“You were amazing,” Lark gushes. She loops her arm in mine, talking through the details of the performance. What she loved. Moments I stood out. I know she’s doing it to appease me, but I savor her words, nonetheless. Brimming with excitement over my first opening night with Ballet Potomac and sharing it with Lark helps fill the gap left by Mom’s absence. I miss her so much. She would have been so thrilled with my dancing tonight.
While Lark and Delilah talk about their plans for tomorrow during the Uber ride home, I listen to Mom’s message again, comforted by the sound of her voice.
Once we’re home, I shower quickly, finding myself disappointed when there’s no message on the mirror. No mist when I breathe. No white wolf or handsome harbinger waiting for me. It’s not just my mom’s absence that leaves a void tonight.
Pressing my palm over the silvered mark on my sternum, I fall asleep and dream of Jax.
His words replay in my mind like a comforting prayer:
I’ll find a way to you in any season, Tempest.
APRIL
28
JOLIE
Lark bursts through my door. “What happened?” She clutches a pointe shoe over her head, eyes darting around the room until they land on me. “Are you okay?”
Oops.
I swivel my chair the rest of the way around to face her. “Sorry, just got excited.”
My cheeks are sore from how hard I’m beaming, joy bubbling up from my belly like I’ve sipped too many sparkling waters.
This news is everything I need right now.Gisellewas the perfect distraction, but now that rehearsals are dying down, the lack of perpetual motion makes the tender ache of missing Jax more raw. A partially healed wound scraped against pavement.
“Excited is good. I’m down with excited.” Lark bounces into the room. Her arm drops by her side, but she still holds the shoe. “I thought something murdery was happening.”
“Nope. Nothing murdery.” I laugh, nodding toward her hand. “Though, I’m glad you were ready to fight…with your very dangerous shoe.”
Her gaze hones on mine.
“Always.”
I arch a brow at her. “What were you planning to do?”
“We both know the blocks of these babies can hurt. Figured I could swing ’em around a bit, maybe strangle them with a ribbon.”
“You’ve thought about this in far too much detail.”
She merely shrugs, then tosses the shoe onto the floor and comes closer. “So what’s got you excited?”
“Look.” I swivel my chair off to the side, making sure she can see the email glowing from my laptop screen.
“Holy shit, Jolie!” Lark’s leaning over me, hands on the desk while her lower half hops up and down. Her body is vibrating with all the excitement that thrums through me, and I love her for it. “Holy shit. This is huge! I’m so freaking proud of you.”
“Thanks!” My cheeks heat. “I’m actually going to beinthe Ballet World Summit. I can’t believe it.” I sigh, trying to freeze the reality of this moment. My mom and I always planned to attend the summit to celebrate when I finally made principal. Maybe that dream hadn’t come true, not yet at least, but in a way, this feels like a sign from her. Not only will I be there, I’ll beperforming. “Have they sent out the list for the Institute yet?”
“No. Maybe they will before the end of the week? We both know who’s going to be on it.” She rolls her eyes. “Did you ever reply to his texts after the showcase?”
“Nah. I blocked his number. And honestly, there’s not really anything else to say.” I take one more look at the email, enjoying the serotonin boost it brings, then I release a sigh. “You were right about him.”
“Maybe I was, but that doesn’t mean I am happy about it… I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s easy to be blind to the things we don’t want to see, even when they’re right in front of us.”
Lark wasn’t trying to be right. She was trying to do right by me. Too bad I was so starved for a morsel of affection, I overlooked the obvious signs. The more I look back on ourrelationship, the more flawed patterns weave into my recollection. What we had was flimsy, awaiting the final thread to finally unravel.
