Chapter Text
Anne’s honestly not quite sure how she ended up tucked away in a dark corner of the dressing tent between acts with her back pressed against one of the support beams and Phillip’s mouth pressed against hers, but she’s not complaining. No, the feeling of his fingers digging into her hips is all too enticing for any complaint to even cross her mind. But she can still hear the blare of the orchestra, barely muffled by the canvas walls, as the show continues on in the center ring. She can almost convince herself that the pounding drums are just an echo of her own heartbeat as Phillip’s hands brush against satin and skin, but the roar of the crowd finally draws her attention back to reality.
Anne pulls away, her breathing still shallow, and Phillip tries to chase after her lips a second later. She turns her head away to avoid being caught up in the kiss again, so he settles for pressing a line of soft, insistent kisses to the underside of her jaw instead.
She can’t help but giggle as he starts making his way down her neck, bumping into the crystals that circle her throat as his mouth dips down toward the base of her throat.
“If we keep carrying on like this,” she teases, tugging lightly at his hair to draw his attention away from her neck and back to her eyes, “You’re going to miss your next cue, Mr. Carlyle.”
“You’re probably right,” he mumbles, looking at her through half-lidded eyes, “But I really wish you weren’t.”
“So do I,” she whispers, and it takes all her willpower to not just give in to those blue eyes and ignore the audience for a little while longer. But she’s a professional and she has a show to put on, so she pulls herself together and untangles her fingers from his hair.
He’s not quite pouting as he helps put the bedazzled collar of her leotard back into its rightful place, but it’s close and Anne stifles a laugh at the sight of him—disheveled, breathless, and utterly smitten. It’s a good look on him.
“You can kiss me for as long as you like after the show.” She smirks and straightens out his jacket where her own roaming hands have mussed the fabric. “We’ll have plenty of time once neither of us are rushing to make our entrances.”
He tucks a stray lock of pink hair behind her ear and trails his fingers along her jawline before asking, “Do you promise?”
“I promise.”
“As long as I like could be an awfully long time.”
“My evening’s pretty free.”
Their banter does nothing to break the tension building between them and with each word, they move closer together again. Anne adjusts one of Phillip’s many golden buttons and then allows her hands to rest against his chest, telling herself that she’s just smoothing out the last few creases in the fabric. Phillip’s own hands have found their way back down to her hips, where he absently toys with the ruffles of her costume.
They lean in at the same time, the excited cheers of the crowd still ringing in their ears as they close the distance between them and—
“Am I gonna have to drag you two apart to get Carlyle in that ring?”
They jump apart at the question and turn to see Lettie standing by a nearby vanity table, smirking at the pair of them. Anne and Phillip’s relationship is no secret among the troupe of performers, but both of their faces are still suffused with heat at having been caught in such an intimate position. They try their best to look contrite while simultaneously suppressing laughter at the absurdity of the situation. Lettie tilts her head and cocks an eyebrow, clearly waiting for an answer.
“I guess I can’t keep the audience waiting any longer,” Phillip says before turning back to Anne, “But I’m going to hold you to that promise.”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t,” Anne answers, the lingering pink blush on her cheeks complimenting her wig perfectly. “Now go give that audience the greatest show they’ve ever seen.”
Phillip presses one last quick kiss to her cheek and grabs his discarded top hat from where it fell during their rushed embrace. He turns toward the opening in the tent, places the hat on his head, and runs back into the center ring, leaving a smiling Anne in his wake.