《STAGED》Forty-Three

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Paper sliding through my fingers wakes me, and my eyes open to the clear night sky above. They travel down my arm to my hand holding the letter; it hangs from the side of the hammock, and my fingers are empty. A tall, dark figure folds the paper and places it back in the envelope. Opening a cover of a book in his hand, he places it inside and sets it on the ground. A head of soft ebony hair comes into view as he removes his flannel shirt, leaving him in a black t-shirt. Kade eases into the hammock, gathers me to him, and places the shirt over our shoulders like a blanket.

A sob rattles through me, and I shed both sad and happy tears. Out of all the people to come for me, I never thought it would be him; it's just one more of Nonna's last gifts to me. I cling to the front of his shirt as he kisses the top of my head. Not once does he tell me it will be all right or try to quiet me. He just holds me until I'm exhausted from crying.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"When I noticed that you didn't get on your bus, Mike told me he talked to your dad and you went home because Nonna passed away. I caught the first flight out."

"You made sure I was getting on the bus?" I glance at him to find his face turned to the royal-blue sky where the sun is rising.

"Yes, I always make sure you're getting on the bus and check that you make it to your room safely and notice you watching me from the side of the stage. I want to know you're all right at all times." He touches the side of my face and wipes away the tears. "I'm sorry I got so mad at you the other night. I was jealous."

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I shake my head. "I don't care. I'm just glad you're here now. I've missed you."

"I missed you too."

The time we spent in Italy plays in my mind—our days under the lemon trees and watching him dance with Nonna. I recall how she spent extra time saying goodbye to Kade and her reminder of the promise he made her.

"Kade?"

"Yes?" he says in a groggy voice.

"What did Nonna say to you the day we left Italy; what did she make you promise?"

Kade closes his eyes and tears run down his cheeks, glistening like tiny sparkling crystals. I don't push them away but watch their slow descent down his handsome face.

"She told me I was a good boy." His chest rumbles with a small laugh. "She said you're stubborn and would drive me crazy, but if I could look past it, you'd love me like no one has ever loved me. She said a day would come when you'd need nobody but me, and I had to promise to go to you no matter how far you were or how I felt about you at the moment. I'd be the only person able to make it better. I know it's crazy, but I believed her."

"It's not crazy at all. She has a way of knowing what I need before I do." A small smile tugs at the corners of my mouth.

He reaches for the book he set on the ground when he arrived. "Weeks later, when we were back on the road, I found this tucked inside the lining of my suitcase."

In the early dawn light, he holds up the copy of Romeo and Juliet he read to me in Italy. He removes my letter, sets it on his chest, and opens the front cover. The same handwriting from the note is in his book.

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"What did she write to you?" I ask.

Without hesitation, Kade reads:

Love moderately. Long love doth so.

Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.

-William Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet)

Kade,

Do as Mr. Shakespeare suggests, love my Ariella, your Ari, moderately. Love her as she deserves. Do not overcompensate but do not withhold from her. Love her with all you are. It will be enough.

Until we meet again.

Nonna

I ponder her words, searching for the hidden meaning in them, but it's so blunt, and there is no need to guess. Nonna felt that Kade and I would be together. The thought mixes with all the other emotions brewing within me, and it's just too much to face right now.

I glance at Kade and the tattered copy of Romeo and Juliet in his hand. It reminds me of one of the happiest moments of my life. Closing my eyes, I picture the lemon trees and ask, "Kade, will you read to me?"

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