Silence engulfed the hallway as I stood there,watching the door shut behind my mom. I felt as if I was living in some sort of alternative universe. Like I couldn’t quite grasp the fact that all of my dreams were coming true.
Well…almost all of them.
There was one last one that I wasn’t quite sure where we stood, but I was going to find out.
Suddenly, nervously, I began to pull at my shirt as I turned to face Ethan. His gaze was focused on his guitar as if he too felt as if he wasn’t sure what to say.
I decided to get it out of the way and let my heart do the talking. I leaned in and said, “Thanks.”
His gaze snapped up to me and he held it for a moment before he shrugged. “Your mom is right. You’re an incredible dancer. You deserve to be seen and the world deserves to see you dance.”
I studied him, not able to fight the smile that emerged from his words. “And that’s why I love you,” I said. All of my emotions exploded through me at the same time causing my voice to drop to a whisper.
Ethan studied me and then turned. My heart plummeted as I watched him walk over to the wall. I knew I shouldn’t have admitted something like that so soon. He was still hurt from my actions and I wouldn’t blame him if he never forgave me.
But then, he set his guitar against the wall and turned back to face me. He walked toward me with an intensity that I’d never seen before.He looked determined and confident and my heart responded by galloping in my chest.
His hands were around my waist, pulling me close to him. I could feel his heart pound against my palms as my hands sprawled across his chest.
“I love you, Collette Boucher. You are the sexiest, sweetest, and most confusing girl I’ve ever been around.” He tipped his forehead forward and rested it against mine. “But I can’t stop thinking about you and I doubt I could ever stay away from you.”
He dipped down and brushed his lips against mine.
Deep down, a dam broke inside of me and all the feelings of anger and hatred I had toward myself were washed away.
It was strange, seeing yourself through someone else’s eyes. To Ethan, I was perfect. And to myself…I was beginning to accept that.
I didn’t need to be who everyone thought I should be. I just needed to be me.
I slipped my hands from his chest up to the back of his neck where I threaded my fingers through his hair and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.
Ethan must have taken that as my acceptance because his arms tightened around my waist and suddenly I was airborne. He spun me around and I broke our kiss for a moment so I could tip my head back and laugh.
I’d never felt so free. So…me.
He slowed down and set me back down on the ground.His arms remained wrapped around me and I didn’t mind. I never wanted him to let me go.
His expression softened as he leaned forward and kissed my lips again. “You were amazing and if the Juilliard people can’t see it, then they are blind.”
I nodded as I leaned forward and rested my cheek on his chest. I could hear his heartbeat. It matched the rhythm of my own.
“It’s okay,” I said. And I really meant it. There was so much more to dancing than just getting into a prestigious conservatory. There were other schools and dance companiesthat did amazing things with ballet that the stuffy traditional schools would never accept. The dance world was always changing and evolving, and I would find my place within it. If it didn’t exist already, I’d make a place for myself. I’d forge my own path.
Ethan just held me and we stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms. Sure, we had no idea what the future was going to bring us. He still had Yale to figure out and I had a new relationship to build with my mother.
But it didn’t matter. The fear was no longer coating my entire existence.
With Ethan by my side,I could conquer anything. And for the first time, I was realizing that I was the only one stopping what I could do.
If I wanted to dance, I had toput myself out there and do it.
And that thought excited me. More than anything had in a long time.
A wail pulled us apart as we glanced down the hallway. The audition door flung open and Ryan appeared, carrying a distraught Bianca.
She was gripping her leg and cursing. She glared at anyone who was trying to help—especially Ryan.
“You were a liability,” she shrieked as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I told Ms. Boucher to keep you away from me and I was right. Look what you did.”
