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18
Pen
“Pen, can I come in?” Zayn asks, hovering on the threshold of the studio.
“Sure,” I shrug, still feeling raw from last night. I challenged Dax to dance his feelings and he did that. Boy, did he fucking do that. I’ve just spent the last two hours trying to put together a routine for my first night at Grim’s club and failing miserably. I thought it’d be a good enough distraction. I was wrong.
“How’ve you been?”
“Fine.” I begin to pack away my belongings, not able to look at him. It’s not his fault Dax ripped a hole in my chest, but he’s here and Dax isn’t, so he’s getting the brunt of my hurt feelings.
“Want to talk about it?…”
I catch a glimpse of his expression in the reflection of the mirror and shake my head. “There’s not much to talk about.”
Zayn nods in understanding. Of course he knows what’s up. Even if he wasn’t friends with the Breakers he would have found out anyway. The whole Academy is talking about how I was replaced with Tiffany. It’s no fucking secret. Clancy went off on one this morning, but I managed to get her to reel her neck in. I love that she’s angry on my behalf, but it won’t change a damn thing. Dax is as stubborn as they come. He won’t change his mind on this.
“He said you were angry,” Zayn states.
“Yeah, you could say that I had a few choice words for him.”
“I bet. Put him in his place, did you? It’s been a while since that’s happened. I would’ve loved to be a fly on the wall.”
“Not nearly as much as I wanted to. He kind of distracted me with his new students. I didn’t know he was teaching too.”
“Favour to Madame Tuillard. She gave him a spot at the Academy and in return he teaches a few local kids dance. He gets to be here, and she gets to look good. It’s a win-win.”
I raise my brows. “She seems very accommodating for you all. Wanna tell me what’s up with that?” I ask, feeling the situation out. I’m still painfully aware of my brother’s request, and so far I’m no closer to knowing why they’re here.
“Want to tell me what’s going on in your head right now?” he counters, cocking his head to the side.
I press my lips together and fold my arms across my chest. “Look, Zayn. I’m kind of busy,” I say, feeling frustrated. He’s not going to give me anything unless I do the same in return, and Ican’t.
“Busy doing what? Maybe I could help,” he suggests.
“Actually, you know what, I’m done for the night,” I say, grabbing my bag and swinging it over my shoulder. I walk towards him, but he blocks my exit, pressing his forearms against the doorframe.
“If that’s the case then let’s get out of here.”
I raise my brows. “Are you asking me out on a date, Zayn?”
“Looks like it.” He smirks, running a hand through his hair.
“Is that a good idea? What about the rest of the Breakers? What about Jeb?”
“This isn’t about them. This is aboutus, Pen.” He reaches for me, cupping my face in his hand. “Let me take you out. No strings attached. Just fun. Just us. Nothing more.”
His sincerity takes me aback. I find myself agreeing before I’ve really had time to think about it. “Okay.”
He smiles broadly, his hands dropping as he flashes his chipped tooth at me. There’s a spark in his eyes I haven’t seen since we were kids and it makes me feel all warm inside. It feels so easy to be in his orbit again. Natural, and honestly, that scares the shit out of me.
“So where are we going then?”
“To a speakeasy club in Shoreditch.”
“A speakeasy? What century are we in exactly?” I laugh and he grins at my rhetorical question.
“The password isdiamonds.”
