Soon, it was time for rehearsals. While working on my shift, I was so distracted by the thoughts on my mind. All the moments I shared with Lucio, Cosimo, and Amedeo and the feelings I was getting from each one of them started to whirl around in my mind. I nearly spilled coffee on one of the customers because I was so distracted. I took a moment to myself to give myself a bit of a pep talk and to remember what the goal was. Italy was the goal, everything else was just a distraction. I needed to focus on the rehearsal and on the showcase. Everything else could come later. 

As my shift ended and I started to feel a little better, it was time for rehearsals. I travelled to the theatre and walked into the auditorium, ready for what the day would bring. Thanks to Lucio's advice, I was feeling more confident in my singing and was ready to put into practice singing with emotion and letting myself go. It would probably be more difficult with everyone watching me, but that was just a challenge I would have to get over if I ever wanted to perform at La Scala. 

I walked to the front of the theatre, seeing the boys seated in their usual seats. They all looked back at me, but even this felt different. Instead of feeling comfortable and familiar, I felt like I had a different relationship with each and every one of them. That spirit of camaraderie I was fighting so hard to keep seemed like it was slipping right through my fingers. I calmed my racing heart and resolved to not let that happen. At least not without me fighting to keep it, tooth and nail. I smiled at them all and squeezed into the seat next to Lucio. He looked back at me. "Are you ready?" I nodded, excited and nervous. 

Rehearsals started promptly. The participants went up and sang their songs. You could tell they were practicing hard and improving steadily each week. The coordinator had less and less critiques to say about our performances and complimented us more as the showcase drew closer. Soon, it was Amedeo's turn to perform. I was a bit worried for him considering the situation he was in and all that happened to him today. How was he going to sing? Was he going to be okay? I watched, biting my nails, as his song began to play. He surprised me. He sang as beautiful as ever, but I could still sense the sadness he felt as he sang. It contributed to the feel of the song, but it was sad that it wasn't just an acting choice, it was real. When he finished, we all clapped, me clapping even louder. For the first time, he looked out and directly at me from the stage. "Grazie." He said, loud enough for me to hear. Not once did his eyes leave mine. Cosimo and Lucio both looked at me. Lucio looked surprised; Cosimo looked confused. 

Then, it was Cosimo's turn to sing. He raced up to the stage and started his song. He was passionate and strong as ever, singing this song of love with such romance and longing. It was like he turned into a different person when he performed, but deep down you could tell he was still the same old Cosimo. He finished his song with a triumphant bow, to which we all clapped. He made a point of turning to look right at me, in the same way Amedeo did. I saw Amedeo frown at him as he did this, and Lucio just looked surprised again. "Grazie tanto." Cosimo said, even louder, smiling just at me. Surely, I wasn't imagining this. Why were they competing with each other for my attention?

Soon it was Lucio's turn to sing. He went into performance mode, singing his song with his usual strength and beauty. He was so graceful, and his voice was so controlled in all aspects, it never ceased to amaze me. I felt a sense of relief wash over me. I could just enjoy his performance, not worrying about anything that was on my mind as he sang. I watched him intently, the smile never leaving my face. When he nailed the high note, I felt like jumping up and cheering loudly for him. I didn't think he could improve any more, and yet he did. His voice sounded stronger, and he held the high note out even longer. I could tell that singing and performing was his pride and joy. Lucio took a humble bow as we all clapped for him. Like a repeat of Cosimo and Amedeo, he also looked at me. He didn't say anything, though. He just smiled. It was more powerful and said more to me than what Cosimo and Amedeo had done. Cosimo and Amedeo were glaring at him from their seats, looking at me as well. Upon seeing that, I wiped the smile off of my face and faced the ground. 

Lucio sat back down in his seat and turned to me. "Are you alright?" He asked, when he saw how I was frowning at the floor. I shook out of my funk and mustered up a smile for him. "I'm fine." It wasn't really the truth, but I didn't want to burden him with my troubles. Especially since that meant I'd have to tell him that I liked him. Then, it was my turn. I left the aisle and went up to the stage. My music began to play. I took a breath and looked out into the audience. Feel something. Let yourself go. 

I told myself this over and over again as I sang. I scanned the audience, searching for someone to sing to, when I landed on that person; or rather, three persons. I looked over at the three guys and sang to them, to which they reacted with warm smiles and whispered cheers. I noticed that, as the song neared its end, I shifted my attention just to Lucio. It was involuntary, but I didn't do anything to stop it. Lucio looked a bit surprised, but pleased, nonetheless. He watched me intently, a big smile spread across his face. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Amedeo and Cosimo looked disheartened. I turned away from all of them, catching a glimpse of disappointment from Lucio when I did so. I went back into my head, back to La Scala, back to Italy and to my imaginary audience, and finished the song. The emotions, not only from me, but from everyone else were too much for me to take. I just prayed that I showed enough emotion and feeling in my performance so that the coordinator would be impressed with me. 

She granted my wish. "That was beautiful, Daniela. I can tell you really took my words to heart, and I appreciate that. You have definitely improved. Continue to show your emotion and work on your dynamics. You can take your seat." I was elated. Despite the semi-critique, I had improved. I would keep working hard so that, come performance time, a representative from Italy would come and whisk me away to La Scala. One could dream. I walked back to my seat, met with smiles from the boys. "Good job, Daniela." Cosimo said, patting me on the back. "Beautiful." Amedeo said, giving me a small smile. As I sat down, Lucio reached over and patted my hand. He turned to me, smiling. "You didn't hold back." I smiled, remembering our time together in the practice room and how he had encouraged me. "You helped me not to." He looked flattered, and he didn't remove his hand for a good minute. Amedeo and Cosimo noticed. 

Next, it was time for the duet. Lucio and I walked up to the stage and waited as our music began. Lucio gave me a look that said are you ready? I nodded, a smile on my face. Lucio began the song, his voice just as strong and beautiful as when he was singing solo. He looked into my eyes as he sang. Instead of being flustered by this, I felt comfortable and calm. Was this what it felt like to like someone? To be impressed with all they do, to feel comfortable when you're with them, to feel a tugging in your heart when you thought of them? That's what I felt when I was with Lucio. I started to sing, surprised at how strong my voice sounded. I continued, looking at Lucio as I sang. We started singing together, and this meant it was time to act. Lucio took my hands in his and stepped closer to me, just like what we had practiced before. I looked at him, moving closer towards him as well. 

As we neared the climax of the song, he did something that we hadn't practiced before. He took one of his hands and brought it to my cheek, gently placing it there and cupping my face with his hand. I blushed but went along with it, squeezing the hand of his that I was holding tightly. He brushed a lock of my hair behind my ear and went back to holding both my hands. It was a good moment of improv that I'm sure looked great from the audience. No need to be concerned about my heart that would soon burst from the contact. We stood further apart as we hit the ending notes together perfectly. You could see the bright smiles on our faces for miles. We came closer together, tapering off our voices quietly and controlled. We still held hands, looking into each other's eyes. We broke out in two giant smiles. We had done it. 

Everyone clapped for us, some even cheering. The coordinator had rose from her seat to give us a standing ovation. We finally stepped away from each other and returned our hands by our sides, facing the enraptured audience. I looked over the section Amedeo and Cosimo were sitting in and immediately lost my smile and cheer. They looked so unhappy. Cosimo looked angry, and Amedeo looked betrayed. Why were they so upset? Why couldn't I just feel happy in this moment? Why couldn't I just be with Lucio without hurting Cosimo and Amedeo? I moved a bit away from Lucio, which made him look at me. He looked a bit confused at the space I was giving him. That is, until he saw them frowning at us. He didn't look surprised. He just stood firm, staring back at them until the coordinator started speaking. 

"That was lovely! You two really did a 180 from last week. Keep it up." She complimented us. Then, she went back to her table and told us we could return to our seats. I was speechless. No criticism, just keep it up. I wish I had felt free to be completely ecstatic, but I was just so confused by the guys. Regardless of them, I couldn't hide my happiness for long. I smiled brightly at Lucio and he reciprocated, smiling back. He reached over, took my hand and squeezed it. "Brava." He whispered to me. I smiled. "Bravo." We both left the stage, Lucio helping me down the stairs, and returned to our seats. I didn't expect Amedeo and Cosimo to say anything, but they did. "You sounded great." Amedeo said, half-heartedly. Cosimo just nodded, not even looking at us. I didn't want them to ruin the high I was on. "Thanks, guys." I looked back at Lucio. "You were amazing." Lucio smiled, leaning over to me. "You were astounding." He complimented. I felt my cheeks heat up. 

Soon, the coordinator dismissed us, gave us the usual practice reminders, and the rehearsal was over. I stood up from my seat with the guys, all walking out of the auditorium together. We stood in the lobby, just looking at each other. I cleared my throat. "Well, I'm going to go and practice my solo in one of the practice rooms for a bit." I announced. I smiled, wanting to lighten the mood. "You all did so great." Amedeo smiled, looking at me. "You were amazing, Daniela." Cosimo nodded. "The best, hands down." Lucio turned to me. "Astounding." He repeated. I smiled, laughing a bit. "You're all too sweet. I'll see you around!" I left them in the lobby to go to one of the practice rooms, choosing the one closest to the hallway. I closed the door behind me, warmed up, and practiced my song. I made sure to show the emotion and work on varying the dynamics throughout the song, just like the coordinator told me. 

About half an hour had passed, and I was done practicing. I set my purse down on the piano bench and packed up my things before I went home. As I was packing my bag, I noticed a tiny piece of paper slip out of it and float gently to the ground. I crouched down to pick it up and saw that it was a folded note. I opened it and read what was inside. 

Meet me in the auditorium

I raised an eyebrow, re-reading the note again. Who could it be that wanted to see me? Could it be one of the guys? The coordinator? I couldn't recognize the handwriting. I stuffed it back in my bag, deciding to stop by the auditorium before I left. I opened the door to the practice room to see another note taped to the front of the door. I took it off the door and read it. 

Meet me in the auditorium

The same exact sentence, but different handwriting. Another person who wanted to meet with me? Who could this possibly be? And why were there two people now who wanted to see me? I started getting suspicious and a bit anxious, but I just put shoved the note in my bag like I did with the other one. I'm sure I'd would run into both of these mystery people when I went to the auditorium. 

As I was walking through the lobby, one of the Solstice Theatre workers approached me. "Miss, sorry to interrupt you, but there's someone who told me to give you a message. They said to tell you to meet them in the auditorium right about now." The girl said, pushing up her glasses as she spoke. I stood, staring at her blankly, which no doubt confused her. When I processed everything, I quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, uh, okay, I'm heading there right now. Thank you for giving me the message." I thanked her and she smiled, walking away and back to her post. I felt my heartbeat steadily increasing, rapidly beating against my chest. Three people all wanted to meet me in the auditorium right now. Could they be who I suspected they were? And what did they have to say to me that they wanted to meet me alone and in such a dramatic setting? I was getting more and more nervous by the minute, so I decided to just take the leap. 

I walked into the auditorium, the huge doors closing dramatically behind me. The red, velvet seats that were normally filled with people were empty, and all the nights were turned off, except for the few that were illuminating the stage. It was so quiet that could hear a pin drop. The auditorium was completely empty - except for one figure standing on stage. There was a man standing in the middle of the stage with his back turned to me. I couldn't quite see the color or style of his clothing from where I was standing, so I couldn't recognize who it was. I moved closer, examining each of my steps as I approached this mystery figure. I set my bag down on one of the empty chairs, approaching the man. Who could they be? What could they have to tell me? 

I walked to the front of the stage, my eyes widening when I finally recognized who it was. The man turned around, looking at me. The specks in his eyes sparkled and the shine of the stage lights glinted against his glasses. He smiled at me, handsome as ever. "Buonasera, Daniela." Lucio said, his voice calm and low. I stood still, feeling more emotions in one second than I had thought possible. Happiness, excitement, nervousness, relief all coursed through my body. He extended a hand to me to help me join him on the stage. "I guess the worker told you to meet me here. I'm glad. Thank you for coming." I smiled, thinking of that girl that came up to me when I left the practice. How I wished I could have gone back and hugged her now that I knew she was giving me a way to meet Lucio again. "Of course." I smiled at him. I looked at him, trying to ignore my accelerating heart rate. "So, was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" 

Lucio took a moment to collect his thoughts. He was staring down at the ground for a while and I could tell he was feeling anxious. He finally looked back up at me. He looked so nervous but sure of himself at the same time, which I didn't know was possible. He reached over and took my hands in his. "Daniela, I need to tell you something. But please know that you don't have to be compelled to feel any type of way just to spare my feelings." He sounded so sincere. I just nodded, anxiously awaiting what he was going to say. He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "From the moment I first saw you, I knew that I-" As he was speaking, we were interrupted by the sound of a door slamming open. We turned around to see Cosimo standing in front of the doors of the auditorium, looking at us with both surprise and anger. I wondered what he was doing here. Then I remembered. The other notes. One of them was from him. 

Before we could speak, the side door to the theatre opened. We all turned to see Amedeo standing there, looking at all of us in shock. My eyes widened when I realized why he was here too. The last note was from him. I stood frozen in place as we all looked at each other. Then, their attention shifted, and all of the guys turned to look at me. I stood with a blank expression of shock on my face.  

What was going to happen now?