That wasn’t true anymore, but a girl could dream. Sometimes, dreams were all we had.
The rest of the afternoon flew by. My students must’ve picked up on my energy because several cast curious glances my way.
Emma was one of the few brave enough to ask me about it outright. “Did you have a good weekend, Miss DuBois?” Her eyes sparkled. “You look happy.”
“Instructors shouldn’t discuss their personal lives with students. It’s inappropriate,” I said sternly. Her face fell. “But since you asked…” My mouth twitched. “I got some good news this morning.”
Her smile returned to full wattage.
We had a quick chat about her Nutrcacker rehearsals before I packed up and met Earl in front of the school.
My stomach fluttered during our drive to Asher’s house. He’d responded to my thank-you text with a simple you’re welcome. Other than that, we hadn’t talked since I snuck out Saturday morning.
Enough time had passed for me to pretend my, er, self-care session never happened. That was the only way I could look him in the eyes.
I was also oddly excited to tell him about the understudy role. He was the one who’d encouraged me to leave my comfort zone; he deserved to be the first to know.
Earl pulled into the circular driveway and opened my door. “Have a good session, Ms. DuBois.”
“Thank you, Earl.”
I walked up the front steps and tried the doorknob. It was unlocked, but Asher was nowhere in sight.
Weird. He usually greeted me at the entrance so we could walk to the studio together. Maybe he was running late from an interview or other prior commitment.
I let myself into the house and tread the familiar path to the studio. I’d been here so many times I no longer looked twice at the original Rembrandts or the state-of-the-art gadgets.
I passed the living room. Stopped. Then doubled back.
Was that…?
It was.
My good mood evaporated like a puddle in the sun. A strange ringing filled my ears.
Now I knew why Asher hadn’t been there to greet me. He had a guest over. A very blond, very leggy guest in an outfit that probably cost more than my monthly rent—and they were kissing.
CHAPTER 15ASHER
The kiss came out of nowhere.
One minute, I was trying to get Polina out of the house as quickly and politely as possible. The next, she’d tossed her arms around my neck and crushed her mouth on mine.
“Jesus!” I pushed her off and wiped my mouth with my forearm. “What the fuck, Pol?”
“What?” She blinked at me with those baby doe eyes that’d turned her into one of the biggest supermodels in the world. “It’s just a kiss. We’ve done so much more than that.”
“Not since last year.”
There’d been a time when the kiss would’ve led us straight into the bedroom, hot tub, or any nearby place with a semblance of privacy. That time had long passed because Current Me didn’t feel a single twinge of pleasure or arousal.
“We should remedy that.” Polina propped a hip against the couch. “I miss you. You never call anymore.”
“Because we’re not together anymore.” My patience frayed with each passing second.
We went on a few dates last spring. It took one date for the shine to wear off, two dates for me to realize we had nothing in common, and three dates for me to officially call it quits.
I didn’t hate her. She was nice enough (surprise kisses aside). She just wasn’t for me, and we’d ended things amicably. At the time, there’d been a filthy-rich oil magnate courting her on the side, so she hadn’t exactly been heartbroken.
Things with the oil magnate must’ve gone south, because after a year of radio silence, she’d shown up at my door half an hour ago claiming she wanted to “catch up.”
“But we could be.” Polina sounded unfazed by the reminder.
“No, we can’t.” I snuck a peek at the clock. Shit. I was late for training, so I needed to get Polina out of here fast.
I hadn’t talked to Scarlett since her thank-you text, and I wanted…I didn’t know. I wanted to see her, I guess.
That sounded pathetic even in my thoughts. Good thing no one can hear them.
“Listen, Pol—”
“Why not?” She tilted her head. “Are you dating someone?”
“No. I’m not dating anyone right now.”
Liar, a voice whispered.
