I try not to let disappointment get the best of me when Blake is nowhere to be found. He likes to stay after and practice before taking a few hours in the recovery room. So did I, once upon a time. To be fair, I didn’t text him ahead of time that I’d becoming by. It’s not like he’s expecting me. Just when I think that maybe I should pass by the doorway to get his attention, Lark shoots me a look like she already knows what’s going through my mind.
“Principal meeting.”
I know better than to interrupt that. Things are usually tense the weeks following when the ballet is announced. Aside from the excitement, there are the nerves that come with casting—not that Blake has ever had to worry. He’s their best principal. There was no way he’d get any role other than Prince Siegfried.
God, he will be brilliant at it. Makes me all the more envious that I won’t be able to watch him rehearse. The way he moves to the music stirs something within me. The few times we’ve partnered after rehearsals, well…let’s just say that’s how things truly began. His tight grip on my hips, hungry eyes roving over me, moving in the dimly lit studio… We hadn’t even made it home that first night, our bodies coming together quickly in the alleyway I’d just been considering hiding away in.
There wouldn’t be any more nights like that, but knowing we could finally come out about our relationship outweighs the disappointment. While going to the preview gala and opening night will be hard for me, the idea of being on Blake’s arm ignites me. I might be stuck in the corps at Ballet Potomac, but Blake’s spotlight is bright enough to shine on us both. Who knows? Maybe once I make my comeback and become an established principal with Ballet Potomac, I’ll be able to return to the Institute? We can finally dance togetherandbe together out in the open.
“Earth to Jojo,” Lark says, snapping her fingers in front of my face. “Where’d you disappear to?”
“You know me, always a dreamer.” I laugh it off and hand her the coffee. We chat together in the lobby, and I get sporadic hugs from familiar friends as they head out. In some ways it feelslike nothing’s changed. Then there are moments when they talk about the ballet or ask me about Ballet Potomac and a line feels drawn between us, skating along discomfort.
Studio C opens, and my breath catches in my throat. A few of the principals ignore me or give a quick nod before leaving. Blake comes out, talking to Nina and Beth, who are set to play Odette and Odile, the white and black swans in the ballet. The roles hold an elegance I dream of. I imagine myself clad in ivory feathers and delicate satin, lights warming me from above while a full audience watches me share my craft.
I stand up from the couch, and Blake pulls me in for a hug. “So good to see you, Jolie.”
“Yeah, Jolie,” Nina says, lips flattening into a thin line. She’s about three inches taller than me, but something about her makes her always feel like she’s towering over me. Her champagne bun is slicked back, and when she hugs me, it’s as ass-out as it can get. She never warmed to me when we danced in the corps together, or even when we were soloists. She was promoted to principal last year. I envied her then, and I do even more so now. “We’ve missed you.”
Uh-huh, sure.
“We have,” Blake agrees, shooting me a charming wink.
“We’re running to the juice bar, then we have to go through more choreography,” Nina says.
“Sorry to have to run.”
“Sorry to have to run.”
“No worries.” I look up at him from beneath my lashes. While I don’t want to seem too enamored by him in front of everyone, I’m disappointed he is on his way out already. I clear my throat, wrestling away my sudden shyness. “I figured things would be busy.”
“I’ll shoot you a text later.” He gives me another squeeze and a swift kiss to my temple. I follow him with my stare as hereaches the door, but it’s the white blur across the street that ends up snagging my attention.
Two iridescent eyes peer at me. The beast halts there, licking its lips. A glint of sharp teeth keeps me pinned beneath its stare. Silvery-gray spots are mixed into its white fur. A terrifyingly beautifulwolf.
I blink a few times, and in a flash, it disappears.
Maybe this is all in my mind.
Thirty minutes later, after I’ve visited with my former company mates, Lark and I head out to go home.
“Hey, let’s cross the street real quick,” I suggest, wanting to get a closer look at where the wolf was. I need to know if it’s my mind playing tricks on me. Besides, Dr. Tanner said to explore the things I was seeing. A giant, unexplainable beast seems like something to look into.
Especially when it has those eyes that have haunted me for months.
“Um, sure.” Lark squints across from us for whatever has me wanting to go there. “Any reason why?”
“Just feeling adventurous.” Pretty sure “I keep seeing a wolf with sparkling eyes”won’t win me any sanity points right now.
Lark shrugs, then presses the button at the intersection. “If your adventure doesn’t involve making moon eyes at Blake, I’m all for it.”
“Why do you hate him so much?”
“I don’t hate him. He’s just not good enough for you.” She grabs my hand and we cross the street, watching the light count us down before angry DC drivers honk at us. It’s one of the many reasons I’ve stuck with public transportation around here. “Please tell me you’re at least putting your birthday present to good use since the boy doesn’t strike me as one to know what he’s doing, which you only confirmed for me the other morning.”
My birthday present, aka a massive vibrator she named Buzz.
I groan. “Not this again.”
