Page 22 of Head Over Wheels

“Ella? Are you okay? I hope I’m not intruding on anything.” His blue eyes zero in on Jeff’s hand sitting on my forearm, and my cheeks flush again.

“I’m fine, Jace. Just not feeling a hundred percent.” I’m willing my voice not to waver, but unsure how successful I am.

“I’ve got her, don’t worry.” Jeff dismisses Jace with a brisk wave.

Ugh, is this what I’m signing up for? I just don’t know what to do. Is Jace still in love with Deb, or was that her just being mean and trying to keep him for herself? And do I even want to get involved in that kind of drama? No, I definitely don’t need that kind of negativity following me around. Not on this special weekend that’s supposed to be about connecting with people and exploring my fitness community.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Really, I’m okay.” I look at both men when I say it, and this time I mostly mean it. I’m still hurt from Deb’s words, but I’m not going to let them define the rest of my evening.

“You sure?” Jeff asks, looking at me closely.

“Yes, in fact, I’m ready to go back into dinner.” I stand and move closer to Jace, and Jeff follows me.

“Thanks for checking on me, both of you. I appreciate it so much, especially when we all barely know each other. Let’s head back in and join the others now.”

I don’t wait for an answer but turn on my heels and walk back towards the ballroom. With a quick glance behind me, I see that Jeff is coming with me. Jace is still standing where I left him, looking at me with one eyebrow raised. I’m not sure what to do about that, but for now, I’m going to sit with my new friends and enjoy the party.

We finish dessert (apple pie and ice cream) with no further incidents. Deb leaves our table as soon as the plates are cleared, and I immediately relax further into my seat. The girls and I are chatting, and Jeff keeps casting glances at me across the table. No one else seems to notice, and for that I’m grateful. Once dinner officially ends, I use that excuse to sneak away to my room. I’m not sure if I still want to go out tonight, especially if Jace and Deb will both be there. It’s just too confusing. Either way, I’m looking forward to some downtime in my room to sort through the last hour.

After an intense facetime with Jess, where I fill her in on everything that’s happened today, I’m still not sure about going out. My phone is buzzing with my new friends checking in to see if I’m coming out. Jeff texts to say he’s done for the evening, and he’ll see me tomorrow. I let out a breath. That’s one less complication for the evening. If Jeff isn’t there, I don’t need to make any decisions about how I feel towards him tonight.

Another text appears, this one from Jess.

Go out and enjoy yourself tonight! When will you get another opportunity to party with Elevate instructors?

She’s right. This is what the weekend is for. I need to forget about all the drama and intrigue and just go have fun. I don’t need to hang out with Jace or Deb, I can hang out with the other instructors and get to know them better. Another text comes in from Jess.

Don’t you dare spend the rest of the night all alone in your room.

Okay, okay. I’m going. <3

I exhale as I hit send. She always knows just what to say. I get up to make my makeup a little more dramatic because that’s how I’m feeling. I keep my hair loose and stay in my dress. I can’t wait to hit the dance floor.

CHAPTER 17

We’re at a different club tonight. This one is just a few doors down from the hotel, and it’s full. There’s a big group of us. We met in the lobby bar and then left, Alex and Raj leading the charge. All the coaches came out, as well as my group of friends. Some other members that I haven’t met yet have joined us, and we’re all dancing in a big group. The music is really fun, and I don’t want to leave the dance floor. The latest David Guetta song starts, and everyone throws their arms in the air.

I close my eyes and groove to the music. I. Love. This. Song. And dancing. I love dancing so much. A shadow crosses my eyelids, and I flutter them open to see Jace walking away, Deb close behind him. My heart clenches into a tight little ball, but then I decide to let it go. I remind myself that I’m not stressing about this anymore tonight. Raj catches my eye and grins, his energy lifting my mood.

Tara comes up beside me, and we start to groove together to a Calvin Harris song. It’s like we’ve known each other forever; we even have coordinated dance moves. I’m so happy to have met this great group of people and know that I’ll stay friends with them long after today. Alex joins in on our moves and starts adding some shoulder shimmies, and I’m giggling and losing the beat, but it doesn’t matter. We’re all laughing and enjoying the moment.

I wrap my hair up in a bun and hold it there, letting a breeze hit my damp neck. I can’t believe I forgot to bring an elastic. I always have one on my wrist, but I took it off earlier because of my bracelet. I drop my hand and my hair flows down my back, hopefully still looking loose and chic. I’m slightly terrified it may look frizzy, and huge but it’s too late to do anything about it now.

The next song isn’t one that I know, and I feel like this is a good moment to take the opportunity to freshen up. I lean over to tell Lisa I’m heading to the bathroom.

“Want me to come with?” she asks, not stopping her groove.

“No, I’m good, thanks though. Be back in a minute.”

I head through the wall of people, away from my friends. I’m not sure exactly where I’m going, but I know it’s towards the back of the club. Movement is slow through all the other dancers, but I keep moving. When I finally get to the far end of the floor, a flash of green catches my eye. My stomach plunges when I realize what I’m looking at.

They don’t see me watching, which gives me ample opportunity to take it all in. Jace is on the edge of the dance floor, and Deb is in his arms. Her green dress stands out against the flashing lights of the club. Her head rests on his chest, and her eyes are closed. He’s holding her with one hand on the back of her head. Their moment seems so intimate that I have to look away.

I stumble towards the bathroom, my eyes blurry from the tears I’m trying to hold back. I guess she was right, he is still hers. There’s a pain like my heart is breaking, but how can that be possible when I barely know Jace? I splash cold water on my hands and press them against the back of my neck.

At least I know where I stand now. No reason to keep thinking about him and our possible future. He’s still in it with Deb. That’s pretty clear. I need to move on even though we never really got started. I run my fingers under my eyes to clean my makeup up and roll my shoulders back. I can get through this. I’m going home tomorrow.

An hour later I’m in my room. I snuck off after my bathroom break without saying good night to anyone, hoping that everyone was having so much fun they wouldn’t notice. My heart just wasn’t in it anymore after I saw Jace with Deb. I knew from the start that this was probably not going to work out, but I still somehow got my heart involved.