"I've been here nine minutes, Giselle. Nine. Want to know how I got in?"
My eyes widened because since he brought it up, I knew how he got in.
"The door was unlocked. The fucking door was unlocked, Giselle. Then I walk in and as fucking amazing as it is to watch you dance, the music was up and you were in your zone and I could have been any fucking body and you would have never known."
I could see him shaking and his fists were clenching and unclenching at his sides. He was in his standard cut off t-shirt and gym shorts. His shoes were still on and they were scuffing my floors but now wasn't the time to bring it up.
He was right, again.
I fucked up.
Without the kids here, I walked right in and never looked back. I knew Ty would be coming in and I let locking the door slip my mind. I lowered my head, taking a deep breath before speaking.
"Shit," I whispered. "I cancelled classes for the week and waltzed right in here for the first time since we left Tuesday."
His hand found my chin again and he lifted my head up so he could look in my eyes.
"Scared the shit out of me," his words were punctuated between each one.
I just nodded, because what else could I say? Locking the door was rule number one these days. Ty dropped his hand and turned around, running both hands through his hair. He was shaken up but I didn't realize how much he was affected by what happened until this moment.
"I am so sorry about what happened. On Tuesday.”
He turned back to me quickly, "There you go apologizing again. You ever gonna stop?"
I let his words soak in without a response. Ty was confusing and I was not sure who I was when he was around. It took everything I had to keep my shoulders pulled back and my head held high. He probably thought I was certifiable with the way I teetered back and forth, but he was the first person that had seen the many sides of Giselle Metrovik in a long time.
Maybe ever.
"Let's dance," I turned to face the mirror and held onto the barre in front of me. I could see Ty watching me in the reflection and we locked eyes. The mirror was like a shield. I knew he could see me, he knew I could see him. But with my back to him, I was braver, more at ease to keep my head held high. Ty's eyes stayed on mine but I could see the wheels turning.
After another few silent minutes, Ty snapped. He approached me and put both of his hands on the barre, one on either side of me. He pressed his chest against my back and lowered his mouth down near my ear. Our eyes were still locked as he created a cocoon around me, making me feel secure and safe—and needy.
“I’ll dance with you, Giselle, but I will not let you raise that prissy curtain again. I know what I have to do to tear it open and all I need is a hint of that uptight attitude to make it happen."
What did I do next?
Call his bluff? I don't know.
Test him? Not sure.
Hope he would? Probably.
I lifted my chin and, through the mirror, made sure he was looking directly in my eyes before I taunted him with, "Your shoulders are sagging, your feet are facing different directions, and your face has a scowl, Mr. Black."