Take a Chance on Me

by Alexa Land

  She sounded excited. “That’s a peach of an idea, Quinn! What we need is a publicity stunt that no one can miss! I’d been thinking I needed to do this anyway for the fundraiser, and now I have two reasons to pull out all the stops. I’ll put on my thinking cap and let you know what I come up with.”

  We chatted for another minute, and when we disconnected, I told Dare, “I should have thought of that sooner. Nana Dombruso knows a ton of people, and she has the resources to do something big and flashy.”

  “That’s true. I just hope she doesn’t get us arrested in the process. Nana doesn’t tend to play by the rules.”

  “She does where her shelter’s concerned, though. She wants to make sure no one can ever shut that place down, because the residents are going to rely on it. Given that, I bet whatever she comes up with for the cross-promotion will be mostly legal.”

  Dare grinned a little and echoed, “Mostly.”

  “Well, it’s still Nana we’re talking about.”

  “Let me know what she comes up with.”

  “Definitely.”

  I took off my shoes and curled up in a corner of the couch with the dog right beside me. When I hugged my knees to my chest, Dare asked, “Is something wrong? You don’t seem like your usual, enthusiastic self today.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Your body language begs to differ.”

  I leaned against the back of the couch. After a moment, I said, “So, there’s this guy.”

  The corners of Dare’s green eyes crinkled as he smiled at me. “Isn’t there always?”

  “This one’s different. Really different.”

  “You’re talking about Duke, aren’t you?”

  “How did you know?”

  “There was something in the way he looked at you when you brought him to rehearsal. It made me think you two were more than friends.”

  “How did he look at me?”

  “Like you were the most fascinating thing in the world.”

  I said, “He asked me out after that. Our first date is on Wednesday.”

  “If you haven’t even gone out yet, why are you worried?”

  “We’ve been growing closer ever since we became roommates, and we spent last night together. It was fantastic, but this morning, I started to panic. I think this could easily develop into something real, and….”

  “You don’t know if you’re ready for that.” I nodded, and he said, “It’s perfectly natural to feel anxious at the start of a new relationship.”

  “Is that how you felt when you met Skye?”

  “Actually, I was scared shitless,” Dare said.

  “Why?”

  “I had major trust issues back then, and I was bitter and angry at the world. I couldn’t even imagine letting anyone get close to me. When the universe put that beautiful, amazing man in my path, I actually tried to convince myself I hated Skye at first. But that was total bullshit, and he and I both knew it.”

  “I can’t even imagine you bitter or angry.”

  “I was a much different person before Skye came into my life. I’d only had one other relationship, and it took a huge toll on me, both mentally and physically,” he said. “The first time you saw the surgery scar on my knee, you assumed I’d hurt it while dancing, and I didn’t bother to correct you. Actually, it was injured when my ex pushed me down a flight of stairs.”

  “Oh God!”

  “When I first met Skye, I hadn’t had the operation yet, because I couldn’t afford it. I was able to work as a go-go dancer, but the demands of ballet were way too much for my knee. I thought my career was over at twenty-four, and I was furious about what had been done to me.”

  I murmured, “No wonder you were bitter.”

  “Exactly.” Dare glanced at me and added, “I’m not telling you all of this because I want sympathy, by the way. I guess I’m just trying to say, I get it. It’s not always easy letting people get close to you.”

  “It really isn’t. But you managed to let Skye in, despite all of that.”

  “I had to. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life.”

  “It still must have been difficult, though.”

  Dare grinned and said, “I guess it’s like skydiving. It was tough to take the first step. But after that, all I had to do was fall. And I fell so hard for Skye.”

  “I guess in that analogy, I’m still back on the plane, clinging to the seats.” After a pause, I asked, “What did you do to get yourself to take the plunge?”

  “I guess it ultimately came down to shifting my focus from the past to the future, from what had happened to me to what I wanted for the rest of my life. I knew opening myself up to a relationship meant the possibility of getting hurt, but I also knew Skye was absolutely worth the risk. He’s just…everything.” The sweetest smile lit up his face.

  “This thing between Duke and me feels like it’s happening so fast. I think that’s part of the reason I’m scared.”

  “You could tell him you want to take it slower.”

  “You’re right. But the thing is, I don’t think I want to slow it down. As much as it terrifies me, I feel like I need to take that leap. So basically, I’m causing my own anxiety.”

  “It was like that with Skye, too. I had to be with him, despite all my fears and worries.” He grinned and added, “This’ll sound crazy, but I started falling for him even before we met.”

  “How does that work, exactly?”

  “We were both on a dating site, not that I actually wanted to go out with anyone. I was just lonely and needed someone to talk to, and I started chatting online with this funny, upbeat guy, who turned out to be Skye.”

  “I thought you met at the club where you both worked.”

  “In a way, we did. While we were chatting online, he mentioned he needed a job, so I told him about some upcoming open auditions at the club. He didn’t seem interested, so I changed the subject and forgot all about it.”

  Dare continued, “The day of the auditions, I was walking down Castro Street on my way to the club, and I was in a terrible mood. My knee was killing me because my prescription for pain medicine had run out, and I was pissed off that I’d gotten roped into working the try-outs. They’re so frustrating. Every cute guy with a gym membership thinks he has what it takes to be a go-go boy, as if all you need to do is shake your ass and boom, you’re hired!”

  I grinned and said, “I’ve heard the go-go boy wannabe rant before. You’re not wrong, by the way.”

  “I know. It’s such a pet peeve. Anyway, I was trying to get to the club, and the Castro was crowded as hell, same as usual. All of a sudden, my path was blocked by what I assumed was a tourist. He was completely oblivious to his surroundings and mugging for photos in front of one of the bars. I totally snapped at him, even though he was fucking adorable.”

  I grinned and said, “Let me guess. Did he have blue hair?”

  “Yup. It was Skye. Later on, he showed up at the audition. He was so cocky, but he was also an excellent dancer, and the club owner hired him on the spot. We started working together after that. I was wildly attracted to him, but I really didn’t want to be. It scared the hell out of me to even consider getting close to anyone, after everything that had happened with my ex.”

  He took a sip from the coffee cup on his desk, then grimaced and exclaimed, “Gross! I guess that’s been there awhile.” He shuddered and put the mug well out of reach before saying, “At the same time, I was still chatting with the sweet, kind, funny guy online, but I was trying to keep some distance there, too. In fact, we didn’t even tell each other our real names.”

  “How’d you eventually figure out your online sweetie and the hot go-go boy were one and the same?”

  “I didn’t. Skye pieced it together and showed up at the dance studio where I worked one day. I’d been so conflicted, since I felt this strong physical attraction to Skye at the club and this overwhelming emotional connection to the guy online. When I found out they were one
and the same, I knew I couldn’t fight it anymore. It wasn’t even a conscious decision. I needed him like I needed air. So, we got together, and for the first time in years, I started to feel optimistic again. I guess that’s when I started looking to the future instead of the past.”

  I smiled and said, “That’s the best how-I-met-my-honey story ever. I can’t believe I never knew all of this.”

  “You never wanted to talk about relationships before. I guess Duke’s getting under your skin.”

  “He is, and it sucks that I acted like such an idiot this morning. I didn’t want him to know I was panicking, so I told him I had to get to rehearsal and left. He was right in the middle of making us breakfast, too.”

  “The fact that you’re roommates does add an extra degree of difficulty. Normally, after a first night together, everyone gets to go home and regroup. But he’s right there, all the time.”

  “Yup.”

  “What if…never mind.”

  I said, “You can say it. What if it doesn’t work out between us?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I’d have to move. It would be way too awkward to continue living under the same roof. But the bigger question is, what if it does work out? What if we start dating, and everything’s great? Then what? Couples usually wait months or years before moving in together, but we’re already there! I know living with a roommate and a boyfriend isn’t the same thing, but then again, we’re already sharing meals and hanging out together, and now we’ve more or less slept together, so the line between being roommates and being a couple is already blurry.”

  “More or less?”

  “We messed around last night, but we’re waiting until we’re both ready before we actually fuck.” I knit my brows at Dare’s quizzical expression and added, “Okay, so we’re waiting until he’s ready. You know I’ve fucked half of San Francisco, so it’s not like I’m saving myself.”

  “You’re in totally uncharted territory here, aren’t you?”

  “Big time. I’ve never even met anyone like Duke before, let alone tried to date them.”

  “But maybe he’s exactly what you’ve needed all along.”

  “He really might be, and damn it Dare, I’m going to blow it. Hell, I already am! He knew I was lying this morning when I told him I had to get to rehearsal and left him standing there holding his muffins.” Dare fought back a grin, and I said, “Literally. He likes to bake, and he was making me blueberry muffins, which is pretty much the sweetest thing ever. And what did I do? I lied to him and ran away, as if he was just another one-night stand.”

  “You need to talk to him and tell him what’s going on with you.”

  “I will. I just wasn’t ready to do that this morning.”

  Dare said, “I really hope it works out.”

  “Thanks.”

  Skye wandered into the office a few moments later and flopped down beside me on the couch. The dog climbed over me and wagged his whole body, and Skye petted him absently. He was dressed up in a royal blue button-down shirt and nice jeans (though he was also wearing his usual, beat up blue Chucks), and he looked dazed. Dare jumped up and hurried over to him as he asked, “Are you okay?”

  Skye nodded and blinked at his husband. After a moment, he realized I was sitting there and murmured, “Hi, Quinn.”

  I said, “Hey. Why are you doing the deer in headlights thing?”

  “I had a meeting in the city this morning. This lady had called me. She said she took her daughter to Christian’s community art center for painting classes, and she loved the mobile I’d made for the front entrance. She said she wanted to meet with me to talk about doing a project for the lobby of her company’s corporate headquarters. So I went, not really knowing what to expect.”

  Skye shifted a bit and continued, “It turned out to be this newly remodeled, huge building in the Financial District. We were sitting in the lobby so I could see where she wanted the mobile, and it was just utterly sterile. You know that little robot in Wall-e that’s constantly cleaning and flips out whenever he sees a mess? I kept expecting him to show up and scrub me to death! Plus, the people were all identical. It was a trip! They reminded me of drones, and she was their queen bee. She introduced me to half a dozen executives during the meeting, and I wouldn’t be able to pick out any of them in a lineup.”

  “Weird.”

  “Right? So there I was, with the drones, and the sci-fi movie sterility, and this woman, who was like, way too enthusiastic. I was so far out of my element that the whole time she was talking, all I could think about was getting the hell out of there. So, when she asked how much I’d charge to build a twenty-foot mobile for the lobby, I decided to throw out a number so outrageous that it ended the conversation right then and there, and I told her it would cost fifty thousand dollars.” He turned to his husband and grasped his sleeve. “She said yes.”

  Dare’s green eyes went wide, and he dropped onto the couch beside his husband and stammered, “Wait, what?”

  “That’s exactly what I said! Then she told me it was actually less than she’d expected to pay, and she gave me a fifty percent deposit and asked how soon I could start.”

  Skye pulled a check from his shirt pocket and handed it to Dare, who unfolded it slowly and murmured, “Holy shit.”

  “This can’t really be happening, can it? It’s just a dream, right? Nobody just hands you a check for twenty-five grand! Okay, maybe if you’re a famous artist, but I’m a total unknown!”

  I said, “How does she know you’re not just going to cash that and disappear?”

  Skye exclaimed, “I asked her that! Apparently she and Christian have gotten to be friends, and he spoke so highly of me that she felt confident hiring me.”

  Dare blinked at the check, then said, “So…this is real?” Skye nodded. “But do you want the job? You said you didn’t feel comfortable there.”

  “Here’s the thing, though. That building needs one of my sculptures desperately, something rusty and metal and imperfect,” Skye said. “Plus, I’d only have to go back twice, once to measure and take pictures, and then to install it when it’s finished. For fifty grand, I’ll take my chances with the cleaning robots.”

  I asked, “Is the company evil? Do they club baby seals, or pollute the environment, or hate gay people?”

  “They sell clothes online, and she’s a lesbian and the owner of the company, so I think they’re probably pretty LGBT-friendly,” Skye said.

  Dare jumped up and said, “Oh my God, I’m holding a check for twenty-five thousand dollars! Quick, get something to put it in!”

  Skye and the dog jumped up too, and Skye dug around on the desk until he produced a big, manila envelope. They sealed up the check like it was a rod of uranium, and a huge smile spread across Skye’s face as he scooped up a stack of papers and turned to his husband. “You know what? We can pay all these bills!” He threw them into the air, and as they rained down on us, he said, “We can also give a big chunk to Nana from when she covered those medical expenses for us. Plus, we can buy you those fancy ballet shoes you’ve had your eye on, and we can get Benny that super nice, cushy dog bed we saw last week.”

  Dare took Skye’s hand and said, “You didn’t name anything for yourself.”

  “Sure I did. All of that’s going to make me so happy.”

  Dare pulled his husband into his arms and kissed him passionately, and then he said, “You’re the most wonderful person in all the world.”

  Skye grinned at him, and then he said, “We need to take the check to the bank before something happens to it.”

  The two of them rushed to the door, and Dare called, “Make yourself at home, Quinn, we’ll be back in time for rehearsal! Bye Benny, keep Quinn company!” The dog wagged his butt, then hopped back up onto the couch, turned in a circle, and curled up for a nap.

  I decided to get comfortable too and fished around in my messenger bag for the blanket I’d packed. It was round, white, and printed to look like a giant tortilla,
which made me happy. I wrapped myself up in it, then sat on Dare’s creaky swivel chair and spun in circles. After a while, I pulled out my phone and called Yoshi. He answered with, “Hey. Are you alright, Quinn?”

  “Yeah. Sorry I freaked out on you yesterday.”

  “It happens. Sorry I drew a squiggle on you.”

  “My fault. I jumped with no warning.”

  “Do you want to try again? My schedule’s booked solid for the next few weeks, but you can come in after hours if you want.”

  “I don’t know what to do here. I need to fix the mark on my ribs, but something about the tattooing process really unnerved me. I don’t know if it was the pain, the sound, the vibration, or a combination of all three, but I can’t sit through that again.”

  Yoshi said, “There are other options besides the tattoo gun. For example, I know this woman from Samoa who tattoos with traditional tools, so there’s just a tapping sound and no vibration. It still hurts, but in a different way. She wouldn’t be able to draw your original design with her method, but maybe you two could come up with something else to cover the mark. Look online, you’ll find some videos of how it’s done and can decide if it’s for you.”

  “Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll definitely check it out and get back to you.” I stopped spinning because I was getting dizzy and said, “Hey, while I have you on the line, your friend Mike Dombruso is an accountant, right?”

  “Yup.”

  “Could you give me his number? My dance troupe is in desperate need of his services.” He recited it for me, and I jotted it on a scrap of paper, then said, “Thanks, Yoshi. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  After we disconnected, I snapped a photo of the bills and papers strewn all over Dare’s desk and texted it to Mike with the caption, help me, Obi Wan! I followed it up with a quick message about wanting to hire him as the dance troupe’s accountant, and was surprised when my phone rang less than a minute later. Mike said, “Not to sound completely OCD, but I need to do something about that mess in the photo you sent me. I actually just finished up with a client, so can I come over?”