“Was this you trying to kill me? Because you nearly succeeded,” I say.
He chuckles. “No. That was me trying to relax you.”
“Consider me relaxed.” I lift one arm and let it fall back on the bed like it weighs a hundred pounds.
“You’ve been too stressed, baby.”
“I know. I’m sorry. It’s been crazy, hasn’t it? I’m sorry I haven’t been around as much.”
He cradles my face. “I’m so incredibly proud of you, Curtis.”
“I know. But I wish I had more time to spend with you.”
This last year has been a total whirlwind. Brandon mentioned me to someone he worked with on Broadway, and they wanted me to move to New York to work with them.
Me. Curtis John Merroll. A choreographer on Broadway.
In.Sa.Ne.
I was excited at first, but right before I was supposed to meet them, I got a serious case of anxiety. Coach came with me to New York, and we had a great time.
He proposed to me in Central Park—Yes, we’re engaged!—but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
In the end, I decided it wasn’t for me, but my meeting opened other possibilities, so I enrolled back in college to study choreography. I still coach the cheerleading team, but Justin does a lot of the work since I sometimes have class and miss training or games.
I suggested resigning, but the principal was having none of it, especially after the squad won their first national competition.
Coach is still with the team and loving it. Every so often, one of his old players comes to visit, which brings the reporters into town. It all becomes a circus for a few days until it all goes back to normal.
Juju is still in LA, but she’s seriously considering moving to Connecticut, especially after I graduate. We’ve been talking about opening a dance school together.
I haven’t heard anything about he-who-shall-not-be-named since he left my apartment. That’s not entirely true. Juju heard through the grapevine that the story he spun about his drink being spiked wasn’t true. He was actually taking illegal drugs to help his performance on the mat.
As my grandma used to say, you make your own luck. I guess he thought he needed to steal it instead of working for it. I don’t care anyway.
We grow and our dreams change. My dreams now include a lot of new changes in our lives.
I hear a car outside. “Oh shit. They’re here.” I jump off the bed and start picking up my clothes.
“Baby, calm down. They can’t come in without a key, and they’ll probably settle in next door first, anyway.”
“But the decorations!”
Riley sighs, giving up the fight. “Come on, Bubblelicious. Tell me what I need to hang and where.”
Riley’s family and Juju send us a message to say they’re unpacking and warming up the cabin and will join us for dinner. That gives us more time to put everything together.
I need it to be perfect.
We spent a lot of time at the cabin this summer, and Riley finished all his home-improvement projects. Then he indulged me with a shopping spree to buy new blankets, frames to hang our family photos, and decorations.
The cabin now feels like a home. Our little home away from home. A sanctuary we can escape to.
There’s a knock on the door.
Riley opens the door, and the family spills in one by one.
Juju runs over to me straight away, hugging me tightly before stealing a piece of the meat I’m cutting for dinner.
