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The usual? They know him here, he’s been here with someone else, my brain screamed at me.
Max’s eyebrows shot up into his blonde hair. “Excuse me? The usual? I think you have me confused with someone else,” he growled.
“I’m sorry, I meant… the special, my English…it’s not …so good,” he stumbled, red-faced.
“Yes, I’ll take the special,” snapped Max. He grabbed my menu and practically tossed them both at Felipe.
I shifted in my seat and straightened my posture. “Have you been here before?” I asked. My voice sounded more confident than I felt when Max’s infuriated gaze turned towards me.
“Of course not! He obviously has me confused with someone else.”
“But he knew who you were when we walked in here,” I challenged. My fingers began to mess with the cutlery laid out in front of me, nervously.
“That’s because I called in here on the way home and personally booked the table. Why are you questioning me, Raine?”
I went to speak but his loud laugh rang out around the restaurant causing me to gulp. “Don’t tell me you think I’ve been here with another woman or something?”
“Well, you have to admit it looks a little suspicious, Max.”
He pushed to his feet, leant over the table, and grabbed my wrist. He pulled me face to face with him and lowered his tone, “How many more fucking times do I have to tell you I’m not having an affair? If you’re going to continue with this bullshit, then I may as well go and find myself a bit of pussy on the side. Is that what you want, Raine. Huh? You want to push me into another woman’s arms?”
His grip was increasing and I could feel my skin pinching in his tight clutch, my heart was in my mouth as I shook my head. He let go of my wrist, and I sat down and flexed it under the table. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, as Felipe arrived with our drinks.
Grasping my glass, I knocked the drink back in one and closed my eyes trying to stem my silent pants for breath. “Here is your present,” I heard him say. With a deep inhale through my nose and a slow exhale through my mouth, I slowly opened my eyes and prepared to take the velvet gift box. I blinked once, twice, and then sat staring at his outstretched hand, there was no velvet box to be seen. I glanced up at him, he sat smiling and winked.
“What is that?”
“It’s your present, come on open it,” he said excitably. I glanced back down at his hand, then took the envelope from him and ripped it open. My eyes teared in utter misery as I looked at the book token.
“I thought you could get a book on Ballroom dancing, it will help with your classes, do you like it?” he asked, like an excitable child.
I swallowed against the egg-shaped lump in my throat. I couldn’t form any words to respond, my heart lay crushed somewhere in my gut. I continued to look at the insulting book token through my blurred vision and all I could wonder was, who was the bracelet for?
CHAPTER SIX.
I crashed through the door of the studio rather inelegantly; wild hair, red-faced, and panting for breath. The pain in my chest from running felt like it was ripping me in two. I didn’t realize I was so unfit.
“You’re ten minutes late, Myshka!”
I doubled over with my hands clamped firmly on my knees desperately trying to draw a breath to speak. I raised my head and nearly stopped breathing altogether. Nikoli was sat on a wooden chair facing towards me, his legs splayed wide in what looked like an open invitation, with his arms folded across his chest. His well-defined biceps were clearly displayed along with a tattoo in the white vest he was wearing.
My eyes moved up to his face, his chin was tucked down but his dark, brooding eyes looked up at me. His lips were gently pursed and drawn into a slight, playful smile. He looked the epitome of handsome, and for the first time since meeting Max, I mentally cheated on him. I uncharacteristically envisioned myself crawling on all fours, like a sex fiend, across the floor towards Nikoli. I straddled his lap, then attacked his mouth with my own like my life depended on it. I surprised myself when I realized I’d enjoyed every second of my imagined infidelity.
I let out a snort and tried to push that image from my mind. “I’m sorry,” I gasped.
“Raine, you need to be prompt to these lessons, I can’t do my job and teach you to dance if you’re going to keep me waiting,” he replied softly rising to his feet. “What kept you?”
In truth, I’d spent the day while Max had been at work, rooting through everything of his. Clothes, drawers, cupboards, the basement, the hidey-holes he thinks I’m unaware of that are scattered through our house, the garage, the attic. You name it, I searched it. I was desperate to find something to prove his infidelity, but I found absolutely nothing. The time had run away with me and when I realized I still hadn’t purchased something suitable to dance in, I had to get to the nearest sports shop, buy my goods, locate the changing rooms, then I ran the ten-minute drive to the studio because I couldn’t hail a cab. Now, instead of arriving with the big smile and forced confidence to attack this lesson with gusto like I had planned, I was a panting heap of a mess, barely able to say more than two words.
“Traffic,” I panted.
He smiled and handed me a fresh bottle of water. “Sit down and have a drink, you’re no use to me in this state.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled. I took the water bottle and sunk to my knees then fell to my backside.
“I see you took my advice and dressed for the occasion,” he said with a nod towards my new outfit of black sweats, sneakers, and a racer-back Lycra top that I’m sure was on a size 12 hanger, but now felt like a size 8 as the material crushed my upper torso.
“I watched Step Up 2 The Streets.” I shrugged and uncapped the water.
