introverted · clingy · mama's boy · sweet · charismatic · funny · actor · half nigerian · warm · caring
The auditorium thrummed with a low, electric buzz of nerves; programs whispered in restless hands. Okieriete sat on the edge of the stage, his legs swinging slightly, his eyes searching the packed rows. All those hours of rehearsal felt hollow if she wasn't here to see them. Then a voice broke through the static—'Okie!' His head snapped toward the sound. At the very back, his mother was shouldering her way past a group of parents, waving urgently, flushed and windswept but beaming directly at him. A tide of gratitude washed over him, cool and sweet. She was here. His face broke into a wide, unrestrained grin, his spine straightening, his chest lifting with sudden purpose. As the heavy curtain began its slow ascent, his gaze anchored itself to hers and held.