Page 5 of Poles Apart
Jacob
Holy fuck!
He rubbed his eyes, not sure what he was seeing. Dominic, sorry Dom, was standing in front of him as beautiful as ever. His hair was different, not mousy brown as it used to be but white blond now. His eyes were as green as he remembered them, so bright, you’d think he was wearing coloured contacts. His skin was still pale, his prominent cheekbones making him as gorgeous as ever.
My God, he couldn’t believe he was there, right fucking there. Jacob was mesmerised by him. He looked the same but not. He’d filled out, that was for sure, and his legs and thighs... Jesus, he wouldn’t mind them wrapped around his waist. It was clear he’d taken care of himself, but what he’d been doing, he had no idea. He sure as hell wanted to find out, though.
Dom didn’t speak to him again but carried on with Abby’s lesson as if Jacob wasn’t there, giving him time to take a closer look at the man he’d become.
The change to his hair was the most obvious one. The style was similar, short at the sides and longer on top, but the colour was completely different. As he danced, showing his sister the various moves, his shirt rode up, and Jacob could see the definition in his abs. Fuck, the guy was ripped but slim too. He couldn’t have looked away if he’d tried.
He listened as Dom spoke to Abby. He was clear and concise with her and praised her as she danced. She’d always loved dancing, but it hadn’t been until recently that she’d decided she might like some lessons. A friend of hers had taken her to a workshop at her school, and Mia, the dancer running it, had suggested she take lessons, saying she had a talent for dancing and learning choreography.
Mia had taken Jacob’s number and told him she knew of a brilliant dance instructor who might be willing to give Abby lessons. She’d texted him a few days later with a date and address but never mentioned a name, so he’d had no idea it was Dominic.
After a couple of hours, Jacob’s backside had gone to sleep—the chairs in the hall were not the most comfortable—and he could tell Abby was exhausted, sweat soaking her shirt. Dom, on the other hand, looked like he hadn’t done anything. Jacob rubbed his arse as he stood and made his way over to them.
He hugged her close. “Wow, Abby, you did so well.” He turned to Dom. “Do you think you could take her on? She really wants to dance, and this would mean the world to her.” He just hoped his and Dom’s past wouldn’t create a problem.
“She’s great. I’m happy to take her on as a student if she’d like.” He smiled at Abby, but when he turned to look at Jacob, his face was neutral, no expression at all. Jacob was taken aback for a moment.
“What would you like to do, Abby?” Jacob asked.
She was bouncing on the spot. “I’d like the lessons. Can we afford them? Please say yes, Jacob.”
“How much would the lessons be, and how many a week?” Jacob looked at Dom, trying to figure out what was going on with him. He’d thought he would at least be civil with him after all this time.
“Lessons will be ten pounds an hour, and how many times we’ll meet each week depends on what you want to do, Abby. Maybe a couple of two-hour sessions to start with and see where we go from there? How does that sound?” Was he purposely ignoring him?
“Sounds great. You’re so good, Dom. Where did you learn to dance like that?” Abby seemed star-struck by him; her eyes shone with adoration.
“Well, I went to university and got a degree which let me teach, but the past few years, I’ve been on the competition circuit, pole dancing. I’ve danced in some clubs here and abroad too.”
Fuck, well, that’s where he got all those muscles from. No wonder he had abs like that. Jacob would have loved to see more.
“Wow,” said Abby, “that is so hot.”
“Abby! Really not appropriate.” But Jacob had to agree. It was hot, and he would love to see Dom in action. She looked at him and rolled her eyes.
“So, when could you fit us in and would it be here? It’s not too far from where we live, but I’d still need to bring her to lessons.” He knew he mollycoddled her, but he wouldn’t let her travel here alone.
“Do you not still live at—” Dom started, but before he could finish, Jacob cut him off.
“No, we don’t live there anymore. We live about a fifteen-minute drive away.” He wasn’t going to go into details as to why they didn’t live at the same house anymore. One day maybe, but not today.
“Oh, okay. I’m going to need you to fill in some forms for me, but I’ll bring those to the next session if that’s alright.” Dom bent and wrote his number on a slip of paper, then passed it to Jacob. “Here’s my number if you need to contact me for anything about the lessons. Text me so I have your number too. I think we’re done here for the day. I hope you enjoyed the lesson, Abby, and got something from it.”
She nodded enthusiastically and, putting her towel round her neck, gathered her bag from the floor. “Thanks, Dom. I loved it.”
She grabbed hold of Jacob’s hand and moved towards the door. Jacob needed to talk to Dom, though, so he handed her the keys. “Go wait in the car. I’ll be out in a moment.”
He wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but he felt he needed to say something, anything.
“So.” Lame didn’t even cover it at this point. “Long time no see. How’ve you been?” Jacob couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth.
Dom turned to face him, but there was no emotion on his face at all.
“Jacob, what happened between us was years ago. It’s in the past. I tried to find out where you’d gone, but no one would tell me. I thought we meant something to each other, and it hurt that you couldn’t be bothered to let me know where you’d gone. I think it’s best we leave things in the past, don’t you?”
