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“I don’t want to waste your time,” she quietly admits. It sounds stressful, this pressure that she’s been carrying and living under for so long.
“Julie, there is no time wasted when you’re here. You’re learning something with every class. You’re dancing. You’retrying something new. That’s all this is about. Everything else is icing on the cake.”
“These shoes were gifted to me. So, I’m trying to honor that. I’m trying to make my family proud. I want to make sure I don’t take them for granted.”
“They were a gift, not an assignment.”
She sighs like I don’t understand. “I don’t want to waste it.”
The thing is, I do understand. Maybe only a little, but I do. The crushing pressure, the high stakes, the expectation to always do well, to make sure you’re making people proud. I’m just seeing in her what I’ve felt in myself—the exhaustion, the complicated emotions, the yearning for something more. “We all have our reasons,” I tell her quietly.
“What’s yours?”
My phone lights up just then, a message from Gavin:Going out tonight. Come with.
He’s listed a place down the street from the studio, a local bar with live music on certain nights. Maybe we could both use the break, I reason.
“Let’s do something else,” I say suddenly. She looks to me again, waiting for me to continue. “Class time is almost up anyway. What if we call it a night and take this on the road?”
She blinks. “What? Where?”
“Just down the road to the Alley Cat. Ever been?”
“A couple of times,” she says, confused.
“My brother is out tonight. It just gave me an idea to go and unwind a bit?” I pose it like a question, unsure if this is even smart.
Her brow furrows. “I don’t know.”
“Just figured you could use a break. And my brother is cool. He doesn’t meddle, or anything. Keeps quiet.” I know she doesn’t want her family to know about the tango classes, so I’m trying to acknowledge it and cover my bases as I can.
The look on her face is one of gratitude, maybe a little sheepish. “Is … that alright? I’m not looking to take up your time.”
“You’re impossible.” I laugh. “We were just talking about this.” My laughter subsides as I study her face, my eyes clocking every inch. There’s that feeling again—that hunger, that want. The lines are getting blurred and right now I feel like the catalyst, muddling all of it as I go. “I like you taking up my time,” I say softly.
Her mouth unravels into a smile, a blush creeping up her cheeks as her eyes meet mine. I see her debate it as she looks to the door then back to me. She checks her watch, biting her bottom lip, deep in thought. I’m suddenly aware of how my body is leaning toward her in anticipation, desperately wanting her to say yes.
Soon enough, she agrees. “Yeah, alright.”
I jump up and start to gather my things, perhaps a bit too eagerly. “Grab your bag and follow me.” I walk with her out of the building and into the night.
Chapter sixteen
Logan
“Would you like todrive separately?” I offer.
She thinks this over before answering, almost definitively, “You can drive, I don’t mind,” and I feel like I’ve won a bit more trust.
“Let me clean this up,” I mumble, moving the passenger seat mess to the back and wiping the front seat so it’s good for her to sit.
She gives me a close-lipped smile bordering on a smirk as she gets in.
The drive is quick. Once I park, I look out toward the place and notice it already overflowing with crowds on the wrap-around outdoor patio that contains bar stools and high tables. The large window against the wall is open to the bar inside, and the bright neon lights cut through the otherwise dark night. I’m trying to gauge Julie’s reaction, but now that we’re hereI’msecond guessing if this was a good idea. Brave face forward, we step out of the car and walk inside.
The Alley Cat is tucked away a couple of miles from the studio, down a quieter street that caters more to the locals. There’s a DJon tonight and loud crowds gathering around the bar, the tables, even the small makeshift dance floor.
“Oh,” she says. but it doesn’t sound like disappointment. The inflection in it, it sounds excited.
