“I know,” I nodded, because I did. “But if you let thatfear control you, you'll just miss out on life. You should do the things that scare you.” Dex arched his brow. “Okay, maybe don't jump out of a plane or anything crazy like that.”
That made him laugh, and my grin grew wider. I loved to be the reason he smiled again. I missed his goofy self but enjoyed getting to know him on such a deeper, intimate level.
“Thanks, Dr Phil.”
“Yeah, I mean, don't take my advice. I learned it all through making the same mistake and the hard way, so I'm in no way a reliable source.”
He squinted at me, his blue eyes sparkling. “You turned out pretty well, and you still dance.”
“I do it because it scares me. I blast the music so I don’t hear the telling pop if I mess up my hip again. And because if I miss a day, I might not get another chance.” I took a deep breath, not even realizing my voice was shaking. “I feel like I have to completely reinvent myself because I don't know who I am if I'm not Rosie the ballerina.”
Since we were swapping confessions, there was no point letting him believe I had my shit together. I was the furthest from it.
Realization dawned on him. “That's why you ask to be called Rosalie, try and say you don't love pink...”
A low laugh escaped me. “Guilty. I'm just trying so hard to figure out where I fit in.”
“You can still be a dancer.”
I shook my head. “An injury like this, plus a re-injury, I would never make it in a company. And I don't want to teach. I love kids, but I don't want someone else reaching my goals instead of me. Does that make me a horrible person?”
Dex wrapped his arm around my shoulders and brought me closer. I stopped fighting the warmth spreading through me, and I leaned into his touch, craving his safety. My head fell onto his chest, and I let his scent wrap around me like a cozy blanket.
“It doesn't, and despite your aversion to dance teaching, you're one hell of a Pilates teacher.”
I smiled into his chest. “Yeah, but my parents think I need to have a real job.”
“They were happy for you to be a ballerina, but now they want a real job? What about Aaron?”
“He's going to law school after graduation, soccer is just fun, it can't be his whole life,” I rolled my eyes, even if he couldn't see it.
When you come from a family with limited resources, they were very picky about what it was spent on and how we needed to be set up for a better life.
Dex let out a low whistle. “Damn, and here I am with a still undeclared major.”
“Though your main goal is soccer,” I twisted my face, looking at him.
“I love it, but I have enough self-awareness to know I'm not nearly as good as Max. I could play, but I might never make the big leagues. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a go big or go home kind of guy.”
A half smile curled in the corner of his lips, and my heart beat faster at the sight of it. His fingers subconsciously tangled into my hair as he played with it. My breathing became irregular, and I felt my face burn. One simple platonic touch from him was driving me crazy.
“Well... guess the reason we are such good friends is that we both suck at being adults.”
Derek laughed, and my heart swelled. For someone who used to always laugh and make jokes, I cherished these moments when I was the reason he was in a good mood.
And the way he looked at me, his blue eyes intense and unyielding, boring into me, like he could read me as an open book.
We were friends. I reminded myself.Nothing more.
I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat, and after a quick glance towards Daisy, I focused on the sunset. The sky turned fully pink, and the tops were slowly being wrapped in darkness.
“It's beautiful,” I muttered, watching the colors change in front of my eyes.
“Yeah,” Dex agreed, his breath tickling me. “Beautiful.”
I glanced back at him, only to find his eyes still staring at me. Lifting my head off his chest, I realized how much closer we were. I could feel his breath on my lips as his fingers untangled from my hair and came to rest on the nape of my neck.
All it took was for one of us to lean closer and close the distance.
