Yeah, dating meant complications.
The more I thought about it, though, the more Law came into my head. As I watched Leah and our male lead, Axel, who just happened to be her boyfriend, dancing the main number, I couldn’t help but think of my and Law’s dance from last night. I thought about how many other times I had danced with a man and how I had never felt like that. Like I wanted to lean into his arms and let him hold me up forever.
I watched as rehearsal ended and each dancer stepped off to the sides to regroup and converse about what they had done and if there was anything else that needed to be worked on before our show tomorrow night. I was in my own world and didn’t partake, but instead made my way to the middle of the dance floor and lay there staring up at the ceiling and replayed the whole ballet in my head. It was a mechanism I used to learn the steps and in addition it soothed any doubt I had about my performance.
“She’s daydreaming about Lawson Kane.” Leah laughed at me as she and Axel stood above me.
“That was ten seconds ago. Catch up, woman.” I looked up at Leah and stuck my tongue out at her. I turned my head to see most everyone had left the studio. Only a few stragglers stayed behind, but not for long. We all had a key to the studio, since it wasn’t a conventional company, just a bunch of dancers who didn’t want to be limited by the parameters of traditional ballet. I was one of the only ones who used the studio privately, most other dancers liking to have a critique partner, but not me. I loved to dance freely and just let it consume me.
“Wait, you didn’t tell me the dude was Lawson Kane.” Axel scowled. He had always been overprotective of me since dating Leah, acting like a brother I had never had, nor had wanted. But he did it in such a loving way that I couldn’t tell the poor boy no.
“We only went on one date. That’s it.” I tried to assure him, but the moment the words came out of my mouth, I knew they were a lie. I was hoping this wasn’t just a fling, especially not with the butterflies in me just roaming around, having no care in the world that Law wasn’t from here.
“He calls her sugar.”
“Isn’t that a Southern thing?”
“He’s from Alabama,” I chimed in, since these two were talking like I wasn’t even there.
“We’re stopping for baked chicken. You want me to pick you up a Caesar wrap?”
I shook my head at Leah. It wasn’t like I didn’t love food, but tonight I just didn’t feel like it. Maybe if I danced a little bit more. So, that’s what I did after Leah led Axel out of the studio and I was finally alone. I turned the lights on dim and cranked up the radio in the corner, moving to the beat to whatever came on next. It was never about the music when I danced, it was about the movement, the feel, the thoughts.
Right now all I could think about was Law, the feel of his hands holding me and his lips brushing against mine. My arms moved through the air and my hips swayed to the beat, while my feet had a mind of their own. I moved left, right, back down, then stood on the tips of my toes, all while taking up the entire dance floor. Song after song came on. I didn’t pay attention to the time until clapping filled the empty space between the commercial that had just come on the radio.
I looked over at the door where Law was standing. He took up the entire entryway and I immediately wondered how long he’d been standing there.
“What are you doing here?” I questioned him and righted myself.
“Your friends let me up before they left.” Law took a few steps toward me, but I stepped away, retreating to where my bag was against the back wall of the studio mirrors.
“Not what I asked.” I looked over my shoulder to see Law following me farther into the studio.
“I wanted to take you on another date.”
I snatched up my duffle and turned, slamming straight into Law’s chest. This was becoming all too familiar with him, like he didn’t know what space was. My hands shot out and grabbed ahold of his shoulders. His arms wrapped around my waist and I was immediately transported back to last night. Except this time Law wasn’t dressed to impress. This time he was in jeans that hugged his thighs and a plain black shirt that showed off what muscles he had. Just like the first day we met.
I wanted to say yes to him. In fact, I knew I was going to say yes, but I wanted him to wait it out just a little longer. Before I could answer him, I needed another answer for myself, something that had come into my thoughts a few times within the last forty-eight hours.
“When do you leave?”
The smile that had been plastered on his face vanished. I knew I wasn’t going to like what he said.
“Saturday morning.” His answer was finite, like he knew he couldn’t change it even if he wanted to.
“Then why are we doing this?”
“Why not?” He answered my question with his own. “Why can’t we just enjoy this?”
The grip Law had on me only tightened. His head lowered to where he was only a breath away.
“Because I typically don’t just enjoy things.” I cocked my head and raised my eyebrows, challenging Law.
“You could enjoy them with me.”
“Then what? You leave? I stay here? Who does this benefit, Law?” My tone grew weary.
He brought a hand up to my cheek and cupped it. His thumb running across the apple.
