Center of Gravity

by K. K. Allen

  “The water’s nice,” I called out.

  “Is that an invite?” he asked, flirtation buried in his tone.

  I laughed. “Do you need an invite to get in your own pool?”

  “Not usually, no. But I can’t read you right now, Lex. I don’t know if I should come closer or stay away.”

  My chest fluttered, and my mind reeled. “Come closer.” I was well aware of the risks involved with my invite. That just yesterday I’d been grinding on his lap in an abandoned parking lot. But after the rest of the day had played out, I wasn’t sure where we stood.

  I heard a splash as Theo dove into the pool and proceeded to swim laps around me and under me. I was enamored by the way his dancer lines worked with the water, as though he was meant to swim too. I imagined Theo was good at a lot of things.

  When he finally came up for air, he held onto the edge of the pool, an inquisitive look on his face. “How did you know you wanted to dance?”

  His question was completely out of the blue but not an unusual one. Dancers loved telling stories about how they fell in love with moving to music. After all, it was what connected us, though our answers all varied. How did we find our place in the world when nothing else seemed to make sense? I’d probably answered the same question a hundred times, but I thought about it for a moment longer, wanting to give Theo more.

  I pulled myself up beside him and rested my chin on my hands. “The hard parts felt easy, I guess. I’d wanted to dance since I was little. My parents were supportive of it then. You know, when it was an after-school activity that kept me out of the house a little longer and kept me in shape. Their support began to wane as I grew older. It confused me. If I was supposed to be ashamed of dancing, then why did I love it so much?”

  “That’s so sad,” he said, and I heard the ripple in the water as he turned his body toward me.

  I hated thinking about my parents and how I’d disappointed them, but what other choice was there? To conform to what they believed and miss out on a dream so many were too afraid to pursue? I could have been one of them. And I would have always known that I wasn’t complete.

  “It’s sad, yeah, but that’s not even the worst part.” My eyes flickered to his, wondering if I should continue. His imploring eyes said yes. Besides, I still hadn’t answered his question.

  “I was sixteen when I thought I was going to die.” I swallowed, my pulse racing through my veins. “I had just gotten my license and was driving home from Shane’s house at night. We didn’t live far from each other, just a few neighborhoods over, but it only takes a moment to change a life. I was stopped at a light when a truck took a corner too fast and swerved into me, head-on. I remember my head smashing into the window so hard, I just knew I was going to die.”

  “Jesus,” Theo muttered.

  “Life didn’t flash before my eyes like they say, but I do remember thinking that I would never be able to dance again. And that would have been the equivalent of death.”

  The water rippled as he moved behind me and wrapped my body in his arms.

  “I wasn’t hurt. A minor concussion, a few deep bruises, but that was it. The doctors said it was a miracle, and from the look of my car that got totaled in the accident, I believed them.”

  “It wasn’t your time,” he said, his voice hoarse and his lips trailing the back of my neck.

  “Do you believe that? That everyone has a time and a purpose?”

  “To be honest, I haven’t thought about it much. But I believe you have a purpose, Lex. You have a gift.”

  I couldn’t help smiling. “This coming from the guy who thought I was a lost cause from the moment he met me.”

  He sighed against my back, causing a flutter in my chest. “I wasn’t capable of seeing you then. Not the way I do now.”

  “How do you see me now?” I asked, my amusement waning.

  His lips moved to my ear. “As the center of everything.”

  CHAPTER 33

  Theo

  I didn’t know what the fuck was wrong with me, following Lex around the pool like a puppy dog. Serving her. Finding every excuse fathomable to touch her uninjured ankle. Meanwhile, my need to touch her in other places was growing exponentially.

  This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to get to know her. I wasn’t supposed to care. But when I looked back on how all of it had transpired, I could only blame myself. I was the one who asked Lex for help, who crawled into bed with her in the staff room and brought her to my home studio to dance. I was the one who offered her a ride home and then barged into her apartment the next morning because something in my gut told me she was hiding something. And I was the one who invited her here to my house to spend the next seven days before we left for Vegas.

  But why her? Why Lex? I’d never doted on any other girl. What made her different? I’d been surrounded by women my entire career. Confident women. Beautiful women. Sexy women. Limber women. I’d had them all with no shortage in sight. So why did life seem to stop when it came to Alexandra Quinn, the mousy, shy girl from Seattle? Why did I want to consume her in every possible way when there was more bad than good waiting for us on the other side?

  After my rather bold “center of everything” confession, I began a new set of laps. And when I was finished, Lex was drying off by her lounge chair, her hair wet and stringy, dripping water down the lean curves of her back and waist, past the dimples above her more than perfect ass. It was hard not to look at her, and it was becoming a problem.

  “How about we test that ankle of yours and go on an adventure?” I suggested as I toweled off.

  “What kind of adventure?” Suspicion crept into her tone.

  “There’s actually a place I’ve been meaning to scout for a potential music video. I promise, minimal walking. We can even stop by a hot dog stand for dinner.”

  Her eyes lit up, and for some reason, that made me laugh.

  “I’ll go change.”

  Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the old LA zoo in Griffith Park. I ran around to her side of the car to help her out of the car. She said her ankle was fine, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I held the door and took her hand with my free one then offered my elbow once the door was shut. She took it.

  I’d never considered myself a gentleman, but it wasn’t rocket science. It might have been bad timing. It might have been against the rules. But neither of those things stopped my heart from wanting to make Lex mine.

  Lex was good, and sweet, and she had an innocence that made me want to teach her everything I knew and everything she was afraid to try. But there was also something more to her, an edge, a sass, and she challenged me.

  “You should get back on the dance floor tomorrow. Maybe in the morning. We could go over a few tracks together if you’re up for it.” My suggestion was nonchalant, but I definitely had a hidden agenda. I wanted to feel the high that came with having Lex in my arms, supporting her, watching her, and moving in sync with her.

  “Okay,” she said, her eyes bright. She still hadn’t moved her arm from mine. “Let’s do it.”

  I smiled down at her, knowing that if anyone were to glance at us, they’d assume we were a couple. I liked it. A little too much.

  We walked past the merry-go-round parking lot and started the hike toward the main section of the zoo. I’d been here before, so I had an idea where I was going. We grabbed a water at the nearest vendor cooler then continued our short trek across the space.

  “What did you say this place was again?” Lex’s eyes were filled with curiosity.

  Rumor was, the old LA zoo was haunted, and after learning the history, I could understand why. “A zoo,” I told her simply. I didn’t know why I got off on her curiosity, but it meant I knew something she didn’t, giving me something to teach her.

  Lex laughed. “Where are the animals?”

  I bit my lip and pointed at a set of metal cages. “It shut down years ago. They kept the property open for hikers and history, I guess. It’
s become a unique landmark. I’m sure a studio will buy it eventually, or they’ll tear it down and build a shopping mall or some shit, but for now, it’s a fun walk.”

  “A fun walk, huh?”

  “Just wait and see.”

  I took her through the repurposed lion’s den and found the doorway I was looking for, the words “At your own risk” colorfully painted there.

  She froze in my hold. “Um, Theo. Should I be afraid?”

  I chuckled. “No, absolutely not.”

  “I get the feeling these areas haven’t exactly been tended to. What’s in there?” She must have asked another dozen questions as she let me tug her along the pathway and down a flight of stairs. There, at the bottom of the stairwell, she saw it.

  Traces of art appeared along the way, but this was the place I wanted to come back to, where graffiti—no, art—decorated every wall, every cage, every surface around us. We had just walked into an ocean of endless color, some abstract, some clearly meticulous in its design. Words like “Believe” and “Harmony” stood out among the rest.

  “Wow” was all she said as we walked past concrete walls and rusted iron cages set on either side of us. “Is this where they kept the animals?”

  “The big ones, yeah. After they abandoned it back in 1966, the riffraff went crazy tagging the walls, thinking it would all just get knocked down, but for some reason the city kept it. They turned it into a park and allowed the tagging to continue. Pretty smart of them, if you ask me. I hope they keep it open forever—as a reminder of where LA came from, what it still is, and how much it’s also changing.”

  “Did you come here as a boy? When you were among the riffraff?” She smiled, and I smiled back. I loved that she cared about where I came from and wanted to know more, even if it wasn’t the prettiest story.

  “I did. It was nice to have a place to express ourselves, where freedom was allowed.”

  “Show me something you did.”

  “It’s long gone now, covered up by someone else’s masterpiece. I just visit to remind myself where I came from.”

  Her eyes lingered on me for a split second before she swung her head around the space. “This place is cool. It reminds me of an eighties music video.”

  Count on Lex to hit the nail on the head. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. I’d love to use this whole space. The cages, the staircase, and maybe do a big dance number out in the main area with the carousel backdrop. You can see it too, can’t you?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, that would be epic. Who’s it for?”

  My vision was full-blown now, not just as a vague thought in my head. “Winter. She’s going to love this shit.” An idea sparked. “We should pitch her this concept.”

  She gave me a good-humored eye roll over her shoulder. “We? Nah. This is all you. Winter hates me, remember?”

  I moved past her toward the cage and jumped onto the brick footer that the iron was wedged into. “She doesn’t hate you. Winter can be protective, but she means well. She just doesn’t know you yet. Trust me, when I show her this concept, she’s going to forget all the drama of last week.”

  She nodded, a shadow overcasting her features. “Okay, what can I do to help?”

  The ideas were spinning so fast, I couldn’t keep up with my thoughts. “She’s dropping her next single, ‘Caged,’ in three months. The video shoots in two.”

  “How is that going to work with the Vegas show?”

  “It’s going to be insane. We’ll be in rehearsals for it around shows in Vegas. Casting for dancers in LA next month. And then shooting for two days only on Winter’s days off. I haven’t had time to focus on this with the show and everything.”

  “Can’t you use the same choreography from the show?”

  I nodded. “That’s the plan, but I haven’t gotten the gig yet.” I let out a laugh. “She wants to see concepts this week.’

  “But it’s your choreography.” Lex’s astonishment was refreshing. Sometimes I felt so bubbled into my own little world that I forgot what reality looked like.

  “Yeah, well. It’s kind of her tactic to make people work harder for her. If they always have that fear of competition, they’re bound to.”

  I could almost see the gears shifting in Lex’s brain. “So, then I’ll shoot you running the choreo against the backdrop. You can show her what it could look like.”

  A grin stretched my face as I reached into my back pocket and started thumbing through my playlist. “Let’s do it. I’ll edit the footage tonight and send something rough over to Winter in the morning as a little preview of this week’s pitch. You’re a genius.” I winked at her and caught her blush.

  I’d been hesitant with Lex today, biding my time before I made another move. Yesterday was intense, and I didn’t want to risk the rejection while wounds were fresh. But as my eyes traveled to Lex’s mouth for the hundredth time that day, I didn’t think I could wait much longer.

  CHAPTER 34

  Lex

  We returned to Theo’s house as the sun was setting, a little after six. The hot dog stands weren’t open, so we agreed to make something back at his place. He led me to the kitchen, where he pulled out a stool from the island. He told me to sit, then proceeded to shuffle around his fridge and pantry.

  There was something incredibly sexy about watching Theo work his way around the kitchen. He ignited the flame on the stove and filled a pot with water from the swivel faucet above him.

  “Can I help?”

  “You can open this.” He set a bottle of red wine in front of me along with an electric corkscrew.

  I stared at it as he walked away, and a fluttering erupted in my belly. I didn’t know why. My normal reaction would have been to refuse to open it or to push it away. I searched for that dark feeling that usually crept through my blood at the thought of drinking with my peers. It never came. And I realized then, in a heart-stopping moment, that it was because I trusted Theo the same way I trusted Shane.

  I reached for the electric opener and turned it over in my hands, then examined it as I tried to figure out how it worked. It seemed pretty simple: just cover the top of the bottle and push the button to drill the screw into the cork. Easy.

  Theo turned to me once I had the screw spinning but with no luck. It attached to the top but was only digging a hole into the cork. A laugh bursting from his throat, he said, “Babe. You have to cut it.” He took the opener from me and unlatched a horseshoe-looking device from the top, then he used it to hook around the top of the bottle and cut the foil.

  Heat crawled up my neck.

  “Have you ever used one of these things?” he asked as he reinserted the screw onto the top of the bottle and held the button. I watched as he pulled it away a few seconds later and removed the cork with another push of the button.

  “I’ve never had wine before, so no.”

  The way he looked at me then, his eyes running over my face as though he wanted to memorize it, only made me hotter. He grabbed two wineglasses from the cabinet then set them down near the bottle. “Do you want something else? I have pretty much everything you could think of.”

  “Of course you do.”

  His eyes lifted, amused.

  “Wine is fine. Just … maybe one glass.”

  By the time Theo was finished cooking dinner, I’d poured myself a second glass. My head felt light, and giggles erupted from me when Theo leaned in to kiss my cheek. He’d taken the stool beside me after dishing our meals and placing them in front of us. It was a seafood Alfredo that smelled and looked amazing.

  “You’re cute when you’re drunk.”

  I opened my mouth in mock astonishment. “How can I be drunk? This is only”—I looked at the inch of red liquid remaining—“not even two glasses.”

  “You overpoured. So it’s more like four. And you’re small.”

  I swiveled in my stool and placed my hands on the sides of my hips. “I’m not that small.”

  He grinned and shook his head. “You’re pe
rfect. But no more wine for you.” He moved the bottle away, and I pouted.

  After a few bites of seafood, I dropped my fork and looked at him. “This is fucking amazing.”

  He looked at me, his eyes darkening. “Did you just cuss?”

  “Yes.” I didn’t see what the big deal was. “Doesn’t everybody?”

  He shook his head. “Not you. At least I’ve never heard you. It sounded … dirty.”

  I laughed. “That’s what Shane says too. He tells me not to. I think he wants to believe I’m this innocent little thing forever.”

  “Aren’t you? Innocent?”

  How did Theo always manage to make me blush? “Maybe. But I cuss when the mood strikes, just like everyone. Anyway.” I exaggerated the word to change topics. I’d had a point when I acknowledged his cooking. “Where did you learn to cook? When have you had the time?”

  He set his fork down and turned to me, his knees on either side of mine. “The foster care system kind of forces you to grow up faster than most, I guess. My foster parents, who eventually adopted me, were never home, and there were two other kids, younger than me. I was responsible for making sure their lunches were packed, that they made it to school on time, and that they had food on the table every night.

  “When I bought this house a few years ago, I promised myself I would use it and not just let it sit here, like some celebrities I’ve come across. I never wanted someone to cook or clean for me. To me, that stuff is just a part of life.”

  “But—” I couldn’t stop thinking about little Theo raising two younger kids while he was trying to be a kid himself. “If you were taking care of the kids, when did you find the time to dance?”

  “I did what every other thug did.” He grinned. “Skipped school. But instead of crawling the streets, I hung out at the rec center. Took dance classes there and eventually got noticed by the man who basically saved my life.”