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“Because of this spot right here. It furrows when you’re deep in thought. That usually means trouble.” He sighs and pulls me along with him as we make our way up the driveway after his parents. “Everything will be okay. I promise.”
“I really hope you’re right because, right now, it doesn’t feel that way.” My ankle hurts, but not so much so that I can’t walk. SJ is supporting a lot of my weight with his arm wrapped gently around my waist as I lean into him.
I suddenly remember our bags and turn around to look back. Our suitcases are still sitting in the driveway, the back door of the car wide open.
“I’ll come back out and get them after we get you settled inside,” SJ answers without me even having to ask.
“Are you sure? I can help,” I say as I look back again.
“Positive. You’re tired and in pain. Let’s get inside and get that foot propped up. I’ll come back out and get everything. It’ll be fine for a few minutes.” SJ reaches the steps and pulls me into his arms to carry me up the five steps.
My belly dips with the sudden change. “SJ, I can walk! What are your parents going to think of you carrying me around?” I whisper shout. Those nerves flare in my belly again, but for an entirely different reason.
He only chuckles. “That I’m taking care of you?” His question isn’t a question. It’s a statement.
His foot hits the landing on the front porch, and I squirm.
“Put me down before they see us!” I swat at his chest, which only makes him laugh harder. “I’m serious! We look like newlyweds. It looks like you’re about to carry me across the threshold!”
His full belly laugh shakes my body as he slowly lowers me to my feet. My hand shoots out to grab the railing so I can steady myself, but it’s a fruitless action. SJ has already wrapped his arm around my waist again to support me as he opens the front door.
Right before we enter the foyer, he leans down and whispers in my ear, so only I can hear. “Would that be such a crazy thing?”
My heart feels like it surpasses skipping altogether to just stop in my chest as his words catch me wildly off guard. The question is left unanswered as his mom meets us in the foyer, ushering us into the living room for refreshments and a snack before dinner.
My mind spins with the possibility of our friendship turning into more.
Does he want that?
Do I want that?
I’m immensely attracted to him. He’s funny, kind, smart, caring, and, most of all, trustworthy. But he also made it very clear that I’m just his client. So even though my heart wants to explore more, we can’t. I can’t be selfish and go against his wishes.
It’s his duty to protect me.
It’s mine to let him and not complicate things.
Dinner hasn’t been as awkward as I thought it would be. SJ and his parents have spent most of it catching up. I’ve sat quietly next to SJ, absorbing their conversation and the delicious food. Camilla is a spitfire, and I instantly adore her. Charles is stern but kind, and I can respect that.
Actually, they’re pretty similar to my parents. Maybe that’s why I’ve felt at ease here. They don’t feel like strangers, which has thrown me for the biggest loop.
“Nora, dear. Tell us about you? We’ve been so busy catching up we haven’t had a chance to talk,” Camilla asks.
I place my fork down and wipe my mouth with a napkin. I smile as I try to answer her question. I choose to talk about the safer, more normal topics in my life at the moment. “I’m a ballet dancer for a company based out of New York.”
Camilla’s smile grows wider. “Oh my gosh. That sounds so fun and exhilarating! What is it like?”
I blush at her endearment. Some people are shocked by my profession because you just don’t meet a lot of professional dancers in person. Other people could care less. I could have guessed that Camilla would be in the in the ladder group. “It can be very exciting, but it can also be very draining. I’ve learned to try to enjoy both equally because without one you couldn’t have the other.”
“Oh honey, that’s a wonderful way to look at life. I admire you for your dedication. You must be exceptional at it,” she says.
“She is. She’s astounding,” SJ says with such pride and astonishment in his voice.
His words cause my earlier blush to spread even further across my already hot cheeks. I look over and up at him. “Thank you,” I whisper out.
He shrugs his shoulders like it’s no big deal, but his support means the world to me. “It’s true. I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful or enchanting. I could literally watch you all day, every day for the rest of my life and never tire of it.”
I blink several times because his sweet words have tears forming in the corner of my eyes. I love what I do, and I pour my heart into my performances but to hear him speak so highly of me? It means the world to me.
