Page 35 of Love You Still
Emersyn pushes past me and takes a seat beside her. “I can help you with that, Ms. Mable. Selina needs to give Vance an answer before starting class.”
“When did you even get here?” I cock my head to the side, wondering how she slipped in without me noticing.
This place is a madhouse when students are coming in for class, but I usually notice everyone who walks through the door. Thankfully, a few of the parents lost interest in whatever was going on between Vance and me and left the room. Vance and Bristol are whispering to each other near the other side of the room. One or two parents are sitting in the chairs, their eyes focused on their phones as they pretend not to be listening to what’s going on around them.
“About a minute after Vance asked you out for the millionth time.” She smiles brightly at me before motioning to Vance. “Are you going to answer the man?”
“Traitor,” I mutter under my breath, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Come on. You should at least give him a chance.” Emersyn mumbles, her eyes focused on Vance as he approaches.
“Fine!” I shout. “I’ll go out with him! Just… please, for the love of God, leave me alone.”
“Me?” Bristol scoffs as she points at herself.
“No. You and Emersyn can stay.” I spin in Vance’s direction, fighting the urge to stomp my foot like a toddler. “You, get out.”
“Seriously?” Vance smirks as the door swings open, and Connor comes in with Jade and Love.
“Are you here to harass Selina again?” Connor bumps Vance’s shoulder before turning and speaking to Bristol.
Unable to contain his excitement, he smiles brightly before throwing his arm over Connor’s shoulder. “She finally agreed to go out with me.”
“I just wanted him to go away,” I mutter and cross my arms over my chest.
“All that pestering finally paid off.” Bristol snickers.
“Selina said they can bring us home after class,” Jade says as she threads her arm through mine.
“I did?”
“Yup, you did. You also said you would hang out with us so my dad and Audrey can have some time alone together.” Jade winks in my direction, and I smile.
Jade is the perfect combination of her mother and father. She is average height, with legs for days, and long dark hair just like Lydia, but she has Connor’s green eyes that are currently sparkling with excitement. I should be angry that she’s involving me in her plan to push her dad and Audrey together, but I can’t find it in me. She has made it her mission to force her dad and Audrey together if it’s the last thing she does.
She reminds me so much of her mother that it makes my heart ache. She isn’t as reserved and introverted as Lydia was, but she loves with her whole heart. She wants to ensure that everyone around her is happy and living their lives to the fullest, including herself. I was worried that she’d keep me at arm’s length because I’d been absent for all these years. Connor said he told her stories about her mother and me, but I was worried she would resent me for staying away so long, but that just isn’t Jade. She welcomed me with open arms, wanting to know everything I would tell her about her mother.
“Yep, that’s what Aunt Selina said. My mom and Connor have a lot of things to discuss.” I send up a silent prayer of thanks as Love pipes in from my other side.
“I guess your date now includes two teenage girls.” Connor gives Vance a look of sympathy, and Vance slaps him on the back a few times.
Vance walks toward me, planting a kiss on my cheek. “I don’t have a problem with that at all. I’ll be back soon, Seli.”
A shiver runs down my spine as he gives my hand a squeeze before walking out the door.
Overwhelmed with everything that took place over the last few minutes, I ask Jade and Love to run the class through warm-up exercises and then duck into the back room, closing the door tight behind me and leaning back against it.
“What the fuck was I thinking?” I say into the empty room as I slide down to the floor and wrap my arms around my knees.
I’ve been doing everything to keep him at arm’s length and protect my heart. Bristol could be right. Going on a date with Vance could finally convince him that things have changed, that I’ve changed. But is that what I really want? Do I want Vance to let go, to stop believing that we were meant to be together? No, that’s not what I want.
I want him to fall in love with me all over again. To apologize to him for breaking us apart, for staying gone for so long, even though I knew it was a mistake. I want to tell him I can dance anywhere, that I came back to Tyson’s Creek to find myself and rediscover my love for dancing. It wasn’t all for him, but I came back to town craving his soothing presence. I want to tell him that even with the distance between us, I always knew he was there, silently supporting me to grow and become a better person. I want to show him with my actions that my heart still belongs to him, but I don’t know if I’m strong enough to hear his answer.
I was a coward and ran away from all these questions when I was eighteen years old, and even now, I want to run again. It would be easy to claim that I need to focus on getting into shape so I can go back to New York. But it would be a lie. I’d be lying to myself the same way that I did when I was younger, but if Vance doesn’t feel the same, it will break me beyond repair.
“Knock, knock,” Bristol says as she tries to push the door open.
I slide forward just enough for her to come in, then push it closed once again and lean back against it.