Page 34 of The Last Dance

‘Ambri!’ I glance over at Noah as he says her name. He walks around the three of us, headed straight for her. She waves his direction, her smile practically lighting up the dark room. When he reaches her they kiss, and he walks her towards the stage, his hand on the small of her back.

My blood boils. I feel like my head is spinning in all directions. I force myself to breathe. Controlled breathing is the key to controlling your internal reaction. At least, that’s what my therapist has told me. It sure as hell isn’t working when I need it most.

I glance over at Ben, Claire on his arm. ‘You gotta let her go, man.’ He shrugs, reading my mind.

I finally look away, reaching up and rubbing the back of my neck as Karmen walks my way.

‘Hey, baby.’

I nod. ‘How’d it go?’

‘Good. I really like her.’ She takes my hand in hers. ‘Oh… and I asked her about the fight you guys had and she said not to worry, she’s totally over it.’

I look over at Ambri, who is now far enough from us she can’t hear our conversation. I hope that’s not true. Is she really completely over it? Is that her way of saying that she’s over me? I don’t know if I can take that. If she hated me at least I would know she still feels something, but over it? God, suddenly I really, really hope anything but that is true.

‘We’ll see.’ I follow Karmen to the back of the crowd, a few couples away from Ambri and Noah.

I find myself glancing over at her every chance I get. She stares at the stage, swaying with the music. She’s absolutely gorgeous, just like she always has been. Actually, even more so.

I’ve convinced myself for almost two years that leaving was the right thing to do but right now, it doesn’t feel like the right thing. Our eyes meet when she looks in my direction; the entire room feels like it stops. We stare at each other, desperately searching for what the other might be feeling, but I can’t read her.

‘I’m gonna get some air,’ I yell over the music to Karmen, who only nods.

I take the stairs two at a time on my way down, finally able to breathe once I get outside.

‘I gotta let this go. There’s gotta be a way,’ I say to myself as I pace back and forth in front of the front doors.

‘You all right, man?’ a security guy asks, stopping before he opens the doors to go in.

‘I’m good.’ I nod for reassurance.

‘You’re gonna miss the show.’

‘Right.’ I follow him up the stairs. When I get to the top Ambri’s on her way out, turning towards the bathrooms.

‘Hey,’ I say when she finally looks up from the phone in her hand.

‘Hi.’ She says hesitantly, stopping a few feet from me. She looks nervous, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet as she stands in front of me. She smiles when she glances at my shirt. ‘I’mstillobsessed with them.’

I glance down, a little surprised at the shirt I’m wearing. I just grabbed the first one I saw. I never imagined I’d be grabbing an Infusion T-shirt. I smile.

‘You wouldn’t be you if you weren’t obsessed with Infusion. Seen them since we saw them last?’

She shakes her head. ‘This is actually my first time back here since then.’

‘Ah…’ I take a step towards her.

‘Yeah. I feel like this is the place where everything started to fall apart so I couldn’t come back here only to be reminded of what you did.’

Knife in the heart. ‘Oh.’ My injured heart drops in my chest.

‘Listen.’ She steps back. ‘About earlier, thank you, for saving my life. I don’t even remember if I said it? I was kind of um… in shock from the whole thing.’

‘Anyone would have done the same.’

‘Nobody else even got out of their chairs.’ She raises a single eyebrow.

‘Truth is I’m not sure if I’d have been quite as efficient had I known it was you before it happened.’ She stares over at me. No emotion on her face at all. All I want to do is talk to her and now that I’ve got the chance I have no idea what to say. ‘Look, I totally get it if you hate me.’

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