She’d been taking lessons on and off for a few years, but lately, she’d been trying to really improve and to be more consistent with her trips to the beach.
She got down on her stomach and turned so that she could paddle out further, wanting to catch another few waves before she called it a day.
Her stomach rumbled and breakfast seemed like a long time ago. She’d hardly slept last night, finishing up a late shift behind the bar at her uncle’s salsa club.
Alex took a deep breath, recognizing that the next wave was going to be a big one. She paddled towards it, setting herself up to catch it, her heart beating a little faster as she glanced over her shoulder, the wave cresting at the perfect moment.
All the hours she’d put in over the years had set her up for this, and she someone popped up on her board like she rode waves like this every week. She should have been nervous, but she sank, balancing her body and letting her instincts take over.
The wave carried her toward the shore, her senses heightened. The salty scent of the sea air filled her lungs, the misty spray washing over her face as she stayed up longer than she ever had, finally bailing and crashing into the water.
Alex emerged, pushing her hair out of her eyes, smiling to herself, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
She loved dancing, but she’d started so young, she couldn’t remember having this kind of moment with salsa, where everything came together and clicked, making all the hard work worth it.
And as she climbed back on her board, Emily’s smiling face and flushed cheeks popped into her head. She’d had a moment like that last week when Alex had brought her out to the patio and got her to try a few new moves.
This was how Emily must have felt.
A smaller wave lifted Alex up and slowly down, her mind replaying images from that night. She’d been at the club every night since, just in case she might see Emily again. Yes, three of those nights she’d been working, but she still found her eyes moving across the room, scanning the crowd for a woman with dark wavy hair.
It wasn’t like her to still be thinking about someone like Emily. Someone she’d just met and had a few dances with.
It was probably the fact that Alex assumed she’d get another chance to dance with her later and to ask for her number too. But she never did. Emily must have slipped off at some point, maybe while Alex had been dancing, and every night since, Alex had hoped to bump into Emily again.
Alex knew it was pointless. Emily had said she was from Seattle, so if she hadn’t flown back already, she probably would be any day now.
But there was something about Emily that had left Alex intrigued.
She’d keep going back to the club every night this week too. Just in case. She spent a lot of nights there anyway, between work and listening to some of her favorite local musicians play while she danced her heart out, so it wasn’t an inconvenience. She just had to keep her expectations extremely low. That even if she did see Emily again, nothing was going to come of it.
There were moments that night where Alex was sure that Emily was interested in her. Maybe, Emily had just been caught up in the thrill of dancing without overthinking what she was doing, but at one point, Alex thought that they were going to kiss.
And looking back, maybe she should have gone for it. But the moment had passed, and Alex was left in a daze, her heart racing.
It had been a while since she’d had that kind of chemistry with someone. Not since her last disastrous attempt at a relationship.
Alex smiled to herself as she let the waves carry her back toward the shore. What were the chances that Emily was married? It couldn’t happen again, right? That would just be… It couldn’t.
But the fact that she lived in Seattle was enough to dampen Alex’s attraction.
She’d just have to be satisfied with those moments out on the patio and the knowledge that maybe she’d lit a fire in Emily to keep going with her lessons.
Because Alex knew that just now, a few minutes ago, she’d had that feeling, that invigorating sensation that she’d done something challenging, something she thought she’d never be able to do when she first picked up a surfboard.
And it would be great if that’s how Emily felt going back to Seattle, that she had a passion for salsa after all, and that it was something worth sticking with.
5
Emily stood barefoot in front of the full-length mirror in her apartment. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders in loose waves, her tan already starting to show against the dressy white tank top. The black shorts were her favorite pair, comfortable yet flattering.
When she’d gone to the salsa club last week, Gabby had insisted on getting dressed up, because they were in Miami and they always went to their classes in Seattle dressed casually, like they were going to the gym.
But Emily had been surprised to see the mix of attire. Sure, a lot of women had been wearing elegant and sometimes skimpy dresses, but there were also quite a few people dressed down, including Alex.
Emily could easily bring up those moments she’d watched Alex and that woman in the red dress dance so fluidly together. But Alex had been wearing shorts and a simple tank top, both black, and tonight, Emily wanted to focus more on dancing than looking good. Not that Alex hadn’t looked good in shorts.
Emily shook her head as she went over to the bed and picked up her phone, her thumb hovering over the button to order a taxi.
