Page 11 of Dance With Me
The subject inevitably changed to dancing, and after a few more drinks, they were ready to crash for the night, both of them going into Seb’s room. As friends, they’d shared a bed many times, both knowing that nothing sexual would ever happen between them. Rocco followed and made himself comfortable on the floor.
“Goodnight, Dom, and no snoring tonight, please.”
“Goodnight, love you too. Turn off the light, boo.” Dom reached over and kissed Seb’s cheek. “See you in the morning.”
Seb turned off the light and plunged them into darkness, the curtains blocking out any moonlight. Seb could tell from Dom’s even breathing that he’d gone to sleep, but Seb stayed awake. His mind went over the events of the day, remembering the way Joe had smiled as they’d talked. Seb was so entranced with the man, he just knew this couldn’t end well. Eventually, though, he went to sleep with Dom’s arm thrown across his waist, his face nestled on his chest.
The following morning, Seb and Dom were sitting down to breakfast when a familiar noise from Seb’s laptop startled them both.
Damn it, Seb had forgotten the Skype call with his parents.
“I’d better get this, or they’ll keep ringing.” Seb pulled his laptop towards him.
“No worries. I need to go anyway. I’m meeting with a new student and her brother for a one-on-one lesson.”
Seb frowned at him. Dom didn’t usually do lessons. “OK, I’ll speak to you later, yeah?”
Dom nodded, kissed his forehead, and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Seb accepted the call and beamed when he saw his mom and dad.
“Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. How are you both today?” He loved his parents and missed them dreadfully, but they lived across the country on the east coast. They chatted for a while about their garden, how they’d been out for lunch a couple of times that week, and what old Mrs Whitlow had been doing with her new ‘boy toy’, as they called him. Mrs Whitlow was eighty if she was a day, and she’d employed a new gardener who was about sixty-five. Such a scandal at her age, his mother said.
Seb fought the urge to roll his eyes. He was pretty sure Mrs Whitlow had nothing going on with the gardener, but it gave his parents something to talk about. Since their retirement, they’d travelled more and had been home less often but still liked to keep up to date with all the local gossip.
“So, what have you been up to, son?” his dad asked, finally taking a breath.
“Nothing much, really. Still teaching, of course. I took on a couple who are getting married in July. They wanted something good for the first dance, so they chose a tango. It’s not going too badly, and I’ve agreed to give the groom some extra lessons. He’s struggling a little, but I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.”
His parents nodded, waiting for him to continue.
“Natalia has been going to more and more auditions with Louis, and if they’re successful, they’ll probably move down to London. She’s just waiting to hear. If she goes, we’ll need to employ a new teacher. I can’t do it all on my own.”
His parents’ gazes softened. “Give her our love and tell her we miss her.”
“Of course,” Seb said. “She’ll be happy to hear it.”
Natalia was as much a daughter to Jana and Levi as Seb was their son. Natalia’s parents practically ignored her but strived to keep her happy by throwing anything at her, especially money.
“How are Ben and Becky?” Seb asked. “I texted them but didn’t get much back from them.” Ben and Becky, or Benjamin and Rebecca, were Seb’s siblings. Both younger than him, Ben had just started a new job in travel and Becky was still at university, studying psychology.
“They’re good. Ben has a new beau, Harry. Such a lovely boy and Becky is doing well at university, concentrating on her studies. You know how she is.” Seb’s mother glowed. She was proud of all her children, Seb included.
“Have you met a nice boy yet, Seb?” his mother asked.
“No, Mom,” Seb sighed. Every single call he had this. “Still single, but I’m too busy to get into a relationship. We’ve discussed this.” His parents were always on to him about finding someone, but he always tried to put them off. His excuse was the studio and how he needed to concentrate on that. The real reason? His relationship with Daniel and how his death had affected him more than he wanted to admit to himself or to anyone else. He didn’t want to put himself out there again. He didn’t want to get hurt.
“Mmm, never say never, Sebby. It will hit you when you least expect it. Who could resist my beautiful boy?” Her comments never failed to make him blush, and he knew if she were in the room with him, she’d be patting his cheek. She was just biased, he decided; she was his mom, after all.
They chatted for a while longer about this and that and ended the call with promises to speak again next week.
“We miss you, son, and we love you.” His mother blew him a kiss and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
“I know. I miss and love you both too,” he said, touching the screen. It had been so long since he’d seen them. He needed to try to rectify that soon.
Once the call ended, Seb couldn’t shake the feeling of loneliness. Maybe he did need to find a special someone. The only problem was the only one he thought it could be was getting married in less than three months. He put his head in his hands and groaned. This was the worst weekend ever!
Chapter Seven
