Page 47 of Love You Still
Selina spins around in my arms. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything,” I respond before tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I’m all in, Selina.”
Her eyes widen in surprise, and her mouth opens and closes rapidly as she tries to find a response. I promised myself I wouldn’t come on too strong, but after laying my heart on the line, I need to know if she is all in with me, too.
“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here, Vance. They could call me for an audition at any moment.”
“That doesn’t matter to me, Selina. Whether it be here in Tyson’s Creek or New York City, I want to be with you. Whatever comes, we will handle it together.”
Selina and I stare at each other for a few moments before the doorbell rings loudly, breaking the spell. “Dinnertime!” Selina shouts before sliding out of my embrace and walking toward the front door to grab our food.
There’s no chance Selina could have misunderstood my intention. I built a life for us here, a place where we can live our lives together, a place where we can make a home with each other, but I’m willing to give all of that up in a heartbeat if we can be together. Now the only thing left is for Selina to let me in. To choose to take a chance on the love we share and understand that she can have her dreams and love at the same time.
“What do you say to a little fun?” Selina smiles mischievously as I step into the hallway, the smell of cooked peppers and melted cheese causing my stomach to grumble loudly.
“Does it involve eating pizza?”
“Of course. I’m starving, but it also involves shots.” She winks at me before spinning on her heels and making her way into the kitchen.
“Shots are dangerous,” I retort as I follow her.
“So are you,” she mumbles softly as she drops the pizza onto the table. “One shot for one question. But we’re going to need something a little harder than that bottle of wine you promised me earlier.”
I’m never one to turn down doing shots, but something seems out of sorts.
If I had to guess how our night would go after I laid my heart out to Selina, this wouldn’t have been it, but nothing had gone the way I planned either. I take a few minutes and stare at Selina, my eyes locking on her as I search for answers.
Her eyes are pleading with me to understand. To let her have a reprieve from everything that has happened in the last few hours. Her hands are trembling slightly, turning red at the tips as she clenches them together. Selina is trying desperately to let me back into her life, finally willing to be vulnerable and give me a tiny piece of herself that she’s kept locked away for all these years, but she may need a little liquid courage to help.
“Fair enough. Pick your poison.” I point over my shoulder to the custom liquor cabinet I had installed. “But we have to eat our pizza in bed.”
“A bedroom picnic?” Selina taps her finger against her chin. “You drive a hard bargain.”
“It’s all about the give-and-take,” I respond, hoping she understands the deeper meaning of my statement.
“Deal. But only if you have tequila.”
I chuckle as I open the cabinet and pull out a bottle. “Limes or no?”
“Limes. I haven’t done shots in years.”
I grab two glasses from the cabinet and pour each of us a shot before walking over to the fridge. I poke my head inside and notice two limes sitting on one of the shelves. After sending up a silent prayer of thanks, I grab them both and place them on the counter.
As I search for a cutting board, I ask my first question. “So, why did you stay in New York all this time? You said a few times you weren’t happy there, but you stayed.”
Selina contemplates her answer for a few moments before responding. “Honestly, I didn’t know anything else. I had gone all in when I attended Juilliard. After Lydia passed, I felt even more disconnected from my life here in Tyson’s Creek. Dance was the one thing I knew I could do and forget, even if only for a little while. I chose to stay and got it into my head that if I worked hard enough, I could reinvent myself.”
I finish cutting the limes and bring them over to the table. We both toss back our shots, and I hand her a lime. She bites down, juice dribbling down her chin. Wanting to know more about her time in New York, I resist the urge to run my tongue across her chin and collect the juices and instead hand her a paper napkin.
“Thanks,” she says. “When I first started going to school there, I was the small-town girl everyone loved to give a hard time to, and after a while, I believed them… except when I was dancing. I wanted to make sure I never turned into that girl again.”
I finally have an explanation for why Selina never came home after graduation. She could have been a ballerina anywhere, but she chose the farthest place possible from me and everyone she knew. I always thought it was because she was running away from me, but now I know she was running away from herself.
“To be honest, I loved that girl who left town with nothing but hope. But I also love the woman who finally found her way back home.”
“Vance…” she begins, but I cut her off.
“It’s my turn, but I think a change of scenery is in order.”