning, he smiled, resting his clear blue eyes on her, and she froze for an instant, her eyes wide, momentarily struck dumb by his looks. He’s absolutely gorgeous. But she was quick to regain her composure and introduced herself.
    “Hi. I’m Julia. And…you look a bit lost.”
    He laughed and took her hand in his, his eyes warm.
    “A bit! Hi Julia. I’m Will. Nice to meet you.”
    “Everyone take a seat!” Sean, the director, called out, indicating the metal folding chairs arranged around the room.
    Will sat beside her, his thigh resting lightly against hers, sending shivers up her spine.
    “Before we begin, let’s introduce ourselves. Most of you know each other, but we have a few new faces in the group. Just the basics, name, role you’re playing and any previous acting experience.”
    Sean began by telling the cast about himself, and then they went around the room.
    “Hi, I’m Will Kennedy, and I’m in the chorus. Umm…I can’t sing and I have no acting experience whatsoever.” He looked down at his hands and smiled while everyone laughed.
    “I want to thank Will for stepping up,” Sean interrupted. “He volunteered to build sets for the show and I bullied him into helping us out. We needed a few more bodies in the chorus. I promised I wouldn’t make him dance!”
    Will nodded with a shy smile, his face turning pink, and glanced sideways at Julia. It was her turn to share.
    “I’m Julia Grasso, I’m playing Anita, and I was in Cabaret last summer.”
     
    They began the read through and she kept losing her place in the script, her whole body tingling with awareness of his proximity. While she was fighting the urge to touch the space on his leg where his shorts ended and his knee began, Will held his script in front of her and pointed to her line.
    “Julia…” he whispered.
    Startled, she looked up to find the whole cast staring at her, several ladies