by AJ Alexander
I smirk and take a step toward her. To my surprise, she backs away and bumps into the locked door. Tears begin collecting in her eyes, but she quickly bats them away.
“Do you want to get some coffee and catch up?” I question, not bothering to hide the longing in my voice.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” she whispers as she strides past me.
Our shoulders brush slightly, and an electric current runs up my arm and directly to my heart, igniting the love I once had for her all over again. It’s been years since we’ve seen each other, but in some way, it feels like she never left.
“It was nice seeing you,” she calls over her shoulder before hitting the unlock button on her key fob and climbing in.
I stand as still as a statue as she pulls out of the parking lot and drives off in the direction of her parents’ house without a second glance.
I tried to move on, to be with someone, anyone, but I finally admitted it to myself: there is no one else on the planet that I’ll ever love more than Selina Grymes. And based on her reaction to me a few moments ago, I’d wager she still feels something for me as well.
“You got away from me once, Seli. I’m not about to let it happen again,” I whisper into the wind as I stride toward my car.
Chapter One
Vance
“The usual?” Katie asks from her spot behind the counter.
A nod is the only response I give her as I slide my card across the counter. Every day, like clockwork, I come to grab coffee for Selina and Emersyn in hopes of finally gaining her attention for the first time in years.
“Maybe today will be the day?” Katie flashes me a bright smile as she hands back my card along with a receipt.
Everyone in town knows my sad story. It’s pathetic, really, if I’m being honest with myself. I’m in my mid-thirties and still waiting for the one who got away.
“Maybe,” I grumble as I step to the right and wait for my order.
I’ve been trying to get Selina to give me the time of day since she danced back into town six months ago, and she’s been turning me down every time. I’ve tried everything I can think of to get her to at least agree to coffee, but so far, I haven’t had any luck.
“Good luck,” Katie says with a smile as she slides the cup carrier across the counter.
“Thanks. I’m gonna need it.” I grab the carrier and head for the door.
Luckily, it’s not too far before I get to the dance studio.
“Hey, Vance,” Emersyn greets me as I walk in the door.
I flash her a smile as I set the coffees on the counter.
“What do you think my chances are today?” I ask, pulling my cup out of the carrier and taking a drink.
“The odds are in your favor.” Emersyn grabs her cup before taking a seat behind the desk. “She’s in an amazing mood. She has another appointment with the doctor this morning.”
“Good news?” I question, wondering if Selina finally received the clean bill of health she’s been hoping for.
Although I know how much dancing for the New York City Ballet has meant to her, I secretly want her to stay here with me forever. I never got over the way she left the day before our high school graduation. She never made her plans to go to Juilliard and become a prima ballerina a secret, but I thought those plans also included me.
“I would say so,” Emersyn responds cheerfully.
The front door opens and my niece, Jade, comes strolling into the studio.
“One of those better be for me,” Jade says from behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist and giving me a squeeze.
“Of course. Seeing you is the only reason I come here anymore, anyway.” I wink at her before pulling a cup from the holder and handing it to her. “Where's your old man?”
“Hanging by the door, trying to get a glimpse of Ms. Audrey,” Jade giggles as she takes a sip from her cup and heads toward the changing room.
“Go away, Vance,” Selina says as she steps out of the back.
This woman is a vision, with wisps of black hair brushing against the top of her ears. Her toned body is a thing of beauty as she practically glides toward me. Her luscious lips are the color of a blush rose, competing with her vibrant green eyes for my attention.
“I thought you said she was in a good mood,” I mumble to Emersyn, causing her and Jade to laugh loudly.
“I am in a good mood. Just not in the mood to deal with you.” Selina rolls her eyes as she grabs her coffee and takes a sip.
I quickly come to my senses. “Not even a thank you, Seli? What would your mama say about your manners?”
I lean against the counter, the perfect picture of ease, though I’m anything but. Being this close to her awakens the demon I’ve kept trapped inside me for years, reminding me once again that Selina Grymes is the only woman for me, now and forever.
“I’m sure you’ll tell her all about it during your weekly phone calls.” She takes another swig of coffee.
“You know how you can make it up to me.” I wait patiently for an answer.
“Thank you, Vance. But the answer is the same as always: no.” She turns and heads back into the back room. “I need to focus on getting back to New York. I don’t have time for anything but practice and running my classes.”
“All I want is to have coffee with you and have a chance to get to know you again. Is that too much to ask?”
“Vance, everyone knows you want more from me than to just catch up. It’s time to move on,” she responds coldly.
I open my mouth to respond, but I hear Connor chime in from beside me.
“Seli, please put all of us out of our misery and agree to have coffee with him. I’m sure you two have more than enough things to talk about.”
“It’s Selina, and I’ve said everything that needed to be said,” she snaps, checking her watch. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it's almost time for Jade’s lesson to begin.”
Just as she turns to head back into the studio, Jade comes strolling out. “What did I miss?” She throws her empty cup into the trash. “Did you crash and burn again, Uncle Vance?”
“Tragically,” Connor snickers as he throws his arm over my shoulder. “Come on, man. Let’s go grab a beer while I wait for Jade to finish up with her lesson.”
“Are you not hanging around to wait for Audrey again today?” Emersyn chimes in, a devious smile creeping across her face.
Ever since Audrey Wilde arrived in town two weeks ago, Connor has been different. When his wife died during childbirth, he shut himself off from the world. Choosing to focus on raising his baby girl instead of finding someone to spend his life with. Until Audrey. Now, she is all he can think about. Hopefully he’s faring better than I am now.
Connor and I hug Jade, wave goodbye to Emersyn, and head out the door toward his truck in silence. Connor has been my best friend for most of my life. He knows everything there is to know about me, and how heartbroken I’ve been since Selina left.
I wouldn’t say I’ve been celibate, but after a few failed relationships, I gave up. No one in this town could ever hold a candle to Selina. If I can’t have her, I’ll spend the rest of my life alone.
“It shouldn’t be this hard, should it?” I question, slamming my fist on the hood of his truck. “She left me, Connor. Left me and this town in her rear-view mirror all those years ago never to come back. But I still love her.”
“Anything in life worth having isn’t easy,” he says as he unlocks his truck and motions for me to follow.
I open the passenger side door and climb in. “Why does she keep turning me down? All I want is an explanation. She at least owes me that much.”
“She doesn’t owe you anything, man. You were teenagers. She had a dream and went for it.” Connor gets in and starts the truck.
“I never once discouraged her from her dreams,” I mumble as I gaze out the passenger window.
The scenery passes by as we head toward Crawdaddy’s near the coast. It’s the b
est place in town to grab a cheap beer and focus on something other than how much is going on in your life at the moment.
Before I know it, the sign comes into view, and Connor quickly finds a parking spot.
“But did you ever encourage those dreams?” He turns toward me as he shuts off the truck. “All you ever talked about was the two of you getting married and settling down. Not once did you offer to go with her.”
“She never asked. I would have followed her to New York or wherever else she wanted, but she never gave me the chance,” I grumble. “Now she’s back with one foot out of the door again. How am I going to get her to stay this time when I couldn’t before?”
“How about you try to be her friend first? The rest will come later.” He opens the door and heads inside the bar.
“That’s the problem. I don’t know how much time I have,” I respond into the empty cab.
There is no telling how much longer Selina will be in town before she heads back to New York. I lost her once, and I can’t let it happen again.
But how do you convince someone that you were meant for each other if they don’t believe that themself?
Chapter Two
Selina
“How’s my favorite ballerina doing today?” Bristol chirps as she enters the studio.
My very pregnant best friend is the owner of the yoga studio a few doors down.
“I’m just peachy,” I say sarcastically as I flop down on one of the chairs in the waiting room.
“Aww. Are you missing a certain someone?” She grips the top of the chair and braces herself before slowly lowering down into the seat.
I stifle a giggle as I watch her struggle to get comfortable. I can only imagine what it feels like to have an extra fifteen pounds strapped to your midsection.
“Shut up. This will be you someday, and I’m going to enjoy watching you struggle.” Bristol leans back in the chair, finally finding a comfortable position to sit in.
“What are you doing here, anyway? Don’t you have a studio to run?” I question as I try to sneak a glance out the window.
“Audrey is currently hiding from Connor.”
I open my mouth to comment, but she raises her hand.
“Don’t ask. It isn’t my place to say anything, but something happened between the two of them. She needs to work things out on her own.”
Audrey and her daughter, Love, moved to town a few months ago, and we have become fast friends. I’m not sure what happened to her in the past, but I know she was hurt before coming to Dixie Point for a fresh start.
“They both deserve to be happy,” I respond, glancing out the window once again.
This time, Bristol catches me.
“I saw Vance pulling up to the coffee shop as I came in,” she smirks. “When are you going to put that man out of his misery?”
My body tenses with anticipation at the mere mention of his name. My cheeks heat in embarrassment as I quickly stand and head for the opposite side of the room.
“For someone who didn’t grow up in Dixie Point, you sure know a lot about everyone’s business.” I fidget with my hands, nervously glancing at the door.
“No need to be nervous. He will come in and ask you out again, and you will turn him down again.” She tilts her head to the side, eyeing me inquisitively. “Or is there something else going on?”
“Nothing is going on, Bristol. Just trying to be ready when my students arrive for class.”
The door chimes, causing me to jump slightly. Thankfully, it’s just a group of my students.
I sigh, grateful to be spared from another date request, because that’s the last thing I need right now. I need to focus on what to do next.
My doctor informed me at my last appointment that the tendon has fully healed. As soon as I got the news, I called my old company director, and he wouldn’t make any promises, but he was hopeful I would get a call for an audition soon. I don’t need any distractions right now. What I need to do is continue to focus on my dancing, not having fantasies about my ex. Easier said than done.
I’ve been resisting his charms for months, but I don’t know how much more I can handle. Although my mind is made up that I want nothing to do with him, my body has other plans.
I spend most of my nights lying awake, moisture pooling between my legs, as all the images of the dirty things I want him to do to me filter through my mind. I imagine what it would feel like to have his muscular arms wrapped around me as he pounds into my pussy from behind, claiming me as his once again. Or what it would feel like as his beard rubs against the inside of my legs while he fucks my lower lips with his tongue.
I spend most nights fighting those images, convincing myself that there is nothing between Vance and I, but my body knows better. It won’t let me have a moment of peace until I bring myself endless pleasure, calling out his name.
Bristol raises her voice slightly over the buzz of voices around the room. “No one said you can’t enjoy your time while you’re here.” She holds her hands out for me to help her stand. “Besides, you guys haven’t been together in fifteen years. After that long apart, the date will probably be horrible, and then you can move on.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to explain. I’m not the same little girl that left here with nothing but a dream all those years ago.”
“No one thinks you are.” Vance slides into the studio behind another group of girls,
The noise level raises exponentially as he winks at me.
“I don't have time for this today, Vance. It’s almost time for class,” I growl, then turn to my students. “Girls, it's time to head into class. Begin your stretches and be ready to start in five minutes.”
“Yes, Ms. Selina,” the girls respond in unison before filing into the studio.
“Just one date, Seli. That’s all I ask,” Vance says for the millionth time, loud enough for everyone in the waiting room to hear.
Suddenly, all the mothers in the waiting room chime in.
“You guys would make the cutest couple!” Loralie’s moms says as she throws a wink in my direction.
“Could you imagine what their babies would look like?” someone else whispers.
Vance begins to preen for them, and I roll my eyes. Right, because having children is obviously the main reason two people should get together.
“Although I would love children, I’m not in a position in my life that I feel ready to have them,” I respond, hoping to gain control of the situation again.
“You’re not getting any younger, my dear. Next thing you know, you’ll be sitting in a big old house with nothing but cats to keep you company,” Ms. Mable says from her seat by the door.
“She would know,” Bristol mumbles, soft enough for only me to hear.
Ms. Mable is the town’s resident cat lady. Word around town is she had a fiancé who left her without a word, and now it's just her and her cats to keep her company.
“Come on,” someone else chimes in. “You should at least give him a chance. There aren’t too many good single men in town. You have to snatch him up while you can.”
“Fine!” I shout. “I’ll go out with you! Just…please, for the love of God, leave me alone.”
“Me?” Bristol giggles as she points at herself.
“No. You can stay.” I spin in Vance’s direction, fighting the urge to stomp my foot like a toddler. “You, get out.”
“Seriously?” Vance smirks as the door swings open and Connor comes in with Jade and Love.
“Are you here to harass Selina again?” Connor bumps Vance’s shoulder before turning and speaking to Bristol.
Unable to contain his excitement, he smiles brightly before throwing his arm over Connor’s shoulder. “She finally agreed to go out with me.”
“I just wanted him to go away,” I mumble, crossing my arms over my chest.
“All that pestering finally paid off,” Bristol giggles.
“Selina said they can bring us to our house after class,�
� Jade says as she threads her arm through mine.
I send up a silent prayer of thanks as Love pipes in from my other side.
“Yep, Selina said so. My mom and Connor have things to discuss.”
“I guess your date includes two teenage girls, but neither of us want to get rid of you girls.” Connor gives Vance a look of sympathy, and Vance slaps him on the back a few times.
Overwhelmed with everything that took place the last few minutes, I ask Jade and Love to run the class through warm-up exercises and duck into the back room, closing the door tight behind me and leaning back against it.
“What the fuck was I thinking?” I say into the empty room as I slide down to the floor and wrap my arms around my knees.
Bristol could be right. Going on a date with Vance could finally convince him that things have changed, that I’ve changed. Then he will finally let go of the foolish notion that we were meant to be together.
Yeah, right. If I know anything about him, it's that once he sets his mind to something, he won’t stop until he gets it. Right now, what he wants is me.
I would be lying if I said he doesn’t still set my heart on fire with nothing but a smile, but I can’t take that chance. I need to remain focused on my goals of getting back into the dance company. That’s the only thing that matters.
“Knock, knock,” Bristol says as she tries to push the door open.
I slide forward just enough for her to come in, then push it closed once again and lean back against it.
“I would get down there with you, but we both know I may not get back up,” she quips.
We both giggle softly as she heads toward one of the chairs, slowly lowering herself down to take a seat.
“What’s on your mind?” she asks.
I don’t respond right away, and she waits patiently for my answer.
“This is a bad idea,” I finally sigh.
“How do you know unless you try?”
“I didn’t come back to town to get back together with my ex, Bristol. I need to focus on getting back in shape and making all my dreams come true.” I bang my head on the door a few times.
