Page 60 of Burning Bridges Duet

“You’re right.” I say to Jaxon. All four of them turn to look at me, their expressions a mix of surprise and guilt.

“I’m sorry,” Jaxon says, his eyes locking onto mine. “We didn’t mean for you to hear that.”

“It’s okay, and like I said, you’re right. It would be selfish of me, and I never in a thousand years want to come between you guys. I’m not like that. I care for all of you in the same way, and because of that, I think it’s best to just go back to being friends and stay that way.”

“No, Liv, listen—” Ryder starts as River takes a step forward, but I hold out a hand to stop them both.

“No, we can’t do that. I’m not going to be the reason why you guys’ fight. Whatever it is we started, it’s over now. We’re just friends,” I declare.

“Look what you’ve done!” Ryder yells at Jaxon, while River looks like I drowned his puppy. Chase is frowning at me, his head tilted, but I just grab my bag that’s lying by the door and step out of the office.

I refuse to go home and break down. I can’t. If I let myself break, I don’t know if I can mend myself back together without help. So I change into my dance outfit in the locker room.

I slip into an oversized, long-sleeved beige top and tight black shorts. I’ve given up hiding my scar on my knee, since everyone here has already seen it, and wearing shorts gives me more range of movement. As I try to control my emotions through breathing exercises and stretches, I feel my heart shatter into four pieces, but heartbreak and suffering are nothing new to me. I welcome the pain like an old friend, the only one who has never left me. Everyone else always leaves in the end.

I need to get my emotions out without breaking down on stage, so I choose a song that talks about what I need right now and play “Elastic Heart” by Sia, taking a deep breath as the music starts. The slow, haunting melody fills the room, and I close my eyes, letting the rhythm flow through me. I move my arms, gracefully extending and contracting them with the beat. My movements are fluid and gentle at first, but as the song progresses, I become more and more intense. I twirl and spin, letting my emotions pour out through my dance. The lyrics of the song resonate with me. My heart needs to be strong and resilient, like an elastic heart that could be stretched and pulled but always bounces back.

As the chorus hits, I throw myself into a series of powerful jumps and turns. My legs seem to move on their own, and I feel weightless and free. I’m left with nothing but the raw emotion of the music and the power of my own body. As the song comes to an end, I slow down my movements, gracefully finishing the dance with a final pose. I’m panting, feeling the sweat on my skin and the burn in my muscles, but more than that, I feel alive. Dancing has always been my escape, my release, and right now, it’s the only thing keeping me together.

I hear footsteps behind me, so I spin around to see Chase coming to the middle of the stage. The song is playing on repeat, and he starts moving with the beat. I can’t take my eyes off him. His movements are powerful and lightning fast as he executes some intricate, difficult elements that leave me in awe. His body ripples with every movement, and I can see the sweat glistening on his skin. He finishes with a final sharp movement, standing still and breathing heavily. As we stand there, our eyes locked onto each other, I can sense the hurt in Chase’s gaze.

Why would he be hurt?

He takes a step closer, still panting from his dance.

“So that’s it? You give up?” he asks, his voice laced with disappointment. “Jaxon tells you it’s going to be difficult, and you throw in the towel?”

“Chase, that’s not fair,” I start to say, but he steps into my space, his hands cupping my face.

“You’re a fighter, Liv. I see it every fucking day in the way you move, the way you talk, the way you dance, and how fiercely you feel. Fight for them, and let them fight for you in return,” he says.

“I can’t,” I whisper, my voice trembling as tears start to form in my eyes, blurring my vision. “I am not going to be the reason why you all lose your family.” I can’t bear the thought of being the cause of that.

Chase lets go of my face, steps back, and shakes his head before turning away from me. He jumps off the stage and leaves the studio, taking a piece of my heart with him.

Ryder is still yelling at me when Chase bursts into my office, out of breath and sweating.

What the hell?

“And where have you been? Having a little dance session in the middle of our family drama?” Ryder snaps at him. He’s so angry, I’ve never seen him act like that toward someone in our family. River is sitting at my desk chair with his head in his hands, seemingly trying to tune out Ryder’s yelling, but I can tell that he’s in pain.

“Ryder,” I say, waiting until he looks at me and nodding my head towards River. He follows my gaze.

“That’s all your fucking fault!” he says, just as loudly as before. “I don’t get what your problem is! You can have her! We can all have her! She wants us all, even Chase, who can’t stop putting his dick in everything that has a pulse and a pussy!”

My gaze flicks to Chase but he just smirks at Ryder’s insult.

“She wants to be part of our family. We could build something so fucking good, and all you can see is that she’d be having sex with all of us? Good for her! I trust you with her and I trust her with you, because your part of my family and just as important as she is. We can talk it out and make rules if it helps you, like ensuring no one touches her in front of each other. I don’t give a fuck. Jaxon, I would do anything to make this possible, because she’s the fucking jackpot.”

“The fact that Liv just dropped everything that is important to her because you made her think she could be responsible for us losing our family should tell you enough to know that he is right,” Chase chimes in, leaning against the wall. Ryder gives him a critical glance.

“So you’re in?” he asks.

“I’m not,” Chase responds, shaking his head. “I know I’m going to mess up, and I don’t want to ruin this for you guys. Since I’ve never been in a relationship before, I don’t think such a complicated one is the best way to start, and like you said, I can’t seem to stop sticking my dick into holes.”

He smirks again and Ryder at least has the decency to look embarrassed.

“But I want it to work for you guys. You can have the girl you want and spend your time with the family you chose for yourself—doesn’t sound like a bad deal to me. I support the idea, Jaxon,” he finishes, crossing his arms over his chest. Ryder goes to him, grabs his head, and pulls their foreheads together.