Page 24 of With You

“And for the princess?”

“We’re fine,” Layth answers for both of them.

They’re sat together between Evie and me, but there’s a slight distance between them that they reserve for when they’re in public. It’s something I picked up on once we all became friends last year. In private, anywhere on university grounds like our dorms or the common room, they stick close together, leaving barely any space. But there’s an unspoken need to keep up appearances in public, and while we’ve learned that Layth is responsible for looking after Zena while we’re at university, to the outside world he’s just a close childhood companion.

“I need to find new friends,” Grayson mutters under his breath, but loud enough for us all to hear it over the music, as he gestures to one of the waiters toward our table. He leans over to place his order before finally sitting back down.

“So, when’s the showcase?” he asks, hooking his arm around the back of the couch so it hangs just above my shoulders.

“April,” I tell him. “There’s no set date yet, but it’s usually around Easter.”

“Noted.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket and opens his calendar. “I’ve blocked the whole month out, but let me know when you find out the date.”

Grayson puts his phone back into his pocket before he smiles at me, white teeth on show and small dimples pulling at his cheeks. I don’t think there’s ever been a time when his smiles have felt fake, only genuine happiness whenever it happens. Although he’s only been part of our group for a short time, he shows up for the rest of us. Whether it’s attending performances or just lending a shoulder to cry on, he’s always there.

I pat his knee, giving it a gentle squeeze before I hear a scoff from the other side of him. I’m surprised I can’t see the back of my skull from how hard I rolled my eyes at River ruining the good mood I’m in, like he always does.

“Did you want to say something, River?” I ask, giving him the attention he so clearly desires.

I lean forward to see him properly, and he looks a mess. The top buttons of his shirt are undone, the band collar creating the slightest V shape at the base of his neck. He removed his jacket as soon as we entered the club, handing it off to the cloakroom staff once we were shown to our table. All of the boys are wearing some sort of formal shirt and jacket combination, the standard attire when attending a club of this calibre. The girls and I opted for black dresses, with Zena choosing a longer one while Evie and I went shorter.

“Nothing at all,” he answers, raising an eyebrow.

“No one forced you to be here,” I remind him. Clearly, he’s not enjoying himself so I don’t understand why he doesn’t just leave.

“Considering I’m half the reason you even got the spot, I think I should be here,” he says, leaning over Grayson.

“Oh, I get it now,” I say, doing the same. “You’re pouting because they’re celebrating me instead of you. Once again, River, the world doesn’t revolve around you.”

“My bad, River. Next round is for you. But can you guys argue somewhere else?” Grayson interjects, and we both shush him as he dissolves back into the couch.

“They can celebrate you all they want. Only the two of us know what happened in that practice studio,” he says, voice low as if he’s implying something other than dancing occurred while we were alone. Well, maybe there were some other things, but no one needs to know how River and I touched each other, and how restless I was that night when I tried to sleep but couldn’t.

“Okay, you can stay. I want to hear this. What happened in the studio?”

“Shut up, Grayson,” River and I say in unison, and he lowers in his seat, shuffling until he’s under the table. A few seconds later, he pops out the other side.

“I’m going to see where those drinks are,” Grayson says as he makes a hasty escape.

“I’ll join you,” River calls after him, standing to follow him through the crowd.

“What was that?” Zena asks from next to me.

“Nothing,” I tell her, unsure of how to even explain it.

After our conversation before the audition, I thought perhaps we might have found some common ground to stand on. Neither of us seems to have had an easy time with ballet, and it was eye-opening to hear what he’d experienced when he was younger. But all of that gets soured when he acts like this, and we go right back to square one.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” I tell her, wanting to get some space from him.

“Do you want me to come with you?” She shuffles closer, already making her way out of the booth.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

She nods, giving my hand a quick squeeze as I stand up and leave the table. Although our section is separated from the main floor, I have to go through it to get to the bathrooms. It’s only a couple of feet away, but the swarm of people makes it take longer than it should.

When I finally reach it, I splash some water on my face to calm myself down. I hate that I let him get me worked up like this, to the point he ruins whatever fun I’m having. It was a great night before he spoke, the drinks were flowing, conversations were easy and all the stress I’d been feeling about the showcase disappeared. I even started talking about getting scouted, a reality now that my spot is secured.

Maybe I should have included him in the toast, but the others started it off, and none of them thought to add him. I’m sure they planned to do another one for him later on when we got another round, but he got ahead of himself and started pouting like a petulant child.