“You’ve got a whole month left.” His lip quivers when he looks up. “I can’t—” He takes in a deep, shuddering breath. “I can’t lose you. Not when I’ve just found you again.”
Covey’s sitting here worrying that it’s too long, but I’m trying to figure out how to get the most out of it. For once, I might be the one with an insane plan. “It’s two holidays.” He winces. “Christmas and New Year’s Eve?” Unless there are extra holidays I’m not aware of. With his family, I guess it’s possible.
“Yeah, but Christmas is two. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.”
“Of course.”
“We could probably split them. Maybe go to your family for one? Or we could say that we want to celebrate Christmas Eve on our own? Make it special since it’s our first Christmas together?”
As always, Covey knows precisely how to pull at my heartstrings. As well as a few other things. My stomach clenches at the thought. “Yeah? That sounds nice. Celebrating just the two of us.”
“I’ll tell my mom. Especially since I perform that night. Well, and on Christmas Day.” Does he ever get a day off?
“Oh, about that.” He tenses at my words. “I, um, I’m coming to see you.”
“What?” He looks more startled than I expected. Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t tell him about my surprise visit on opening night. “When?”
“With the school,” I add quickly. “It’s an annual field trip, and I drew a short straw, so I have to be one of the chaperones.” It’s obvious I said the wrong thing. The little spark I’d seen in him quickly dies out. I thought he’d be more excited. He always enjoyed it when I came to his performances.
“That’s nice. I hope the kids like it.” His words sound almost rehearsed.
Yeah, the kids. Not like I’m already imagining how much nicer it’ll be when I’m in a seat closer to the front and can get a much better look at his thighs. And ass. “They always do.”
“Are we good?”
Good? Absolutely not. This whole thing is about to come crashing down around me. I can feel it. And here, Covey gave me an escape hatch, a way to end it early and spare myself the worst of the heartbreak. But no, I’m too stubborn to take it. That, or too in love. “Yeah, Covey. We’re good.”
CHAPTER 19
AIDAN
“Please,” I beg, staring directly into Victor’s eyes. For the last five minutes, he’s been meticulously tearing his program book into tiny strips, balling them up, and chucking them at other students. At this point, I’ll do anything to make him stop. I’m not above bargaining with students.
“But ballet is stupid. It’s for girls.” Victor dares me to argue with him with the same fiery gaze he had when he was in my classroom two years ago.
“Ballet is for everyone. Plenty of men do ballet.”
“Name one,” Victor challenges. At least ten sets of eyes turn to look at me, waiting to see who will win this challenge.
I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life.
“Well,” I open my program and thumb through the pages until I find the ones that have the headshots and profiles ofthe dancers. “Right here. This is my friend, Covey Gallagher. We grew up together right here in Burlington.”
Victor studies the page with the kind of focus I wish he’d apply to his math worksheets. “Really? You know him?”
“Yep, our families are still good friends.” That might be a slight exaggeration, but I’m tired. The show doesn’t start for another ten minutes, and I’m already dreaming about what I’m going to do when the students go home for the day. Plus, it’s not like I can disclose the full extent of our relationship.
“Showing off your boyfriend?”
I could kill Silas. Sadly, the theater is full of students who’d tattle on me in a heartbeat.
“Boyfriend? I thought you said he was your friend?” And that incredibly loud question is enough to draw eyes from multiple rows of students, some not even ours, willing to stop their conversations to find out the newest teacher gossip.
“Thank you, Mr. Ralson. Covey is my friend, but we’re also… dating.” I shoot Silas a look that I hope conveys my anger. It’s one thing to play this game with our families, but dragging it into the classroom is another story.
It’s not that I hide who I am from the students. The school administration and my fellow teachers are fully aware of my sexuality. But I’m also single, and my dating life is not an appropriate topic of conversation for kindergarteners, no matter who I’m with. If someone was in my life more permanently, then they might get an introduction.
Even if Covey and I were dating, it’d be too soon for that. Kids get weirdly attached, and I don’t want to have awkward conversations about breakups with a bunch of five-year-olds. Having them with my twenty-something friends is uncomfortable enough.
