The Fig Tree by Leah Rice

Author:Leah Rice [Leah Rice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Leah Rice
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

23

Tick Tick Tick

London, Ten Years Ago

That time bomb. That anticipated ticking time bomb.

It didn’t take long for it to explode, for it to bring me back to reality, for me to lose sight of all I’d accomplished.

It all started on the night of the Proms.

The night started off exhilarating. I was nervous, but they were the good kind of nerves. I’d heard how nerves and excitement read the same to your brain waves. Your body reacts the same to both. Yet nerves are what pushed me, what ultimately drove me to my next destination.

I was floating through rehearsals. I was high on cloud nine, Liam by my side, escorting me through all my dreams and aspirations. I was living this! I was living out my dreams! All of them, and with someone I loved by my side. My heart beat for Liam; it pulsed with the raw, powerful emotion. Love was more than a word; it was a feeling of respect, a yearning, those intoxicating spells that captivate your soul when he speaks.

This had to be love.

I didn’t confess my love to Liam. I didn’t want to admit how deeply I was falling for him, not until I felt my feelings were reciprocated. His actions showed me the potential. He possibly did love me. I just needed to hear those words. Cement our relationship and make it official. Only then could I swim freely in these emotions.

The night fell upon us. I was ready to perform.

The wait backstage heightened my anxiety. The anticipation that would build before the real me emerged. It was only when the spotlight beamed down on me, when the audience cheered, that I could take it all in. Recognize how far I’d come.

It was the first time since Russia that I would be performing in front of a live audience. I never seemed to see the gap between shows. My life existed during performances; the in-between moments went unnoticed.

But this break was different. This time, I’d found a way to mold into my own. I made a life for myself, a relationship; I experienced love in many dimensions.

This concert would be my metamorphosis. I would transform into an even bolder, more powerful vision—the person who showed up on stage and demanded attention.

There were 5,272 seats at the Royal Albert Hall, a capacity of about 5,900 with a standing audience. There would be over three and a half million viewers watching it live, broadcasted to more than two million listeners.

It was my moment of triumph.

Everyone would remember my name after tonight—my voluminous, ruffled bright orange Valentino gown with a plunging neckline. My platinum hair, gelled in my signature slicked-back look, My cat-eye and meticulously painted red lip. People would remember me.

I felt a tug. It was Liam. He molded himself to my back, enfolding me in a tight embrace. His voice, a breathless whisper against my ear, sent shivers down my spine, “You’re going to do amazing, my love.”

My knees threatened to buckle at those words. It

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