Taking a step back, she reached for the iPod and found the song that she wanted to dance to. She didn’t care what he wanted. They were dancing to this, and there was no discussing it.
“She does know about us,” he said, stopping her fingers on the iPod. “And she was going to leave me, take my son and the child she was pregnant with at the time, and take me to the cleaners.”
Reese turned and met his sorrowful eyes. “She gave me twenty-four hours to decide what I wanted and I picked you, I did, but then my son crawled into my lap, looked up at me with the same colored eyes as his mother, and I couldn’t do it, Reese. I couldn’t lose him. So I chose her and broke it off with you the next day. It killed me, it did, and I hate that I hurt you. When I found out you left, I was ready to chase after you to bring you back because we couldn’t lose you at the company, too. Then Stacey lost our baby and I decided I had to let you go, that I had to worry about my family. I made Stacey promise not to blame you—that it was entirely my fault. For the longest time things were strained but, after a lot of counseling, we are back to where we should be. You have to believe me when I say that I am so sorry for what I did. I don’t expect you to forgive me, the deceiving and the lying is unforgiveable, but know that I loved you. I did, but I know I wasn’t and am still not the man for you.”
Her lips wobbled as he looked away.
“You’re a star, Reese, the brightest one in the sky, and you deserve a man that will help you shine brighter. A man that will cherish you and never look at another woman after being with you. I’m sorry that I held your heart hostage the way I did. I had no right to do that to you. That is the main reason that I am here. I needed to apologize.”
When he looked up at her, waiting for her response, all she could do was nod. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness, and she couldn’t trust herself not to give it to him. A part of her, the small one that still had feelings for him, wanted to forgive him. The rest of her wanted to flick him off but, instead, she cleared her throat before saying, “What I said still stands. We have no reason to talk once you leave this studio.”
“I understand.”
She looked down at where she played with the hem of her sweatshirt and said, “But thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Nodding, she turned again and took a deep breath, collecting herself. She thought she had felt good saying what she had, hearing Kevin’s words was ten times better. Looking back at him, she let out a breath. “Let’s do this.”
Walking towards him with her remote in her hand, he said, “You’ve picked a song?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay,” he said as she hit play. He listened for a moment and then scoffed. “Really?”
She shrugged. “It’s a good song. This is my favorite version.” And it was. Madilyn Bailey sang the female version of Bruno Mars’ “When I was Your Man” and it was stunning. They listened to the song the whole way through and then started. When he reached for her, pulling her into his chest, she looked into his eyes and felt nothing. She thought this was going to be hard, feeling his body against hers, but it wasn’t because he meant nothing to her. It felt like he was just another partner, not the man that she loved for so long, and she had a feeling that he felt nothing, too. She hoped that the hard times he went through with his wife made him fall back in love with her. She deserved all of him, and she hoped that Stacey got that.
Moving together like it wasn’t the first time in years, Reese put her heart in the dance. She not only wanted to impress her students but also Phillip. Thinking that made her heart stop but she ignored it and kept up with Kevin, making sure he didn’t outshine her. They worked for three hours straight and when they were fully satisfied with what they had, Reese backed away and nodded. “I think we are good.”
“Good, everyone should be here soon, huh?”
Reese looked up at the clock. “Yeah, in about two hours.”
“Cool, I’m gonna run and get a shower. I’ll be back then.”
She laid the remote to the stereo down. She fully expected him to walk away, but then he said, “I hope that you’re happy, Reese.”
She looked over her shoulder. “I am.”
“Good, because I want you to be. I hope he does all the things I should have done.”
She didn’t want to talk about Phillip to Kevin, hell, she didn’t even want to accept the words she was about to utter, but she surprised herself and probably Kevin when she said, “He is ten times the man you will ever be.”
Kevin nodded slowly. She knew that was a low blow, but it wasn’t like her not to speak her mind. “Good. I’m glad. Because you deserve a man like that.”
She stood up tall on her heels, her eyes locked with his as she declared. “You’re right, I do.”
He stood there a moment, a look on his face, somewhere between regret and acceptance, before turning and leaving. She let out a long breath, glad that he was out of view, out of her space. She knew she was wrong for misleading him, making him think that Phillip and her were serious, but it was so easy to make it seem like that. Reese wanted to analyze that, figure out why that was, but after the morning she just had, she figured she’d do that later.
Way later.
Apparently, this Kevin guy was a big deal in the dance world.
Even on short notice, the studio was packed with dancers. They circled him, firing questions left and right, while Reese leaned against the wall, looking bored, but Phillip still thought she was hot as hell. She had on tight black shorts, and a black sports bra with a large, black lace shirt that came to mid-thigh. Her long, luscious hair was in up a bun, and she wore no makeup. He was starting to think he liked her best like this. All homey and comfy looking. He wanted to cuddle, hold her for hours, but that wouldn’t be happening any time soon.
“She does know about us,” he said, stopping her fingers on the iPod. “And she was going to leave me, take my son and the child she was pregnant with at the time, and take me to the cleaners.”
Reese turned and met his sorrowful eyes. “She gave me twenty-four hours to decide what I wanted and I picked you, I did, but then my son crawled into my lap, looked up at me with the same colored eyes as his mother, and I couldn’t do it, Reese. I couldn’t lose him. So I chose her and broke it off with you the next day. It killed me, it did, and I hate that I hurt you. When I found out you left, I was ready to chase after you to bring you back because we couldn’t lose you at the company, too. Then Stacey lost our baby and I decided I had to let you go, that I had to worry about my family. I made Stacey promise not to blame you—that it was entirely my fault. For the longest time things were strained but, after a lot of counseling, we are back to where we should be. You have to believe me when I say that I am so sorry for what I did. I don’t expect you to forgive me, the deceiving and the lying is unforgiveable, but know that I loved you. I did, but I know I wasn’t and am still not the man for you.”
Her lips wobbled as he looked away.
“You’re a star, Reese, the brightest one in the sky, and you deserve a man that will help you shine brighter. A man that will cherish you and never look at another woman after being with you. I’m sorry that I held your heart hostage the way I did. I had no right to do that to you. That is the main reason that I am here. I needed to apologize.”
When he looked up at her, waiting for her response, all she could do was nod. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness, and she couldn’t trust herself not to give it to him. A part of her, the small one that still had feelings for him, wanted to forgive him. The rest of her wanted to flick him off but, instead, she cleared her throat before saying, “What I said still stands. We have no reason to talk once you leave this studio.”
“I understand.”
She looked down at where she played with the hem of her sweatshirt and said, “But thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Nodding, she turned again and took a deep breath, collecting herself. She thought she had felt good saying what she had, hearing Kevin’s words was ten times better. Looking back at him, she let out a breath. “Let’s do this.”
Walking towards him with her remote in her hand, he said, “You’ve picked a song?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay,” he said as she hit play. He listened for a moment and then scoffed. “Really?”
She shrugged. “It’s a good song. This is my favorite version.” And it was. Madilyn Bailey sang the female version of Bruno Mars’ “When I was Your Man” and it was stunning. They listened to the song the whole way through and then started. When he reached for her, pulling her into his chest, she looked into his eyes and felt nothing. She thought this was going to be hard, feeling his body against hers, but it wasn’t because he meant nothing to her. It felt like he was just another partner, not the man that she loved for so long, and she had a feeling that he felt nothing, too. She hoped that the hard times he went through with his wife made him fall back in love with her. She deserved all of him, and she hoped that Stacey got that.
Moving together like it wasn’t the first time in years, Reese put her heart in the dance. She not only wanted to impress her students but also Phillip. Thinking that made her heart stop but she ignored it and kept up with Kevin, making sure he didn’t outshine her. They worked for three hours straight and when they were fully satisfied with what they had, Reese backed away and nodded. “I think we are good.”
“Good, everyone should be here soon, huh?”
Reese looked up at the clock. “Yeah, in about two hours.”
“Cool, I’m gonna run and get a shower. I’ll be back then.”
She laid the remote to the stereo down. She fully expected him to walk away, but then he said, “I hope that you’re happy, Reese.”
She looked over her shoulder. “I am.”
“Good, because I want you to be. I hope he does all the things I should have done.”
She didn’t want to talk about Phillip to Kevin, hell, she didn’t even want to accept the words she was about to utter, but she surprised herself and probably Kevin when she said, “He is ten times the man you will ever be.”
Kevin nodded slowly. She knew that was a low blow, but it wasn’t like her not to speak her mind. “Good. I’m glad. Because you deserve a man like that.”
She stood up tall on her heels, her eyes locked with his as she declared. “You’re right, I do.”
He stood there a moment, a look on his face, somewhere between regret and acceptance, before turning and leaving. She let out a long breath, glad that he was out of view, out of her space. She knew she was wrong for misleading him, making him think that Phillip and her were serious, but it was so easy to make it seem like that. Reese wanted to analyze that, figure out why that was, but after the morning she just had, she figured she’d do that later.
Way later.
Apparently, this Kevin guy was a big deal in the dance world.
Even on short notice, the studio was packed with dancers. They circled him, firing questions left and right, while Reese leaned against the wall, looking bored, but Phillip still thought she was hot as hell. She had on tight black shorts, and a black sports bra with a large, black lace shirt that came to mid-thigh. Her long, luscious hair was in up a bun, and she wore no makeup. He was starting to think he liked her best like this. All homey and comfy looking. He wanted to cuddle, hold her for hours, but that wouldn’t be happening any time soon.
