She turns on the light. “They should be here by now. Or maybe they went to the café to wait?”
She checks her phone, rolling her bottom lip between her teeth as her eyes widen. “Shoot.”
“What’s up?” I arch a brow.
“Sooo…it looks like I’m not late after all.”
“Are you a few minutes early?”
“More like almost an hour. I must have put it in my phone wrong.” She wrings her hands. “I’m so sorry. I really need the next performance to go well. I made a few stupid mistakes on my last one.”
“Did I miss one?” I thought I had all her performances in my calendar.
“It was an in-class performance. It was in the middle of the day.”
“Can people who aren’t in the class still come and watch those?” I press.
“Yeah, but we have them every month. I don’t expect you to make those. Besides, you were at an away game, and like I said, I made some mistakes, so it wasn’t my best performance,” she explains.
“You know I want to support you, right? I’ll always come to your performances, no matter how little of a deal you think they are,” I say gently. My stomach twists. “Unless you’d rather I not attend.”
“That’s not it at all. I’ve had monthly performances for the past three years and my mom’s maybe made a handful and my dad, well…I just didn’t say anything because people have busy lives.”
“I will always make time for you, Tally. If I am in town and I can make it, I will be there, okay?” I won’t be another person in her life that lets her down.
“Okay.” She worries her bottom lip. “I’m sorry we’re so early. We could have had time together and now we’re here.”
“I don’t mind. And we still have time together. What’s stressing you out, kitten?” The past twenty-four hours have been intense.
“I don’t know. This performance is a big deal and I don’t want to mess it up. All my future prospects sort of hinge on it, and I can’t let Charles and Arya down. I don’t want to have to work for the Terror because no company in the city wants me.”
“Hey, hey.” I cup her face in my palms. “Take a breath and step away from the ledge of despair.”
She sucks in some air. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so worked up. The in-class piece was only five percent of our grade, and I didn’t practice it as much as I have the final-performance numbers.”
“You’re juggling a lot, kitten,” I remind her.
She plays with the aglet on my hoodie. “Everyone has a full plate.”
“Your load is heavy.” Between her family splitting up, finalexams and graduation on the horizon, coursework and assignments, dance, volunteering, and our relationship—she’s carrying an impossible load. Especially with the media tailing her everywhere she goes.
“We could have snuggled in bed for another half an hour,” she whispers.
“You would have liked that, eh?”
“I like being close to you.”
“Me, too.” I weigh my options as an idea forms. Last night Tally didn’t push for anything physical. I would have given her anything she asked for, and maybe she knew that. We made food together and snuggled; thingsIlike. She put my needs ahead of her own. I could give her what she needs now. “I have this fantasy.”
Her eyebrows rise. “What kind of fantasy?”
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you dancing for me. Or rewatching that video clip you sent me.” I run my hands down her arms. “Especially the part when you’re in the corner on the barre.”
Her cheeks flush and her pupils dilate. “It’s my favorite part of that routine,” she whispers.
“Mine, too. We have some time before Charles and Arya get here.” It’s eight fifteen. We have at least a half hour. It ticks all her boxes, the potential for getting caught, bringing my fantasy to life. She’ll be relaxed going into her day. “Will you let me take care of you?”
She sucks in a shuddering breath and nods.
