Page 37 of Teasing

“That’s one way to put it. Try to be patient with him,” she warns unexpectedly.

“I don’t have much choice. He’s my boss.”

Annabelle cocks her head and narrows her gaze. “Uh-huh... and that’s it?”

“What’s it?” I push back, not following. I’ve known Annabelle for nearly a decade. She was there when my mom left. She’s been there through everything these past few years have thrown our way. She’s so much more than a boss or a teacher. She’s my friend, and that’s not something I allow myself a whole lot of.

“Oh, Emmie... For such a smart girl, you really can be hardheaded when it suits you.” She tugs me by the shoulders and moves us both in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the studio. Standing behind me, she looks at our reflection over my shoulder. “What do you see?”

“Belle . . .”

“I’ll tell you what I see. I see a beautiful young woman with a heart bigger than nearly anyone I’ve ever met. A young woman who’s lived through enough heartache that you’d have every right to be jaded, but you’re not, Emmie. You have a way of looking at life that most people will never have a chance to appreciate because they’re just not capable of being as optimistic as you are, and yet you’re the one with every right to be ten times more hardened. You...”—she pulls my shoulders back and angles my head up—“are so special, and you just don’t see it.”

“You’re a good friend, Annabelle,” I murmur.

“I am,” she agrees happily. “I’m also not blind. I’ve known Maverick Beneventi since the day he was born, and I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he watched you teaching that class.”

My breath catches in my throat. “What?”

She shakes her head with a knowing look. “Fireworks.”

“I’m so confused,” I finally admit.

“You’ll figure it out eventually. Just be kind until then, okay?”

“To who? Maverick? You’re kidding, right? He’s the one with a mean streak a mile long.” Even if he has gotten a little better.

“He doesn’t trust easily. You use your pain as a reason to live. Maverick uses his as a shield to keep everyone away. You’ll see.” She drops her hands and fixes her hair in the reflection. “Want to get some coffee?”

“I can’t. I’ve got to stop at the grocery store for supplies for tonight.”

“Ahh. Rosie ice cream. Right. Be careful with them, Emmie. They’re not as tough as they seem.”

I follow her through the studio, too speechless for words... until I’m not.

Annabelle grabs her Mary Poppins bag and hands me my dance bag.

“You don’t have anything to worry about. There’s nothing going on between Maverick and me.” The words taste like sawdust in my mouth. Dry and harsh and not at all what I wish I was saying. And it’s that thought alone that stops me in my tracks.

A slow smile spreads across Annabelle’s face. “Now she’s getting it.”

Crap.

She’s right. Now I am getting it. But I don’t want it.

Looking is one thing.

Fantasizing is another thing.

Both of those are harmless.

But wanting . . . hoping . . . those aren’t possible.

Because those are for people with a future, and I don’t know what kind of future I can plan for. I live in the here and now for a reason. The future isn’t promised. The future is a lying bitch.

Maverick

“Hey. Where are you going?”I ask Ryker as he hoists his bag over his shoulder.

---