He reaches behind a box and pulls out a bottle of cheap champagne.
Jax lifts a brow. “Flowers, Lou. I specifically said flowers.”
“What? You got your girlfriend a dance studio,” Lou tells him. “I felt that deserved bubbles.”
I cough.
“Friend,” Jax mutters, his voice low and annoyed.
Lou looks between us. “Sure, friends.”
* * *
A YEAR LATER
Knock, knock. The sound echoes through the empty studio. I turn from the barre, where I’m holding a deep lunge, my muscles trembling with the effort. Jax stands in the doorway, one shoulder against the frame like he’s not sure he should be here.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, my voice a little breathless as I slowly straighten up, reaching for my water bottle.
“Just checking on a friend.”
It’s insane what just his voice does to me. I tilt my head, my body still warm and loose from stretching. “It’s been a while.”
“Yeah.” He shuts his eyes, his face a mask of pain, and I see the faint, dark lines starting to flicker around them. “You don’t need to hide them here, Jax.” My voice is softer than I intend.
His eyes snap open, the red flaring bright for a second before he banks it.
“You good?”
He exhales through his nose, a sound of pure frustration. “Been better.” A beat of silence hangs between us. “Fuck the full moon.”
I nod, my heart giving a familiar, painful squeeze. “Yeah,” I say quietly. “Fuck the full moon.”
He lifts a paper bag. “Wine?”
I smile faintly, taking a slow sip from my water bottle. “Oh. I was just finishing stretching.”
“Can I watch?”
“Me stretch?”
“Yeah.”
He pulls the cork with his pocket knife and takes a sip of the red wine straight from the bottle, his throat working as he swallows, then passes it to me.
“Never thought this would work,” I say as I lift the bottle to my lips.
He raises an eyebrow. “The studio?”
“No.” I look at him. “Us. Friends.”
“Yeah,” he says after a moment. “We did.”
I lean against the barre, the cool wood a stark contrast to my heated skin.
“How’s the bar?”
“Alright.” He glances around the studio, his gaze taking in the new mirrors, the scuffed but clean floors. “Here?”
