“Oh, Romeo, Romeo” Logan began to say. He stood at one side of the teacher’s table like they had practiced. He leaned over it, pretending it was a balcony.
Laughter instantly came to life. Alex flinched not only at the sight of him but also at the sound of him. Two weeks had already passed but she still didn’t get used to his British Soprano. At least, crawling around the room and looking at the floor helped her to endure a bit.
Logan sighed exasperatedly, “Why do you have to be Romeo? Forget about your father and change your name.”
Then, he placed an elbow on the table, cupping his cheek, “Or else… if you won’t change your name, just swear you love me and I’ll stop being a Capulet.”
Alex’ head popped up among the students, gazing at Logan in question, “Should I listen for more, or should I speak now?”
She proceeded to move closer in order to hear him better. While Logan thought to himself, she reached the front and crouched at the other side of the table. Her arms, legs and head pressed against it.
Logan tsked , “It’s only your name that’s my enemy. You’d still be yourself even if you stopped being a Montague.”
He flipped back his blonde wig, scoffing, “What’s a Montague anyway? It isn’t a hand, a foot, an arm, a face, or any other part of a man. Oh, be some other name!”
Logan threw his hands in the air and turned until his upper back now laid on the table, his arms spread wide to hold to the edges.
“What does a name mean?” He asked the ceiling, “The thing we call a rose would smell just as sweet if we called it by any other name. Romeo would be just as perfect even if he wasn’t called Romeo.”
Logan pointed a finger upwards like he scolded someone, “Romeo, lose your name! Trade in your name—which really has nothing to do with you—and take all of me in exchange.”
At the last part of his dialogue, he dropped the finger and placed back his arm on the table. Closing his eyes, he appeared to be tired of lamenting in his sorrows.
Alex stood up slowly. Her eyes widened slightly upon seeing Logan’s state—which wasn’t part of the script. She pressed her lips together, stopping a frown.
She placed her forearms on either side of Logan’s head and dipped her face over his. She forced her stare to turn soft and caring.
Her dialogue came out just as gentle, “I trust your words.”
Logan ‘woke up’ at the sound of her voice. His eyes widened at the sight of her. She had invaded his entire vision. He could smell the perfume she sprayed on her neck earlier and could clearly see the lines of her lips. All of them completely trapped his mind.
In this moment, there was no one but her that mattered to him.
Alex wanted to smirk at her payback. What did Logan expect exactly for deviating from the script? He wasn’t the only person that could improvise.
She raised a hand, the one that faced the audience, just high enough for her thumb to brush his cheek, “Just call me your love, and I will take a new name. From now on I will never be Romeo again.”
The girls collectively sighed and melted at Alex’ portrayal of Romeo. What they saw was a guy who didn’t mind whispering sweet things to his partner. The shock on Logan’s face proved this enough.
Everyone stayed still and waited for her to make her next move.
Alex tilted her head to the side, her voice barely audible, “It’s your turn.”
At this, Logan panicked and said, “Who are you?”
Thankfully, he delivered it in a daze tone. Alex took her time forcely rubbing away the lipstick that smudged at the corner of his lips. A hint for him to continue.
Logan understood it immediately, “Why did you hide in the darkness and listen to my private thoughts?”
Alex smiled a little as if amused by his antics, “I don’t know how to tell you who I am by telling you a name. I hate my name, dear saint, because my name is your enemy. If I had it written down, I would tear up the paper.”
Logan’s chest started to rise and fall excessively. His arm shook as he too lifted a hand to Alex’ cheek, “I haven’t heard you say a hundred words yet, but I recognize the light in your eyes and the sound of your voice. Aren’t you Romeo? And aren’t you a Montague?”
Alex shook her head, “I am neither of those things if you dislike them.”
Suddenly, Logan rose up from the table and backed away from Alex, a frightened expression on his face, “Tell me, how did you get in here? And why did you come? The orchard walls are high, and it’s hard to climb over them. If any of my relatives find you here they’ll kill you because of who you are.”
“I flew over these walls with the light wings of love. Stone walls can’t keep love out. Whatever a man in love can possibly do, his love will make him try to do it. Therefore your relatives are no obstacle” Alex assured him.
Logan stepped closer, still a bit wary of her, “If they see you, they’ll murder you.”
Longing slowly creeped into Alex’ eyes and desire into her smile, “Alas, one angry look from you would be worse than twenty of your relatives with swords. Just look at me kindly, and I’m invincible against their hatred.”
Logan reached the table. He matched Alex’ position from before and took hold of her hands. When he talked, he did it while looking straight into her eyes, “I’d give anything to keep them from seeing you here.”
Alex caught the meaning he tried to imply but doubted it at the same time. In the middle of a play, things outside of the script could be misunderstood—especially such bold claims.
She leaned her head until their foreheads touched. Both of them gazed at Logan’s hands over hers. She started to massage his palms, “The darkness will hide me from them.”
Then, she stopped. Logan looked up at her, wondering why she did. Alex met his eyes. The next lines were meant to be spoken to Juliet and not her hands, “And if you don’t love me, let them find me here. I’d rather they killed me than have to live without your love.”
Logan closed his eyes and gulped. Things have become a bit too much. This wasn’t meant to be surprising since they kept changing their script each time they practiced.
He shook his head at it all and opened his eyes, saying, “Who told you how to get here below my bedroom?”
Alex smirked. Logan frowned at her, knowing the reason why. She joked a few times that it was him who trespassed in her house and not the other way around…
… but the live performance wasn’t the place to think about that.
Then, she lifted one of his hands and placed the back of it against her cheek, making Logan freeze once more, “Love showed me the way—the same thing that made me look for you in the first place. Love told me what to do, and I let love borrow my eyes. I’m not a sailor, but if you were across the farthest sea, I would risk everything to gain you.”
