“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Anything. I seem to tell you all sorts of things, but I don’t know that much about you.”
“You know a lot more than most.”
“Yeah, but only the bad stuff; tell me something happy.”
I frowned. “There wasn’t a lot of happy in my life growing up.”
“Tell me something about you and Chad, or your sister.”
“Frannie was the sunlight; she was everything.” I smiled, remembering her. “Even though things were always bad, Frannie had a way of making everything seem not so terrible. Like every time we had to leave because Dad was drugged out of his head, or Mom was drunk, she made it like an adventure. Like we were explorers or something.” I smiled through my tears.
“She sounds amazing.”
“She was. Frannie was truly a remarkable person.”
“What about Chad?” he asked. “What was he like when he was little?”
“He was always trying to make me smile. Especially after Frannie died. He would always bring me little things to brighten my day. He was the only one who ever came to watch me dance. Mom could never be bothered.” I stopped, feeling my anger towards my mom rising.
“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to say more. I’m happy to know more about you. Thank you for sharing about Frannie. I think I would have liked her a lot.”
“You would have, probably more than me.” I laughed.
“Oh, I doubt that. Not sure I could like anyone more than you.”
He was about to lean in and kiss me again, but the waitress brought us our food. She gave Levi the side eye as she set the steaming plates in front of us. We kept the subject matter to lighter topics while we ate, chatting about classes ending soon and midterms.
“I’m not even close to being ready for my science midterm,” I groaned.
“When is it?”
“Not until right before Christmas break, so I have time to study, but I don't think it will help.”
“I can help you study if you want,” he offered.
“Are you any good with science?”
“Sort of, but any help is better than no help, right?”
I threw my napkin at him. “Not if you are worse than I am at it.”
“Fine, we’ll get Julian to help you; he’s a whiz at that crap.”
“Really?” I was actually surprised. Julian did not seem the type.
“Yeah, he’s a molecular biology major. He’s into all that crap. Wants to be a research scientist and cure cancer or something.”
“I don't know why I’m so surprised to hear that, but I really am.”
“He doesn’t seem like the type, right?” he asked.
“Not even a little.” I laughed.
The rest of the meal was spent laughing and sharing a chocolaty dessert. When he finally walked me to my dorm, I was on cloud nine. “Thank you for the best night I’ve had in a long time.” I leaned in and kissed him, clutching at the front of his jacket.
“Can I come in for a bit?” He arched a brow.
“As much as I want to say yes, I can't. I have too much studying to do tonight.” I frowned.
“Well, as long as you really want to say yes, I can’t be too heartbroken.” He kissed me again. I waved goodbye and went straight into my room to crack open my books for the rest of the night.
IT WAS OPENING NIGHT OF the show, and my nerves were going to be the death of me. Levi was trying to calm me down.
“What if I blow it?” I asked.
“You aren’t going to blow it. This is what you do best, babe.”
“But your parents are out there, and I don’t want to mess up in front of them.”
“When have you ever messed up?”
“Not since I was twelve.”
“Well, there you go then. Stop freaking out and go and warm up with the others.” He kissed me, more to silence my protest. “Go on. I’ll see you after the show.” He swatted my butt and walked off, leaving me in stunned silence.
“Becca! Get in here. Renatta is in full on freak out mode.” Caroline stuck her head out the door. I followed her into the backstage area of the theater where Renatta was, in fact, freaking out that most of us still were not in costume yet.
“The curtain rises in one hour, people; let’s hurry it up.” She clapped her hands to further prove her point. I quickly got my leotard on and sat in the makeup chair next to Caroline so we could get our pretty faces painted on.
“Yowza, where’d you get those earrings?” Caroline leaned in to inspect the diamonds.
“Levi gave them to me for Christmas; he wanted me to have them for opening night.”
“Oh my gosh, he is way too sweet!”
“I know, he really is. I’ve never had anything so nice before.” I closed my eyes so they could be lacquered up with whatever the person in charge of me desired. The hour flew by, until we were all being ushered towards the stage. I didn’t want to think about being nervous. All I wanted to think about was the movements, the feeling of flying. I craved it.
“I’m so nervous!” Caroline bounced from foot to foot next to me.
We couldn’t stand too close because of the foot of tulle that jutted out from our hips. I have always been a sucker for a good tutu, though, so it never bothered me.
“Don't be nervous; you have your routines down solidly,” I told her.
She smiled, but her bouncing continued. My heart raced as we all stepped on the stage and the music began. The curtain began to rise and I forced myself to calm down.
The lights were so bright, and I was thankful for it, so I didn't have to concentrate on the people in the audience. The whole show was a blur of dancing, and racing to change costumes. After we began, I didn’t have time to be anxious.
“Becca! We need you back here now,” Renatta hollered from the dressing room area.
I rushed from the stage to where she was. They had my next costume ready. All I had to do was lift my legs as they pulled and yanked and got me into it. Caroline was next to me. We had our dance in the next scene.
“I’m so excited. I had forgotten how amazing it is to dance on a stage.” She looked exhilarated; her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright.
The only time I felt wholly myself was when I was on stage dancing. Happiness surged through me as Caroline and I danced in unison across the stage.
After the show Levi and his parents, along with Chad met me, as I was coming out of the theater with a huge bouquet of flowers.
“Becca, you were amazing!” Chad hugged me. He had seen me dance in so many ballet recitals that I had lost count somewhere along the way.
“You really were something out there.” Ruth smiled warmly.
I blushed. “Thanks.” Compliments still felt weird; I just wanted to push past this and go to dinner. We all piled into the limo they had taken from New York and headed to the restaurant.
“So you’re coming home with Levi for Christmas, right?” Ruth asked.
“Um, yeah, I think that’s the plan.”
Chad beamed at me, and I could see the impact moving in with the Kleins had already had on him. He had gained some weight, which he needed, and he looked happy. It was all I could ask for.
Ruth was telling us all about the plans they had made for us while we were in New York for Christmas. “Becca, I got you and Levi tickets to see The Nutcracker while you are with us.”
“Are you serious?” I squealed. I had always wanted to go to the ballet, but had never been. I didn’t count watching old videos at Jane’s house.
“Of course I am. I think we’ll go see a show on Broadway, too, if we have time.” She patted my knee. “What else do you want to see?”
“Everything, anything. All of it. I’ve never been, so it’s all new to me. I’d love to go to the Met and see all the amazing paintings. And that huge toy store? I don’t know the name of it.”
Levi laughed. “FAO Schwarz.”
“Yeah, that one. Oh, and tha
t big candy store I’ve seen on TV, too.”
“We’ll be tourists for a few days.” Ruth grinned.
“I’m so excited!” I clapped my hands.
On the rest of the way to dinner, we chatted about what we would do and where Ruth wanted to take me. Samuel had made reservations at an amazing steak place that Levi and I had driven by a few times but never went to.
I watched Chad, and how he interacted with the Klein’s. He fit with them so well.
“Becca, how are your classes going?” Ruth asked.
“Not bad, this term seems to have flown by.” The more we were all together reaffirmed my decision to let Chad go with them. These were good people.
After they dropped us off Levi came in and we collapsed on the couch together.
“Such a long day.” I blew out a breath.
“I know, but at least you only have six more shows before Christmas.”
“Are you trying to make me feel better or worse?” I laughed and punched him in the arm.
“If you scoot over here, I can make you feel better.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.
“Hmm, I’m sure you can.” I slid over closer to him and he kissed me.
“Every time I think that I’ve had just the right amount, I want more,” he murmured into my lips. How does he always know just what to say? I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, inhaling the scent that was all Levi.
“Oh, sorry, are we interrupting?” Layla squeaked and looked mortified. Mel had a huge grin on her face.
“No, you guys are fine. Want to watch a movie or something with us?” Levi asked.
“What are you going to watch?” Mel asked.
“No clue.” I shrugged. I went to get some pajamas on while Mel and Levi debated on what to watch.
“No, we are not watching The Holiday again,” I heard Levi say. I laughed as I slipped my arms through the long sleeved thermal I wore as a pajama shirt.
“Oh, come on! It’s such a good movie,” Mel shot back.
“I didn’t say it wasn’t a good movie, but we’ve watched it like five times already. Becca! Help!”
“Calling for reinforcements already, Klein?” I laughed and joined him on the couch.
We bullied him into watching The Holiday again. He didn’t seem to mind it too much, though. It was the perfect ending to a perfect night.
IT WAS TWO DAYS BEFORE Christmas and Levi and I were leaving to go stay with his parents for a week. I was so excited to explore New York and to see Chad.
“Hey, are you packed?” Levi stuck his head in my room.
“Yeah, almost.” I hastily threw a few more pairs of jeans in the small suitcase I was bringing with me.
“Don’t pack too much. If I know my mom, she’s going to want to take you shopping. There’s no use in trying to tell her no; she’ll make you go.”
“I wouldn’t dream of telling Ruth no.”
“That’s a good life philosophy to have. I may have to adopt it myself.” He dropped a quick kiss on my lips and grabbed my suitcase off the bed. “Come on, Julian’s waiting for us.”
The plan was for us to drive to New York with Julian and Sadie, who was going to meet his family before flying back to spend Christmas with her family. They were waiting for us in Julian’s big SUV.
“Took you guys long enough,” Sadie joked as I climbed into the truck.
“Sorry, couldn’t decide which of my crappy sweaters would look best with my terrible jeans.” I laughed. Those were her words; she was always complaining about me only wearing jeans and sweaters.
“I expect you to come back with a new wardrobe. New York is like Mecca for shopping.”
Levi loaded our bags in the back and joined me in the middle seat.
“Ready?” Julian asked.
“Yup, let’s get this show on the road.”
Traffic was surprisingly light, and an hour and a half later, Julian pulled up in front of a beautiful brownstone building in SoHo. Levi had told me they used to live on the Upper East Side, but his mom had hated how stuffy it felt. SoHo was more her scene, all the art and small shops.
“Here we are.”
“Which one is yours?” I hopped out of the car behind him.
“My parents own the whole building.”
I gaped at him. It was a huge building, almost half the block long, and at least six stories high.
“You okay over there?” He chuckled.
“Yeah, just forgot I was dating American royalty for a second.”
After he grabbed our bags, Levi led me up the steps to the front door. He fished his keys out and let us inside. “Mom? We’re here,” he called.
I was surprised that the inside of the house was warm and inviting. I had expected it to be one of those museum type homes where nothing was to be used, only looked at. The Kleins’ home, however, was well used. There was a fire in the huge brick fireplace in the sitting room off the entryway, surrounded by soft leather furniture.
Ruth appeared a moment later, an apron tied around her waist. “Get over here and hug me.” Levi swooped her up in his arms and hugged her tightly before kissing both of her cheeks.
“You too, Becca.” She held out her arms for me. I stepped into her embrace and it felt like coming home. She hugged me and patted my hair.
“How was the drive?” she asked. “Are you kids hungry? I’m making bread for one of the shelters, but I can whip you up some sandwiches if you want.”
Levi looked at me and I shook my head. “We’re good, Mom. Is Chad around?”
“No, today was his last day of school and he’s out with one of his classmates; they went to the movies. He should be home before dinner, though.” She turned to me. “You’ll be happy to know that he’s gotten almost all As this quarter. I’d worried he would be behind, but it was totally the opposite.”
“Chad’s really smart; I’ve always told him he could be whatever he wanted to be. I would have worked as hard as I could to make that happen.”
“Well, now you don’t have to. You can enjoy being a teenager for once.” She squeezed my hand. “I have you in the guest room across the hall from Levi. I thought that would work best for everyone.”
“Thank you again for having me.” I smiled.
“Oh, hush, you’re as good as family now. Besides, Chad would have killed us if you didn’t come. He’s been so excited to see you.”
“We’ll let you get back to your bread, Mom. I can show Becca where her room is.”
“I’m sure you can.” She kissed his cheek and went back down the hall toward the kitchen.
Levi gave me a quick tour of the first floor before he showed me my room. We saw the living room, game room, kitchen, dining room, and the library. The decor in the house was sort of a warm country chic. It all flowed from room to room. Lots of leather and warm colors with wood accents. I loved it. It was very unexpected.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“It’s not at all what I thought it would be. I really love it. It’s so warm and inviting.”
“My mom would be happy to hear that. She worked really hard to find all of the pieces.”
“I love that she did it herself and didn’t hire someone.”
“Me, too. She didn't want it to feel like a show house. She wanted it to be lived in.” He stopped in the middle of the hall, a door on either side of us.
“This one is mine,” he gestured to the left. He set his bag in front of his closed door and we walked across the hall to the room that was meant for me. The bed was huge, bigger than anything I had ever slept in outside of a hotel. All the furniture was white, and the walls were a pale gray.
“Can I see your room?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s not anything fancy.”
“So, just naked lady posters then?”
“Shut up.” He laughed and pulled me back across the hall. His room wasn’t fancy; there was a bed as big as the one in my room, a desk, and a TV.
“I didn’t spend a ton o
f time in here.”
“Why would you? That game room is amazing.”
“Want to go explore a bit? We still have a few hours before dinner.”
“Did you even have to ask?” I bounced on my toes.
“Come on, then. Grab your jacket. We’re going to walk.” After yelling to Ruth that we were leaving, he led me back outside. “What do you want to see?”
“Anything? Everything? Take me somewhere you love.”
“I know just where to take you.”
As we walked, he pointed out places he used to go to a lot. “Over there, that’s the best pizza around. I used to go every chance I would get.” Holding Levi’s hand and walking through the snowy streets of New York was a present in its own right. I felt so normal, and loved.
“You’re taking me to a chocolate store?” I asked.
“Not just any chocolate store. Jacques Torres Chocolate is the best around.” He whisked me inside before I could tell him that sweets and leotards do not mix.
“Oh gosh, it smells like Heaven in here.”
Levi bought me a chocolate snowman and Christmas tree, a box of caramels, and a huge tin of hot chocolate.
“You do know that I have to fit into a leotard soon right? Are you trying to give me body issues?” I laughed.
“I can’t help it. I lose my head around you sometimes. Plus, you look damn good in a leotard, chocolate or not.” He carried the giant bag of yumminess and we walked for a while longer.
“Becca!” I turned and found Chad running towards us. I hugged him for longer than I should have, considering that he had a friend with him.
“Sorry, I just missed you,” I said.
He shrugged. “This is my buddy, James.”
“Hey.” I smiled at the guy standing next to Chad. He was taller than him by at least three inches and had rich mocha colored skin. It was his eyes that stood out the most, though; they were the most intense green I’d ever seen.
“It’s nice to meet you, Becca.” He shook my hand. “Look, man, I have to run. My mom’s expecting me for dinner. Catch you later?”
“Yeah, I’ll call you.”
We walked back home together. I peppered Chad with questions about school and how he was fitting in.
The Harder I Fall Page 9
