It’s thrilling and terrifying and aggravating. It feels right and wrong and a million other things. Something inside presses on me. What if I’m simply giving in to a whim? What if that’s what happened with both Mom and Maggie? They indulged a whim and got locked in for what they think is going to be the long haul. Life is short, and sometimes circumstances are shorter. So which one do I buy into?
Avery presses play on her little speaker, and that same languid song from our last lesson pours out. This time, there’s something fresh in her eyes as she closes in, taking one of my hands and pressing it into the small of her back.
“Guide me,” she orders.
I remember her notes from our last lesson, using my upper body to do the steering, the way I attempted to do at the St. Mirada masquerade. Training my eyes on her, she stares up at me, and I nearly come undone. Avery is beautiful.She’s sweet and kind and everything I could ever wish I was as a human. Forget finding a new place, I want her to stay. I want to live in this bubble forever. Impromptu dance nights at the drop of a hat. Walking down the hall and finding her there. My pulse climbs… Sharing a room would be even better than sharing a house.
I consider how to phrase it. Asking a girl to stay with me for the foreseeable future feels totally different this time around. Sure, the feelings are there—at least for me—but we’re not in a relationship. For good reason. Even if she didn’t think I was crazy for asking, putting her in that position would be selfish. Maybe a few years from now, when we’ve both retired from the Kings, something could happen. But ruining Avery’s dance dream is the last thing I want.
The song stops and she starts another, gripping my hands the same as before, but now she steps so close our hips bump and my pulse rockets.
“This one’s for your date. You’ll thank me later,” she whispers.
I hesitate, unsure of how to respond. I swallow hard.
“Guide me,” she orders again.
Why am I so nervous? I steel my gaze and my jaw, moving closer so we’re pressed chest to chest. We sway together, stepping every so often, and it feels more natural than anything I’ve ever felt with anyone else before. My fingers travel up her spine and back down again, tracing her curves. She sucks in a sharp breath, biting her lip as I spin her one way and then the other. I pull her back so our bodies press flush together. Her eyes sparkle up at me.
“Wow, Ty. I have to admit, I’m impressed. And a little surprised,” she coos.
“A little?”
She nods.
“Well, you shouldn’t be. I have a good teacher. Some may say the best.”
“Some? You mean you?”
“You’re definitely the best,” I say.
Her eyes crinkle at the corners. “I’m just happy not to have any interruptions this time.” Dolly clambers across the wood floor in a blur of fuzzy white and disappears down the hall. “I’d rather be interrupted by my cat than a drunk.”
“Same.” I fumble a little as I attempt another spin, and Avery stifles a giggle. “That guy was the worst.”
“He was just drunk, but I do appreciate you holding up for me.”
“Always.”
The song stops, and we still as something jazzy starts up next.
I steel my nerves. “I have something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
“Me too,” she says breathlessly.
“You first.”
She hesitates, giving me a once-over, and then finally says, “I found a place to stay.”
Anything I wanted to tell her vacates my mind because of course she’s leaving. It’s not like she’s moving across the globe, but this is just the reminder I needed. She stares at me expectantly, and I paste on a smile.
“It’s not even Halloween.” I don’t know why it’s thefirst thing that leaves my mouth, but it’s all I can think about. I was certain she’d stay until at least Thanksgiving. But she’s already trying to get out of here before Halloween. Which technically isn’t eventhe holidays.
She tilts her head up at me. “Less time you have to deal with me forgetting to turn the lights off. Plus, it’s in the suburbs. And the place sounds super cute. Well, it has a garden.”
Down the street would be too far from Avery, let alone the suburbs. “That’s great. I know you’ve been hoping to find somewhere viable.”
Her gaze drops to the floor. “Yeah, it’s kind of another temporary situation. The owner will be gone for a while, but they sound really nice. Responsible. Like they aren’t going to sneak in and steal my socks.”
