Page 2 of Love In The Air

Sky Dancers company had held open auditions last month. Aerialists from the Denver metro area and even as far as Colorado Springs and Boulder came and auditioned. There were students from every aerial school along the front range here.

But why did he have to get in?

“Why do you look like someone ran over your cat?”

Iz jumped at the voice behind her. Turning, she came face to face with her best friend. A calm sense of relief filled her chest. At least her bestie got cast in the company too. She could survive a year of touring with Chance as long as Tori was by her side.

“I don’t have a cat,” she responded.

Tori shrugged. “Fine, then what’s with the death scowl?”

She didn’t have a death scowl.

A quick focus of her body let Iz know she was full of it. Every muscle was tight, including her jaw, and she felt the pull of her eyebrows. Crap, this wasn’t the energy she needed right now. Focusing her intentions, she unclenched her muscles, relaxing her body and face into a neutral position. She needed to make friends, be open and warm.

Fitting in wasn’t always easy for her, but she’d been working on being more open and friendly. These people would basically be her family for the next year. She had to get along with them.

Her gaze slipped back to Chance, laughing at something Derek from her studio said.

Okay, maybe she didn’t have to get along with everybody.

“Why are you glaring at tall, hairy, and handsome?”

“He’s not handsome, he’s an ass,” she answered her bestie.

“Babe, you know I love you and your quirky sense of taste, but that guy is hot with a capital H.”

Shit. Tori was right. Chance had always been good looking, even in high school. Which was probably how he got so many more dates than her. But the years had been even kinder to him. The fitted joggers and tight tank top he wore revealed he’d kept up with his training, like he said. His clothing couldn’t hide the well-defined muscles his body had honed.

He’d covered the jaw line everyone obsessed over in school with a close-cropped beard that somehow made the angle of his face even more delicious, and he’d tied his dark brown hair into a bun on the top of his head. For a moment, she wondered how long it was when he undid it. Shaking her head with a scowl, she chastised herself for the wayward thought. She didn’t care about how long his hair was, or anything else about the man.

Fine, he was hot. Didn’t change the fact that she hated him and always would.

“Chance is an ass.”

Tori’s brow went up. “You know him?”

“Knew him,” she corrected. “We went to high school together.”

Her friend’s mouth dropped open. “Wait, is that the guy who tormented you?”

“Shhhh.” She waved a hand at her friend, pulling her to the side when a few heads swung in their direction. “Keep your voice down.”

Tori winced. “Sorry.”

Her friend had volume filter issues, but Iz didn’t mind, especially considering Tori put up with a host of issues she had. It was why they were besties.

“Tormented is a strong word,” she said in a hushed voice.

“Not from the stories you told me.” Tori glared at Chance. “He took your scholarship, stole your prom date, and ruined your favorite sweater.”

She winced. Okay, maybe in her sharing she’d…embellished a little.

“Technically, he beat me out for the scholarship. Kelly picked him over me for prom, and the sweater thing was an accident.”

He’d tripped over her backpack and spilled an entire can of paint over her in scene shop class. To his credit, Chance had apologized profusely, but teenage Iz had seen it as yet another attack from her nemesis and chewed him out for it, resulting in both of them being sent to the office.

“I can’t believe he got into the company, too.” She moved so her back was to Chance and started warming up. “I’d kind of hoped he moved to Australia or some other island far away with no way to get to it but a boat or plane.”

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