Page 80 of Falling With a Spin

Juilliard.

As we pull down a street in his neighborhood, it's almost noon and all this driving has me restless to step out of the car to stretch my legs.

The houses in the neighborhood shouldn’t even be called houses. They are more like mansions. Most of them are red brick with snow-covered yards, a white picket fence, and a long driveway that leads up to the front door. A few of them have toys in the front yard from kids who abandoned them.

When I finally calmed down from the shock of their email, I read it to Hunter. They said they will be holding auditions for the upcoming semester. All I will have to do is click the link to sign up and provide a video.

“Are you going to submit the audition form?” Hunter asks.

“I want to, but I’m not sure if I’m quite ready yet. It hasn't been that long since I got back into dancing. What if I submit a video and don’t get a callback?” I look over at him as he pulls into a drive away.

“You can weigh out all the possibilities, but you need to do what’s best for you. Fuck what everyone else thinks and finally do something for yourself.” He turns off the car, facing towards me.

He is right. Fuck what everyone else thinks or wants. Going to Juilliard has been my dream since day one. A part of me is still scared because I was so close to it last time, and it was taken away from me in the blink of an eye.

“I’ll think about it,” I say to him, and he leans in to give me a quick kiss before stepping out of the car.

I open the door and step out, grabbing my bag with me. Hunter comes around the car and takes my hand, guiding us to the brick walkway blanketed in snow. An inflated snowman and Reindeer are on opposite sides of the porch, and when we walk up the steps, a reef hangs from the dark blue door.

My nerves build up as he goes to press the doorbell. A jingle rings throughout the house that we can hear along with footsteps as they approach the door. Hunter brings me closer, wrapping his arm around me as the nerves slowly fade away, and he rubs circles on my waist.

The door swings open, and a lady with short blonde hair and green eyes, who can’t be much older than my mom stands in the doorway with a bright wide eye smile. She’s wearing a black shirt with sparkles across it and leggings that have miniature snowmen and Santa Claus on them.

“Hunty, you finally made it.” The woman flings her arms around Hunter and he lets go of me to wrap his arms around her. I stand there, watching as they embrace each other.

Hunty? Hmm, that's a new one, and a small chuckle leaves me.

“Okay, okay. That's enough.” Hunter laughs and taps the woman’s back. “There is someone I want you to meet.” He waves me over to him, and I quickly go back to his side.

“Mom, this is Emma, my girlfriend.” He looks at his mom and then at me. “Emma, this is my mom, Kiley.”

“Hi, Mrs. Beckett, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so many things about you.” I reach out my hand, and instead of her shaking it, she pulls me into a bone-crushing hug.

I stiffen up right away, and my eyes go wide as I gently pat her back. Hunter mouths a ‘sorry’ to me and I give him a tight smile. When she finally releases me, she looks me up and down, inspecting me, and I shift uncomfortably under her gaze.

“I hope they are all good things you’ve heard.” She throws a wink to Hunter. “ Please do call me Kiley. Mrs. Beckett makes me feel old, and I hear it all day at work.” She rolls her eyes, and a small laugh leaves me.

“Mom, you are barely fifty years old.” Hunter rolls his eyes and kicks off the snow from his shoes. “But, can we go inside? It’s freezing out here.”

There’s nothing I want more than to get inside and defrost.

“Oh, yes, of course, come in.” She says and leads us inside.

The house is a completely open floor with all hardwood floors, except where the living room which has pearl white carpet. The space is filled with two couches facing each other and a TV that hangs from the wall. The kitchen is completely white with all stainless steel appliances, and a large, round, dark wooden table sits in the dining room with a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments and lights behind it.

“Where is everyone?” Hunter takes his black wool coat and puts it in what I assume is a closet.

“They should be here soon. Your dad went to get your brothers from the airport.” Kiley walks towards the kitchen as I hand Hunter my jacket. “They both had really big cases this week. You should ask them about it to get a better gauge of your decision.”

I can feel the annoyance already brewing from Hunter at the mention of which path he should take for his career. I don’t understand why they can’t see that music is what truly makes him happy. Yes, it’s not a job that pays well, and he’s fully aware of that, but at least they can be somewhat supportive. I can’t imagine my mom never supporting my dream, no matter how insane they might have been at the time.

Taking his hand in mine, I squeeze it, letting him know that I’m here and he gives me a small, tight smile in return as we walk towards his mom.

A couple of hours later we hear a booming laughter enter the house, and then three men walk into the kitchen where Hunter, his mom, and I sit at the island chatting.

One of the men, assuming it;s his father, has salt and pepper hair slicked back, and is wearing a black dress shirt and slacks. His blue eyes wrinkle when he smiles towards the man to his left. I look over to Hunter, and he hasn’t looked up, his eyes laser-focused on his cup as he tightens his grip around it.

“Hi, sweetie.” Hunter's father comes around to his mother, kissing her on the cheek. When he catches my gaze, he looks at me and then at Hunter. “Hello, Son.” His voice comes out strained and a little harsh.

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