Page 29 of Time To Live Again

“No. Please don’t.” She wraps her arms around me and squeezes me tightly. I freeze, knowing I’m a sweaty mess and we’re in the bathroom, no less. Awkwardly, I hug her back. What else am I going to do?

“Thank you,” she says, her voice cracking.

“For what? Want to go outside and talk somewhere else? Maybe get some fresh air.” Her arms drop, and I put distance between us.

“No. I don’t want Leo to see me like this.” She takes several deep breaths, then wipes the wetness away from under her eyes, smearing the running mascara. She glances at her reflection in the mirror and gasps. “Oh, God, I’m a mess.”

I grab a couple of tissues from a fancy dispenser and hand them to her.

“Are your eyelashes fake?” She asks it like it’s a normal question to throw out there after she just broke down in tears. Is she drunk?

“Nope. They’re all mine. I don’t even have to wear mascara. I lucked out in that department,” I say to her reflection in the mirror.

“If we could all be that lucky,” she mumbles, pointing at her mascara-streaked cheeks.

While she wipes under her eyes, I wash and dry my hands. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and draw back. My hair! Sweat-slicked strands stick to my neck, while the rest is a wild mess. I push the hair back with one hand and wave the other one to cool off.

Finally, because the silence is killing me, I ask, “Are you going to tell me what happened?”

She tosses the dirty tissues in the garbage, then grabs a couple more. “I’m sorry, Olive. I know I’m acting crazy and we don’t know each other. It’s, I—Leo wasdancing.” Her eyes well up with tears again. “Dancing!”

“And…?”

“He hasn’t danced in, like, five years.” She blows her nose like a trumpet, then wads up the tissue.

Five years?Still not getting it. “I need more than that. Why?”

“I can’t tell you. It’s his story to tell.” She props herself against the counter and crosses her arms.

Then why bring it up?

“Y’know, Leo is a cheerful guy. Always Mr. Social. People can’t help loving him. But they don’t see him like our family does. Most don’t know him the way we do. And what I saw tonight was nothing like how he’s been. He used to love to dance, and he was fucking good at it.”

“He’s amazing. I didn’t expect it at all. I felt like I was watching a TikTok reel.”

“Exactly. Out on that dance floor, he looked more alive than I’ve seen him in a long time. There’s fire that’s locked up inside him, and I finally saw a glimpse of it again. That’s what made me cry.” She shakes her head, pointing to the wet streaks lining her face. “And now I can’t stop. No more alcohol for me.”

“But why thank me? I didn’t do anything.”

“Believe me, you did. You lit that flame again. I saw it a little back at his place, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. He meets hundreds of people every year, and not one has accomplished what you have in less than a day. And the way he looks at you? It’s like you’re the only girl in the room. Fake girlfriend or not, there’s something sizzling between you two. Don’t think I didn’t see you almost kiss at midnight.”

The kiss she interrupted. My face tingles, and I shrug. “Heat of the moment, I guess.Fakemoment.”

“Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that.” She grins. I prevent myself from laughing while she begins straightening the tissue dispensers and the basket of travel toiletries. Then she rearranges the stuff in the basket and wipes down the counter.

“All I can say is, he’s been the best distraction since I arrived. It’s impossible to be in a shitty mood when he’s around. I don’t know anybody who throws off such intense positive energy like Leo does. It’s hard to believe he’s not who he portrays himself to be.”

“Don’t you worry. It’s not an act. He’s just holding back.”

Holding back?What would he be like when he’s in full force? Now I’m really curious. And confused. But is it really any of my business?

The bathroom door swings open, and a couple of women stumble in. They look as wrecked as we do. Tonya introduces me to them, and I politely slip out of the bathroom. That conversation took longer than I thought. Leo has to be wondering where I am. I’m going to pretend that chat didn’t happen. It seemed too private for me to know.

Like he’d volunteer that information to a complete stranger.

But are we really strangers at this point?

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