Backstage bustled with activity.
Crew members hurried from one side to the other.
Equipment was being repositioned.
Performers prepared for the next number.
In a quieter corner away from the commotion, Foca stood with Luca, Tuesday, and Hyouka, discussing the upcoming performance.
Dew was there as well.
Though "participating" would have been a generous description.
He was mostly standing nearby.
Quietly.
Close enough to Hyouka that neither of them seemed to notice anymore.
Or perhaps only one of them hadn't noticed.
Because every few seconds, Dew's eyes unconsciously drifted back toward her.
The atmosphere was calm.
Productive.
Peaceful.
Then...
A hand suddenly grabbed Foca's shoulder and yanked him backward.
He barely had time to turn.
SLAP!
The sound cracked through backstage like a gunshot.
Conversation ceased.
Footsteps stopped.
Several crew members instinctively turned toward the noise.
Silence swallowed the hallway.
Foca stumbled a step sideways.
His cheek immediately burned.
The force behind the slap had been enough to throw him slightly off balance.
Behind him...
Luca.
Tuesday.
Hyouka.
Dew.
All four stood frozen.
Their brains collectively blue-screening.
Because...
What in God's green earth had just happened?
Standing before Foca, breathing heavily, was Hailey Gonzalez.
Somehow, she'd managed to sneak backstage.
Apparently fueled by nothing but rage and astonishing determination.
Like a bloodhound that had locked onto a scent.
Or perhaps a heat-seeking missile with unresolved issues.
Her eyes burned with fury.
"Andrew Habagat!"
She practically spat his name.
Then laughed bitterly.
"But that's not even your real name, is it?"
She scoffed.
Actually scoffed.
"You know..."
Her voice dripped with contempt.
"For someone who just spent an entire song pointing fingers about who's the best liar..."
She jabbed a finger toward him.
"You're quite the liar yourself."
"How much of the past seven years that we were together was even real?"
"Were you ever planning to tell me that you're actually a De Clairmontin?"
And there it was.
The heart of it all.
Not the cheating.
Not the betrayal.
Not the relationship.
What haunted her most...
Was everything she believed she'd lost.
She stepped forward again.
Her perfectly manicured nail jabbed sharply against Foca's chest.
"You're nothing but a hypocrite."
"You lied just as much as I did."
For several long seconds...
Foca simply looked at her.
It wasn't anger.
It wasn't sadness.
It wasn't disappointment.
It was calm.
A calm so absolute that it unsettled Hailey more than shouting ever could.
Without realizing it...
She took a step backward.
"And contrary to what you just said..."
Foca finally spoke.
His voice remained steady.
"I never lied."
"I simply never brought it up."
He met her gaze evenly.
"You, however, repeatedly looked me in the eyes and knowingly lied to me."
"I never did that to you."
"Bullshit!"
Hailey snapped.
"You told me your family was just... more abundant than most!"
"And they are."
Foca answered without missing a beat.
"Did I lie?"
Technically...
No.
To Foca, the statement had always been true.
His family was simply more financially comfortable than most people.
He had never felt the need to quantify how much more.
Hailey, meanwhile, had interpreted that statement very differently.
To her...
The De Clairmontins weren't merely wealthy.
They occupied an entirely different financial universe.
"What about your name?"
Her voice climbed another octave.
"Andrew Habagat isn't even your real name!"
"It is."
Foca answered.
"It's my real name."
"It simply isn't my full name."
"Andrew is my second given name."
"Habagat is my mother's surname."
"I never claimed otherwise."
Hailey threw both hands into the air.
"See?!"
"That's what you always do!"
"You twist everything!"
Foca closed his eyes briefly.
Then sighed.
Not dramatically.
Just...
Tired.
The entire exchange felt profoundly sad.
When he opened his eyes again, there wasn't a trace of anger.
Only genuine confusion.
"Hailey..."
His voice softened.
"Why are you angry at me?"
A beat.
"You were the one I caught cheating."
The words weren't accusatory.
If anything...
They sounded genuinely puzzled.
As though he still couldn't understand how the blame had somehow circled back to him.
"I WOULDN'T HAVE DONE IT..."
Hailey screamed.
"...IF YOU'D JUST TOLD ME WHO YOU REALLY WERE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!"
The hallway echoed.
Crew members exchanged uncomfortable glances.
The silence afterward was almost painful.
Hailey lunged forward again.
"You fu..."
She never finished.
Two hands suddenly grabbed her by the hair from behind.
Hard.
"AAAAAH!"
She was yanked backward so abruptly that her balance disappeared completely.
She landed squarely on the floor.
The impact echoed almost as loudly as the slap had.
And whoever had just entered the conversation...
Clearly had far less patience than Foca.
****
"BIIIIIIITTTTCCHHHHHH!"
Tuesday's voice echoed through backstage with the righteous fury of a woman whose last nerve had just packed its bags and left.
"OH, YOU DONE IT NOW!"
She and Hyouka still had iron grips on Hailey's hair.
And neither woman had the slightest intention of letting go.
Demure had officially clocked out for the evening.
This was a full-blown backstage brawl.
Hailey shrieked as Tuesday yanked her backward again.
Meanwhile...
Hyouka had apparently decided that today was the day her years of self-defense training would finally become useful.
"Nobody..."
Thwack!
"...slaps..."
Thwack!
"...Sir Foca..."
Thwack!
"...and gets away with it."
Each punch landed with alarming precision.
The girl had form.
Actual form.
Dew watched in stunned silence.
Then quietly made a mental note.
Never. Ever. Make Hyouka angry.
Tuesday wasn't any gentler.
One particularly vicious tug ripped part of Hailey's hair extensions clean off.
"Girl, this ain't even your real hair!"
Tuesday barked.
"And now it ain't your real problem either!"
Nearby, Luca took a single step forward.
Then stopped.
Every instinct screamed at him to join in.
To drag Hailey off Hyouka and Tuesday himself.
To make her understand exactly what she'd done.
Instead...
He planted himself in front of Foca.
Shielding him.
Protecting him.
The guilt gnawed at him.
He should've reacted faster.
He should've stopped the slap.
It had happened in an instant.
Too fast.
Too unexpectedly.
And now...
Someone had hurt the person he'd sworn to protect.
The only thing keeping Luca where he stood...
Was Foca.
Because Luca knew...
If Foca hadn't been there...
This would've ended very differently.
By the time blood finally appeared from a split lip, three familiar figures stepped in.
Chamber.
Aslan.
Schrödinger.
They moved with practiced efficiency.
Tuesday was carefully pulled back.
Hyouka was gently restrained despite her continued attempts to throw one last punch.
"Let me at her!"
"I've got one more!"
"No."
The three men were infinitely more patient with the women than they were with Hailey.
Their eyes never left her.
Cold.
Expressionless.
If not for Foca's standing orders...
None of them doubted this situation would've ended long before tonight.
After all...
The moment Hailey had betrayed Foca...
She had already earned their contempt.
Now she simply had their full attention.
Hailey looked thoroughly disheveled.
Her perfectly styled hair resembled an abandoned bird's nest.
Her expensive dress had several tears.
Mascara streaked down her cheeks.
One of her cosmetic veneers had disappeared somewhere onto the backstage floor.
Even the bridge of her surgically enhanced nose sat noticeably crooked.
Vanity had lost the fight tonight.
"You'll all pay for thiiiiiiis!"
Hailey screamed hysterically.
"My father will destroy every single one of you!"
Nobody answered.
For a long moment...
Silence.
Then Luca finally spoke.
His voice was so calm it sent a chill through the entire hallway.
"Oh..."
He looked directly at Hailey.
"You honestly think you're the one people should feel sorry for?"
Another pause.
"You'd better believe someone is paying."
His eyes never blinked.
"And I'll personally make sure..."
"...it's you."
The words weren't loud.
They didn't need to be.
Even Tuesday instinctively stopped struggling.
Hyouka blinked.
Dew actually felt goosebumps.
Happy-go-lucky Luca had vanished.
In his place stood someone far colder.
Someone frighteningly composed.
Without looking away from Hailey, Luca spoke again.
"Take her away."
A beat.
"Before I decide this night hasn't been ruined enough already."
The order was all Chamber needed.
Together with Aslan and Schrödinger, they escorted Hailey away despite her kicking, screaming, and endless threats about lawyers, money, and what her father was supposedly going to do.
Her voice gradually disappeared down the hallway.
Still screaming.
Still blaming everyone except herself.
It was almost impressive.
Almost.
Delusion wasn't just visiting anymore.
It had signed a long-term lease.
****
For a few long minutes, silence lingered backstage.
Eventually, the crew collectively decided they were far too underpaid to involve themselves in whatever had just unfolded.
One by one, they returned to their stations.
Lights needed adjusting.
Props needed moving.
The show, after all, still had to go on.
Life had a funny way of doing that.
No matter how earth-shattering a moment felt, the world rarely paused for it.
As the bustle of backstage slowly resumed...
Luca let out a quiet sigh.
"Guys..."
He glanced toward Tuesday, Hyouka, and Dew.
"Can you give Foca and me a minute?"
Tuesday gave a knowing nod.
"Sure. Take all the time y'all need."
She reached up and touched her hair.
"I gotta fix my wig anyway."
She hooked an arm around Hyouka's shoulders.
"C'mon."
Hyouka looked reluctant.
Very reluctant.
She kept glancing back at Foca as though leaving him unattended for five minutes was a crime against humanity.
Thankfully, Dew gently steered her away before she could protest.
Soon...
It was just the two of them.
The noise of backstage faded into the distance.
Luca rubbed the back of his neck.
"You okay?"
The question had barely left his mouth before he groaned.
"God... that was fucking stupid."
He shut his eyes.
"Of course you're not okay."
"Why would I even ask that?"
Foca looked at him.
Not just glanced.
Looked.
Really looked.
Then he smiled.
Small.
Gentle.
"Luca..."
His voice was softer than before.
"I'm okay."
"Honestly."
"Hale..."
The name slipped from Luca's lips before he even realized it.
His real name.
The one he only ever used when his heart spoke before his head could stop it.
"Please stop saying you're okay when you're not."
His voice cracked.
"I can't stand seeing you hurt."
Foca's smile deepened.
Then...
To Luca's complete confusion...
He laughed.
Not loudly.
Just a quiet, warm little chuckle.
Luca blinked.
"Why are you laughing?"
He looked utterly lost.
"Did I miss something?"
Instead of answering...
Foca stepped closer.
His fingers gently grasped the lapels of Luca's blazer.
Carefully.
Almost shyly.
Then...
He tugged him forward.
Their lips met.
Softly.
No urgency.
No desperation.
Just warmth.
A kiss that lasted only a few seconds.
Yet for Luca...
Time forgot how to move.
His eyes remained wide open.
His heartbeat forgot its rhythm.
His thoughts scattered like startled birds.
When Foca finally pulled away...
Their foreheads remained close enough that Luca could still feel his breath.
Foca couldn't help smiling again.
It took Luca nearly a full minute before words returned to him.
"...Did..."
He blinked again.
"...Did you just kiss me?"
"Mhm."
Foca nodded.
"I did."
"Why?"
Luca searched his face.
"You... you didn't do that because you felt obligated to, right?"
"You know how I feel."
"I don't want pity."
"I don't want gratitude."
"I just..."
He swallowed.
"I need to know."
Foca tilted his head slightly.
"Did that kiss feel forced to you?"
"...No."
"Not at all."
"Then why?"
Foca looked down at his own hands.
He thought quietly for a moment.
"Hmm..."
"I don't actually know what compelled me."
Another tiny laugh escaped him.
"I just..."
He searched for the right words.
"For a long time..."
"I genuinely believed that part of my heart was gone."
"I thought I had buried it."
"But today..."
He looked back at Luca.
"After finally letting go of the last pieces of my past..."
"When you stood in front of me earlier..."
"When you protected me without thinking about yourself..."
"I felt something."
His hand drifted to the center of his chest.
"A warmth."
"So familiar..."
"And yet something I thought I'd never feel again."
Another laugh.
This one carried disbelief more than amusement.
"My heart..."
He shook his head.
"It's rumbling."
"I'd forgotten what that felt like."
He met Luca's eyes once more.
"I'm ready."
A quiet breath.
"I'm ready to let myself fall in love again."
Silence.
Luca simply stared.
Then...
"Holy..."
He laughed in disbelief.
"Holy fuck."
"Are you serious?"
Foca nodded.
"I am."
Another pause.
"Thank you..."
His smile trembled ever so slightly.
"For waiting for me."
"For never asking me to heal faster."
"For loving me even when I couldn't love anyone back."
He took another small step closer.
"If..."
He smiled.
"If you still want me..."
Luca looked genuinely offended.
"Want you?"
A laugh escaped him.
"Hale..."
"I've wanted you for so long that I convinced myself this day would never come."
"I thought loving you would just..."
"...be something I'd quietly carry for the rest of my life."
His eyes shimmered.
"And now you're standing here asking if I still want you?"
Foca smiled.
"Well..."
He opened his arms just a little.
"Here I am."
Luca laughed through a shaky breath.
"Thank God."
This time...
Luca leaned in.
The second kiss was different.
Still gentle.
Still careful.
But no longer hesitant.
Years of quiet longing rested inside it.
Years of patiently waiting.
Years of choosing to love without expecting anything in return.
Luca held back.
Not because he didn't want more.
But because he wanted Foca's comfort more than his own desires.
And Foca...
He felt it.
Every unspoken feeling.
Every year Luca had silently stayed by his side.
Every hope.
Every fear.
Every prayer that had gone unanswered until today.
It was overwhelming.
Not in a frightening way.
In the way sunlight feels after believing winter would never end.
Foca slowly melted into the kiss.
Not because his heart had forgotten the past.
But because it had finally found the courage to believe in a future.
And for the first time in a very long while...
He allowed himself to simply be loved.
****
While Foca and Luca quietly savored their long-awaited moment...
A squeal suddenly pierced the backstage hallway.
It was so loud...
They actually broke the kiss.
Simultaneously.
Blinking toward the source of the noise, they found Tuesday and Hyouka several meters away.
The two women were clinging to each other.
Jumping.
Squealing.
Crying.
Basically having the emotional stability of caffeinated golden retrievers.
"FINALLY!"
Hyouka practically screamed.
"Luca Yearn-a-tron 5000 has officially been decommissioned!"
Tuesday was already looking dramatically toward the heavens.
"Lord..."
She placed a hand over her heart.
"When's it gonna be my turn?"
"I want a boo too!"
Somewhere beside them, Dew quietly looked away.
Whether he was pretending not to know Hyouka...
Or pretending he hadn't been smiling...
Nobody could tell.
Foca and Luca exchanged another look.
Then burst into quiet laughter.
They really had surrounded themselves with extraordinary people.
Luca gently cupped Foca's cheek.
The one that had been slapped earlier.
His thumb carefully brushed over the faint redness that still lingered.
"So much happened today..."
he murmured.
"It really did."
Foca answered softly.
Luca smiled.
Then leaned forward once more.
This kiss was brief.
Tender.
Almost like sealing a promise rather than making one.
When they parted, they simply stood there for a moment.
Looking at each other.
No words.
None were needed.
Finally, Luca broke the silence.
"You know..."
His smile softened.
"There's no turning back now, Hale."
Foca's eyes curved into crescents.
"I'm fully aware."
"And I don't want to."
The words settled warmly between them.
Simple.
Certain.
Peaceful.
Then...
"Boo boo!"
Tuesday's voice rang out again.
"I'm happy for y'all..."
A dramatic pause.
"...but we still got a show to finish!"
The spell was immediately broken.
Luca laughed.
Foca laughed.
Even Dew let out the smallest smile.
The two of them walked toward their friends.
Naturally...
Still holding hands.
And somehow...
That simple gesture said far more than the kisses ever could.
For the first time...
Neither of them had to wait anymore.
****
PS.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! 🥳
And... happy birthday to me! 🎂🎉
This chapter is incredibly special to me for so many reasons.
In a way, it's my birthday gift to myself... and to all of you.
This chapter gave us so many milestones.
💙 Foca and Luca's very first kiss.
💙 Foca's real name is finally revealed (I hope you guys weren't too underwhelmed. 🤭)
💙 Foca finally lets go of his past.
💙 And after what feels like a lifetime of waiting, Luca finally gets to be with the person he's loved for so long.
Writing this chapter made me smile from beginning to end, and I truly hope it made you smile too.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank every single one of you for sticking with me on this journey.
You honestly have no idea how much your support means to me.
Every comment.
Every reaction.
Every time you tell me you loved one of the songs in this story.
It all means the world to me.
This book wouldn't be what it is today without all of you reading it, laughing with it, crying with it, and growing alongside these characters.
So...
From the bottom of my heart...
Thank you.
And lastly, a very special shout-out to Hyouka.
Girl, thank you for being here throughout this journey.
You have a very special place in this author's heart. ❤️
I love you all so much!
See you in the next chapter! 😘