It was then that I realized just how much her feelings for me mirrored mine for her. Ever since that day in the dressing room, she’d made a constant appearance in my dreams. Just thinking of her and the way she looked at me would bring a smile to my face. It was nice to have someone who genuinely liked being in my presence and wasn’t just here for something. When I was around her, I could let my guard down and be myself. For the first time in a long time, I was happy, and it was because of her.
“You’re thinking hard,” she says, cutting through the silence. I watched as she finished up the last of her breakfast. When she noticed me staring, she looked at me, head cocked to the side. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I say, shaking my head. My heart rate picked up a bit as I turned my attention to my food.
“Hey, look at me, love,” she says softly, taking my hand in hers. I turn to look at her once more. She smiled sweetly. “Whatever it is, just know that I’ll never judge you.”
“I know,” I nod. “I’m just feeling a lot of emotions at once that are new to me. Well, notnewnew, but I’m feeling them in a different way than in the past.” I sigh before returning her smile. “Dawn, Ireallylike you, and it’s scary because feelings like these have never worked out for me in the past. But with you, I feel more optimistic about what’s to come. Honestly, I’m excited.”
“And so am I,” she assured me, giving my hands a gentle squeeze. “Being scared is a valid feeling, because I’m feeling the same, but I’m taking it one day at a time. One moment at a time. I’m here for as long as you allow me to be, sweetheart. I can only hope that means forever.”
“Me too,” I reply.
She leans in to kiss me once more, and then she lightens the mood by telling me to finish eating quickly. I giggle and nod, finally giving my food the attention it longed for. About thirty minutes later, we were heading out the door and taking the elevator down to the car that was waiting for us. I still had no idea where we were going, but I knew that no matter where we ended up, it’d be a good time simply because we’d be together.
CHAPTER 12
You, Me & Our Day Off.
Dawn Anderson - October 20th, 2025
Like rain falling on a droughted land,
You replenished me with your smile.
Your laugh.
Your presence.
Those were the words that popped into my head as I sat back, watching Raine play the old dancing game in the back of the arcade we’d stopped at. Her laughter rang out over the music, bells, and sound effects, filling my chest with something like contentment. She was enjoying herself, and it was written all over her face and present in her body language. It’s as if all of her worries were gone in this moment, and she could finally breathe for once.
I smiled to myself as I thought about how amazing today had been. After leaving the hotel a few hours ago, we went to an art and science museum I had rented out for a few hours, and we were able to take our time admiring the exhibits as we walked hand in hand. There was even an interactive section that had us giddy like two elementary kids on their first field trip.
Next, we dined at a popular lunch spot that Raine had been eyeing on IG for a while. She’d mentioned wanting to try it whileshe was in Atlanta, so when I found out we would have a day off between shows, I made reservations for us. The food was delicious, and the conversations never stopped flowing between us. I did get recognized by a few people, snapped a few pics, and signed a few autographs, but they left us to enjoy our time alone afterwards.
As we were driving back to the hotel with a movie and a sweet treat on our minds, she spotted an arcade and mentioned that she hadn’t been in one in a while. So, of course, we had to stop for a bit. She squealed as she hopped out of the SUV after Lance held the door open for her. We thanked him as Raine grabbed my hand, pulling me into the building. He’d been our designated driver all day, and I was grateful for him.
And that’s how we ended up here in this corner of the arcade, away from everyone else. As soon as she saw the Dance Dance Revolution game, she made a beeline for it and insisted on playing together. I tried to keep up with her, but had to tap out halfway through the first song. She encouraged me to try again, but I assured her that I preferred to watch her do her thang.
I’d only ever seen videos of people being good at this game, so to say I was amazed at the way Raine hit every move was an understatement. I shouldn’t be surprised at all, though. She’d shown me plenty of times before that when it came to dancing, this was what she was good at. This was what she was born to do, and it was obvious. How her sister could see her and still think that she was wasting her life by following her dreams was beyond me. Raine had the type of talent that deserved to be front and center. She had the kind of talent that deserved to be shared with everyone.
And that’s why she was my lead dancer.
“Woo, I think that’s enough for now,” she chuckled as she finally climbed down from the platform. She walked over to wrap her arms around me. I kissed her nose lightly, and shelooked up at me with honey dripping from her eyes. “Thank you for this. Today has been amazing.”
“I’m glad you’ve been enjoying yourself,” I nodded, taking her hand in mine. “I’ve been planning it for the last week, so I feel accomplished. Did you want to play any other games?”
“No, but I saw that there was a cute little indie bookstore a couple of doors down. Do you mind if we stop there?”
“Not at all,” I say. “Lead the way, Siren.”
She giggles at the nickname before guiding me to the exit. We walked in silence the couple of feet to the bookstore, and she was buzzing with excitement as we stopped in front of the quaint storefront. It gave off cottage vibes, and I was here for it. I wasn’t the most avid reader, but I did enjoy a good romantasy every once in a while. I asked if she could give me a few recs as we entered, and her face lit up like a kid in a toy store.
We spent the next half hour going from aisle to aisle as she pointed out different books she’d read, as well as ones she couldn’t wait to dive into when she had more time. I told her she should get a few books, and I’d buy them, but in the end, she only got about three. Of course, I made a note in my phone of all of the books she said she wanted and planned to buy them for her anyway. I knew she was only being conscious of how much money I was spending today, but what she didn’t understand was that I wouldn’t hesitate to buy every book in this store if she wanted me to. Shit, I’d buy thewholestore for her.
With her small bag of books hugged against her chest and a content smile on her face, we exited the store and found ourselves walking down the sidewalk again. Lance had messaged to let me know that my aunt was looking for me to go over the schedule for tomorrow, so instead of getting ice cream like we wanted, we made our way back to the SUV and then to the hotel, where I walked Raine up to her room. We spent a few minutesexchanging kisses before she thanked me for today and pushed me away so I could handle my business.
I felt as if I was floating on cloud nine when I finally made it to the conference room where my aunt was waiting with a few other members of my team. She glanced at me with a questioning look, but I just smiled, assuring her that I was okay. I was sure that she knew by now that Raine and I were dating, but she hadn’t said anything, and frankly, I didn’t care either way. I loved my aunt, but there was nothing she could say to stop the way my feelings for Raine were growing.
