A Rehearsal for Love

by Alexandra Warren

  That’s all it could be, right?

  I was just lusting after a guy that was honestly more of my idol than anything. Of course I was supposed to be excited about the opportunity to dance with him, learn from him, simply be in his presence.

  But did that excitement really explain my drenched panties?

  I tried not to think about it as I pulled a new shirt over my head and redid my ponytail in the mirror.

  “So when do you think you’ll be able to come back? I have some free time on Wednesday afternoon.”

  I sighed, knowing that wouldn’t be possible because..., “I work from noon to close on Wednesday. How about Thursday morning?” I was pretty sure I could get out of the house without Mama getting too suspicious.

  But now he was the one sighing, wiping his own sweat as he said, “Nah, we have classes all morning since the kids are out of school. Thursday night?”

  I tossed my duffle bag over my shoulder as I replied, “I work until 8, but I can come after that if you’re still around.”

  I could tell he was contemplating his answer, stroking his beard before he finally said, “I’ll stick around if that’s the only time that works for you.”

  We made our way towards the exit together so that he could let me out since the front doors had long been locked for the night. And as he worked on unlocking the doors, I told him, “I’d hate to impose. And if nothing else, I’ll be here on Saturday for the group session.”

  Blaise pushed the door open to let me step outside, then stepped out with me before turning around and locking the door from the outside. “Nah, I wanna get you back in here before then. I mean… so you’ll be ready for Saturday, you know?”

  I nodded, trying to ignore the little twinge of excitement from him wanting anything to do with me.

  It’s just dance, Malia.

  “Well I’ll be back on Thursday then,” I told him with a smile as I stuck a headphone bud in my ear for the short walk home, leaving the other out so that I could still be aware of my surroundings.

  I was only a few strides from the studio when I heard Blaise say from much closer than I expected him to be, “Damn, you gonna tune me out for the walk? That’s kinda fucked up, Malia.”

  “For the walk? I was just… OH, you don’t have to walk me home, Blaise. I’ll be fine.”

  He looked amused as he replied, “Malia, it’s late, it’s dark, this really isn’t an option. And besides, I could use the fresh air after being holed up in that studio all day.”

  It was already close to midnight. And since I was sure he had been there since the morning sessions, I could only imagine the cabin fever.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you so long. I just wanted to get it right.”

  He brushed me off, shoving his hands in the pockets of his sweats as we took off down the street. “Nah, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… my apartment is right above the studio. So even if I’m not there, it always kinda feels like it.”

  Our steps were in sync, slow and steady like a dance of their own as I told him, “I didn’t even know that building had apartments above it. They used to say it was haunted. The whole building. Which was why nobody had purchased it. Well… until now.”

  He turned to me with a little laugh. “You tryna be funny? I still gotta go back there and sleep tonight.”

  “Awwww don’t tell me Big Blaise Anthony is afraid of a little ghost,” I teased as we crossed the street.

  “Big Blaise may not be, but Little Blaise saw enough scary movies to still sleep with one eye open.”

  Now I was the one laughing as I put a hand to his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze to assure him. “You’ll be fine.”

  “You promise?”

  I couldn’t help but blush at his innocent request, biting my lip as I nodded. “Yeah, I promise. Now turn around and start walking back. I don’t need you knowing exactly where I live.”

  He reached out to give my wrist a playful tug, licking his lips as he asked, “Malia, what do you think I’m gonna do? Stalk you or somethin’?”

  “Can’t put it past anyone. So turn around. Get going,” I said, waving my hand in the direction we had just come from.

  He put his hands back in his pockets, laughing as he replied, “Whatever, pretty. I’ll see you on Thursday.” Then he turned around and began a slow stroll down the street, peeking back to see if I was still watching - of course I was - before he flashed me another smile and crossed the street.

  &

  One more hour.

  I had one more hour left of my shift before I could go home.

  Between dancing and being on my feet all day at work, my limbs were literally aching when I heard Cassidy say, “You got another one, Malia. Late-nighter.”

  Damnit.

  The restaurant had been relatively empty since it was pretty late on a Wednesday night. But of course the one patron we had was sat in my section. I strolled over to the table, trying not to be salty with my notepad in hand as I gave my usual spill.

  “Hi, I’m Malia and I’ll be your server. Can I get you started off with something to drink?”

  “Yeah. Water with lemon.”

  I went stiff as I finally took a glance at the customer and…, “Blaise, what are you doing here?”

  I immediately took notice of the fact that he was alone though I probably could’ve gotten that vibe just from looking at him. He was much more calm, much more relaxed than the first time he came to the restaurant with that excuse for a girlfriend.

  Oops, did I say that?

  “I umm… I was hungry. And the ghosts haven’t been letting me get much sleep since you told me about them.”

  I cupped a hand over my mouth, embarrassed as I said, “Oh my God! You’re joking, right?”

  His smile was surprisingly bashful as he replied, “Only partially. Now recommend some grub. The steak was alright last time, but I’m sure you have a better suggestion.”

  I thought it over for a moment, not wanting to give him the usual, trained suggestion that the manager told us to say just because it was the most expensive item on the menu. “I like the spicy shrimp and sausage skewers, but you’ll have to take some home. There’s enough for a table of people.”

  “Or maybe you can… share them with me.”

  I tried my hardest to ignore the leap of my heart that seemed to be a reoccurring thing whenever I was in his presence. But that was stupid for some many reasons; number one being the fact that he was in a relationship, and number two being the fact that it was hardly possible for him to be even remotely interested in…

  “Me? I’m working. We can’t eat on the job unless we’re on break.”

  He peeked around me before he replied, “It’s empty as hell in here, Malia. I’m sure I can sneak you a couple without getting you in trouble. And I’m sure you’re starving since you’ve been here all day.”

  My first reaction was, “How does he know I’ve been here all day?” But I quickly remembered I had disclosed that information when we were trying to come up with a time for our second session.

  Speaking of which…

  “Hey, by the way, I was able to switch shifts with somebody so I can come a little earlier tomorrow. Like… 6 or so.”

  His face was less than enthusiastic as he replied, “I actually made early dinner plans with Charlotte since you said you wouldn’t be available until later.”

  Charlotte.

  That’s her name.

  Of course her name is Charlotte, like that naggin’ ass spider.

  “Oh. Okay. No problem. I’ll be there around eight o’clock then. Let me go… put your food order in real quick,” I said as I rushed off, suddenly feeling completely awkward. My skin was burning and I was… annoyed - heavily annoyed - as I thought about someone as cool as Blaise wasting his time being in a relationship with someone like her. I mean, sure she may have looked good on the outside, on his arm and probably in his bed. But it was clear to me that her insides were rotten to the co
re.

  I tried my best to shake it off, hiding in the back until Blaise’s food was delivered by one of the runners, and peeking at him a couple of times only to catch him looking around the restaurant; looking for me. And I was confused, torn between the idea of him being hungry or him actually being here to see me. But why would he be here to see me?

  I mean… I was me.

  His student.

  Part-time waitress, part-time dancer.

  What could possibly make him interested in me other than my ability to dance?

  He’s not interested in you, stupid. He’s just hungry.

  I sighed, pulling myself together so that I could at least do my duty of checking on him. I mean, I was still at work, and he was technically my customer.

  “Hey, how’s everything tasting?” I asked, keeping things incredibly standard and rehearsed.

  He almost looked surprised to see me as he pulled a shrimp from the skewer. “I thought you had clocked out or somethin’. Felt a little abandoned over here.”

  “I’m sorry. I was… cashing out my tips,” I lied.

  “Oh, right. Good choice by the way. These shrimp are some of the best I’ve had since I’ve been in town.”

  I gave a smile - a real one - as I told him, “It’s our specialty. Or so they say.”

  He smiled back, popping a sausage in his mouth and washing it down with his water. “Look. I uh… I cancelled dinner with Charlotte tomorrow, so you can swing on by when you get off.”

  “Really? I mean… you really didn’t have to do that. Later would’ve been perfectly fine.”

  He shrugged. “Nah. I gave it some thought and I don’t really wanna be dancing on a full stomach. So just come on through. Around 6, right?”

  My nodding to answer yes caused another smile to bloom on his face. I honestly could’ve melted right there, right in the middle of the restaurant, right in front of my co-workers. I mean, there was no way I was imagining his energy now.

  He still has a girlfriend, Malia.

  “Right. I’m gonna go… finish helping with close. Here’s your bill whenever you’re ready.”

  I watched as he pulled a wad of cash from his pocket, plucking off a few twenty dollar bills - way more than required for his total - before sliding them in the billfold and pushing it my way.

  “Keep the change, pretty. See you tomorrow.”

  Blaise

  It was half past six and I was already overwhelmed, feeling anxious for Malia to show up. I didn’t know what I was doing, I didn’t know why it was happening, but I knew there was no way I could just pretend to ignore the way I felt about my pretty little long-legged dancer.

  Ironically enough, she looked nothing like Charlotte.

  Where Charlotte was considered more of a beige, Malia was a chocolate girl. Sexy, succulent chocolate that I could already imagine soothing my sweet tooth with. Charlotte wore her hair cut in a short pixie style, and Malia’s hair was long and thick, sometimes curly, sometimes straight, but most times somewhere in between. And while Charlotte had a face full of hard lines from frowning so gotdamn much, Malia’s face was fresh, soft, so fuckin’ pretty.

  But it wasn’t just the looks that mattered to me.

  Charlotte was just… mean, angry, bitter as fuck over a bunch of shit I didn’t even know about.

  But Malia…

  Malia was sweet, nice, caring, genuine; exactly the type of energy I needed around me on a daily.

  As if I had thought her up, I heard the chime from the bell on the front door of the studio signaling her arrival. And even after a full day at the restaurant, she was still wearing a smile as she said, “Hey Blaise. Sorry I’m a little late. Things got busy when I was supposed to get off and… well you know how that goes.”

  “No worries, Malia. I’m gonna run to the office real quick. Go ahead and get dressed, get stretched out, and we’ll get started when I come back.”

  She nodded, already going to work on her shoes by the time I was at the door.

  I made quick work of going to the office and getting the camera and tripod so I could record our session. She had already shown major improvements during our first session, but I wanted to give her the opportunity to watch herself dance on film so that we could pick it apart afterwards. There was nothing like a good film session to be able to identify your weaknesses.

  I returned to the room, getting the camera all set up before I did a little stretching myself right next to her. And just that hint of closeness had me as anxious as I was for her show up in the first place.

  Chill, B.

  “So… how you feelin’? You good?” A neutral question was the perfect thing to get me back on track.

  She let out a heavy sigh, answering, “For the most part. My calves have been a little sore, but I’ll be fine.”

  I was honestly surprised that it was only her calves that were sore after the work we had put in a few days earlier. But either way, I wasn’t gonna miss the opportunity to offer…, “I can rub them out for you if you want me to.”

  She brushed me off, instead choosing to stretch them with her foot perched against the wall. “I’m good. Seriously. But I’ll definitely take a rain check on that rubdown.”

  The statement was innocent as hell, but my mind went way left as I thought about rubbin’ much more than just her calves.

  Get it together, B.

  “I was thinking we could do something a little faster today. Work on your pacing, breathing, all that jazz.” By keeping things upbeat, I could pretty much guarantee that I’d be able to keep my hands to myself.

  “I’m with it,” she tossed out as she swung her arms across her body. Then she added, “What kinda fast, though? Like Pitbull or somethin’?”

  I laughed, knowing she could surely keep up with the quick Latin pace if she tried.

  “Nah, pretty. It’ll still be R&B, just fast-paced R&B. You know… none of that bumpin’ and grindin’ shit you like to do so much,” I teased.

  “Me?! That’s all you. Forever rolling your hips against somebody,” she said, even mimicking my moves with her hands on her hips.

  “And you don’t? There may not be a lot back there, but you work it like it’s J. Lo’s.”

  She gave me a little shove as we both laughed. “Whatever, Blaise. Let’s get started before I’m forced to show you how it’s done.”

  “Show me how it’s done? Is that a challenge?”

  She shrugged, gnawing at her lip, as she answered, “Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t.”

  “Nah, young grasshopper. If you think you can show me up, then do it.”

  I could tell she was contemplating the idea, so I added, “Better yet. I’ll go first. Have a seat. Enjoy the show.”

  She rolled her eyes with a smile as she grabbed one of the metal chairs used for some of the other adult classes, setting it up right in the middle of the dance floor. I scrolled through the songs on my phone that was already connected to the sound system before I found the perfect one to dance to; I Luv This Sh*t by August Alsina.

  “Really, Blaise? Of all songs, this is what you choose?” she said with a laugh that was borderline arrogant. But I knew I’d be shutting all that shit up once the beat dropped.

  I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it at her, laughing when she let out a fake little scream like an excited teenager at a heartthrob’s concert.

  And then it happened.

  The beat came and I was instantly in the zone, dancing to prove myself like it was a real audition and not a friendly competition. And I could tell Malia was into it too, her eyes wide as she settled back further in the chair.

  “Nu uh, pretty. Not gettin’ out that easy…” I thought to myself as I made my way over to her, locking my hands on her thighs and pushing them open before I grinded between them. Malia blushed instantly, putting her arm over her eyes like she was embarrassed. But instead of letting her hide, I pushed the arm over her head so she was forced to watch, forced to look at me do my thing.

&n
bsp; “Okay. Okay. You win! Mercy,” she whined with rosy cheeks.

  I laughed as I pulled her out of the chair and sat down myself. “Nope. Prove yourself, shit-talker. Show me how it’s done.” I said mockingly.

  She smirked, letting the beat ride a little before she hopped on it. And I… shit, this was a bad idea. While I thought I was in the zone, Malia was all in, switching from a shy, embarrassed girl to a full blown sexy woman as she popped, and dropped, and did just about everything she could to do exactly what she said she would.

  Show me how it’s done.

  Now I was the one with wide eyes as she locked her hands on my thighs. But instead of prying them open the way I had done to her, she used them as leverage to flip herself up so that her ass was right in my face. Naturally, I put my hands against her obliques to make sure she didn’t tip over, but that didn’t mean my eyes weren’t all over her not-J. Lo’s ass as she twerked it better than any stripper I’d ever seen.

  But just as quickly as she got up there, she was already back down to the ground, this time turning around and locking her arms around my neck and she grinded on my lap. I put my hands on top of my head - the only way I knew I’d be able to keep them to myself - as I watched her work, thrusting my own hips upward and grinding right back against her ass.

  I heard her laugh, apparently thinking this shit was still a game. So I wrapped my arm around her waist, locking her against my lap as I stood up and carried her to the mirrored wall. I didn’t even let her get her bearings, just grinded my life away like I was at a damn basement high school party. And Malia was still giving it on her tippy toes, clearly not as far-removed from the party scene as I was.

  But this wasn’t a party.

  I was hard as fuck, turned on as fuck. So I flipped her around, taking her hands and pinning them over her head before I crashed my lips against hers. They were softer than I imagined, perfectly full as I pulled one between my teeth. And then our lips met again, my tongue diving into her mouth and causing her to release a moan that was sweeter than any melody I had ever danced to.