Page 78 of Can't Help Falling

Tyler went out to help them cue up the program, and when he got back, Fin let her smile free.

“What?” he asked as he sat back down.

“Got a soft spot for gymnasts?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, come on, Ty. All the kid had to do was tell you that he used to play a sport and you completely dropped the overprotective act and straight-up invited him over again.”

His brow furrowed before his expression broke open. “Huh. I guess you’re right.” He laughed at himself. “I guess I’m an easy lock to pick. I used to do some gymnastics, so maybe it was a perfect storm.”

“A gymnast and a ballet dancer?”

He froze, his beer bottle halfway to his mouth, his eyes narrowed. “Who told you? Sebastian?”

“Ky.”

“Kylie knows?”

“She googled you when she first found out about you. She showed me the videos.”

“She showed you the videos,” he repeated numbly. “Oh, Jesus. The internet deserves to get punched in the nuts. Is nothing allowed to die? Ever?”

She leaned her elbows forward, impossibly charmed over his embarrassment. “Why are you so concerned with hiding it? It’s really cool.”

“Yes, I agree. Ballet is really cool. It’s an exacting and demanding sport slash art form. And it’s not like I’m ashamed of it or anything. But come on, would you want to see videos of your much younger self doing a bunch of crap that you were only marginally good at?”

“Marginally good at? Tyler, you were an incredible dancer. Seriously. I was really impressed.”

He blushed, looking up at her through embarrassed eyelashes. “I mean, I loved it. Even though I got mocked for it my entire high school career. But in the end, I just didn’t have the chops to make it professionally.”

She shook her head. “The dance world must be cutthroat then, because from what I saw, you were incredibly gifted.”

Again, charmingly, he went quite pink. “I auditioned a bunch at the end of high school, for all sorts of companies and troupes. But got nothing but a series of ‘good try, kid.’ Writing was another passion of mine, so I went to journalism school and danced with a few clubs for a while. After that, I tweaked my knee pretty bad and I realized that I might permanently injure my body for something that had become just a hobby. So I quit halfway through college.”

“Do you ever dance at all anymore?”

He opened his mouth and then clapped it closed. “Uh. Yeah, actually. Before Kylie I was renting some studio time over by Union Square for an hour a week. Sometimes I’d stay for the class right after. Just messing around really. Trying to stay in shape. Stay flexible. Yoga is too slow. Pilates is too boring. So, mostly, in my normal life, I run, shoot hoops with Seb and Matty and—” he cleared his throat “—dance.”

“But not since Kylie came to live with you.”

“Right.”

“You know I’d hang out with her if you still wanted to do that, Ty. It’s just a couple hours a week. You could probably even plan it for when she’s in school. You don’t have to put your whole life on hold. I’m sure she doesn’t even want you to put your whole life on hold.”

He lifted his eyebrows and didn’t look convinced.

“Honestly,” she continued, “it wouldn’t even be that big of a deal to leave her at home alone sometimes. She’s a trustworthy kid.”

“With Anthony the gymnast sniffing around? I don’t think so.”

Fin laughed and shook her head.

He groaned, his eyes tracing up to the ceiling. “I can’t believe you’ve seen the ballet videos.”

Seen them? I practically licked them.

“We need more beers,” he decided. “I’m gonna go ask my neighbors real quick.”

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