For a moment, I wondered if I’d pushed her too far. That I was going to lose her if I didn’t backpedal right now.
But then, slowly, she began to open her arms. She pulled at the sides of the hoodie and allowed it to slip to the floor. Her eyes remained closed and I could see her entire body tense as she stood there.
Not wanting her to feel vulnerable and scared, I made my way over to her. When I neared, I reached out and ran my hand down her arm,just so she knew I was there. I felt her tighten and goosebumps appeared on her skin.
But she didn’t move. She didn’t leave.
I situated myself behind her and hesitated, listening to the beat of the music like Collette taught me. Then, forcing confidence to the surface, I raised her hand and brought it to my neck. Collette moved with the motion of her arm, tipping her face in my direction.
Then slowly and tenderly, I began to run my fingers down the inner part of her arm then to her ribs. Warmth exploded through my body as I rested my hand just above her waist, waiting for her to grab it.
I felt her tense as my fingers lingered and for a moment, I feared I’d gone too far. But then her fingers found mine and I pulled her so that she spun out and then back in. Her hands sprawled out across my chest and I wondered if she could feel my pounding heart.
Our breathing was heavy as she held her stance. She was raised up on her toes as she waited for my move. I glanced down to see her looking at me. I could feel the fear flickering in her eyes.
But I wasn’t going to back down. I wanted Collette. In more ways than one. And I was going to show her.
So I slid my hand from her back, to her waist and I lingered there. Then I bounced down on my knees and she took that as my signal. She held onto my shoulders as I lifted her up. Her legs were taut as I swept her from one side of my body to the other side.
Then I braced myself as I dipped down and Collette flung her legs up. That brought our faces inches from each other. I held her gaze. I held this position. I wanted her to see that she was beautiful. That to me, she was everything.
And to my surprise, she didn’t break the connection that was zipping between the two of us. Her eyes were wide and I could tell she was searching for my disgust or fear, but she was never going to find it. Instead, I hoped all she saw was admiration for everything about her.
I slowly lowered her to the ground and we fell into a rhythm. With every beat, every movement, I could feel her loosen. That the wall that she’d built up around her was crumbling and it gave me the confidence to truly touch her.
When I dragged my hand around her middle as she spun around me, she didn’t shy away. Or when I followed behind her, helping to reach greater heights with each leap, she stayed strong. I could feel her confidence build.
And when I waited at the other end of the studio for her to run and leap, I could see her genuine smile as she met my gaze. This was the Collette I’d fallen in love with. She was magnificent.
“Ready?” she mouthed in a teasing way.
I flexed my muscles in an exaggerated manner and then winked as I nodded and I bent down, holding my arms out. I would always be ready to catch her.
She nodded and thenslowly began to spin. Her leg flung out and then back in like a spinning top my grandpa had given me when I was a kid.
Then, just as I lost myself in her movements, she stopped and rushed across the studio and straight into my arms.
I didn’t hesitate as I wrapped my hands around her middle and lifted her into the air. Her arms were spread out and from where I was standing, I could see the sheer joy on her face.
The song ended and I slowly lowered her to the ground. I held her close as I stared down at her. My hands lingered on her waist and she didn’t move to break the contact.
Instead, she rested her hands on my chest. She was staring at them, our breaths matching cadence.
“Ethan,” she whispered.
“Yeah?”
She tipped her head back so she could meet my gaze. She chewed her lip as she stared at me. Then her gaze slipped down to my lips and I knew what she wanted. It was exactly what I hadn’t been able to get out of my mind since Friday night.
Kissing Collette had meant more to me than I’d allowed myself to admit. And now that I knew she wanted it too, I wasn’t going to hold back.
I dipped down to brush my lips against hers. But before they met, a voice snapped us apart.
“What is going on here?”
Collette sprang away from me like I’d electrocuted her. We both spun around to face the doorway where Bianca was scowling at us in confusion. “Seriously,” she said with a shake of her head. “What on earth is going on here?”
“Uh…” Collette looked like she was scrambling to form words, her eyes still wide with shock.
