Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 75983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Indeed.” Elaine turned back toward my mother, who had settled herself in her office chair. “Margie, I think you should come for Christmas Eve.”
“I can’t let you host again.” My mother gave a faint frown as Elaine took over one of the spare chairs.
“I insist.” She tapped the heel of her boot against the floor for emphasis, glancing over at me. “You too, Rudy.”
“Um. Okay.”
I had no idea why Elaine was so interested in my holiday plans. I didn’t want to dwell on our mothers’ curiosity any more than I did on my earlier worries, so I threw myself back into work until it was time to meet with the TV reporter and her cameraperson. Both women had smiles straight out of a dental ad and nearly identical blond hair, but the camerawoman had biceps that possibly rivaled Alexander’s muscle definition. The reporter had worn a ballet-pink sweater set for the occasion and was full of all the right questions during the tour of the school.
Our tour ended with an introduction to Tavio and Irina and a demonstration from Cheryl and Alexander.
“Show your variation,” Tavio urged Alexander. He nodded simply before striding to the center of the studio. He usually wore fairly casual dance clothes for rehearsal, including an impressive rotation of colored T-shirts, but today, he’d gone for a more classic look with a fitted white T-shirt, black tights, and black ballet slippers. He looked every inch the regal principal dancer as Tavio cued his music, right down to his haughty nod for the camera.
And then, he danced. Or perhaps, more accurately, he soared, spun, and utterly came alive in front of us. The whole thing was over in a matter of moments, but it was more than enough to remind me of a few truths. Alexander had the rarest of gifts. I’d been around dance my whole life and never seen anything quite like him. That he was loaning his talents to Hollyberry for this production was incredible because he was meant for the grandest of stages.
Definitely not meant for me, a short, skinny nerd who’d stayed close to home his whole life. I needed to stop daydreaming about a repeat kiss because I might as well dream of waltzing with the sun. It wasn’t going to happen.
Later, as the reporter and her camerawoman packed up their things while chatting more with Tavio and Irina, Alexander strode over to me, only mildly sweaty after his show, but his swagger was in full force.
“Think your reporter was impressed?” he asked as if he already knew my reply.
“I’d hope so.” I chuckled, then gave him the praise he was so clearly angling for. “You’re magnificent. Your jumps were about as perfect as I’ve ever seen. I wish the fourth graders could have seen your hang time in the air as well.”
“Thank you.” He offered an arch smile before turning slightly more humble. “And thank you for not following the compliment with a question about my knee.”
“I trust you to know your body.” I was curious about how the rehab was coming, of course, and I made no secret of enjoying taking care of him. Caretaking was different from hovering, though, and I knew Alexander well enough to know that he worried enough about his body for all of us. If he felt ready to dance, then I’d trust him. He had enough other people asking him pointed questions about his readiness and future, something I was well acquainted with. I grinned at him. “I’m happy just to sit in awe of your talent.”
“It’s nice to have someone who believes so thoroughly in me.” He quietly held my gaze, and something potent passed between us, not attraction, although that was ever-present on my side at least. But perhaps respect or a deepening of our friendship.
However, I had plenty of friends, and none of them made me tremble quite like Alexander. I’d never had this type of connection with anyone, and it was wonderful and terrible all at once.
“Alexander?” The reporter waved us over to where she stood by the door. “One last question?”
“Of course.”
Alexander walked away from me, and I watched him go. It was only a few feet, but it felt like miles, a deep ache opening in my chest. How was I going to cope when a few paces turned into a whole continent between us?
Fifteen
Dress rehearsal: the full run-through of the performance in costume, on stage, with lighting and sound in place. Usually, the day or night before a performance.
Alexander
December, like every December I could remember, whirled by, a dizzying kaleidoscope of class, rehearsal, costume adjustments, with an added bonus this year of continued PT, massage, and doctors’ visits, including the doctor sitting across from me at the small bakery café adjacent to the theater. Isabella had insisted on treating me to lunch before what was sure to be a long afternoon and evening of rehearsals at the theater. The set and tech committees had been hard at work the last two nights, setting the stage for today’s dress rehearsal. The mere thought of walking into the theater filled me with equal measures of dread and giddiness, and I’d barely been able to nibble at my soup and sandwich combo.