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She laughed. “That is for sure! Preparing for your dates is going to be intense.”
“I do not doubt that,” I replied with a snicker.
“You’ll do great. I know you will. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Thank you, Holly.”
Charlie and I headed into another store, and as I browsed the racks, my mind was a million miles away. Was it possible to find love through dancing? Was I only kidding myself? Was I setting myself up to fail?
I didn’t want to fail. I love to dance, and I know that I wasn’t very good at it, but I did love to dance. I honestly felt like music and movement were a different form of communication, and since the natural way of finding someone wasn’t working for me, maybe this one would. Perhaps I wouldn’t find love, but maybe, just maybe, this could help me get out of my shell a little bit, and I could try to find it another way later if this didn’t work.
Or possibly, one of my three dates would twirl me off my feet and carry me into the sunset. I frowned as I fingered a blouse on a hanger. When had I become such a hopeless romantic? Maybe I was spending too much time reading romance books, and not enough time searching through the reality of life. Not that I had much time to read these days, but it was more time than I spent socializing with other people.
It was so easy to get lost in a fictional world. A good author could suck you right into their words, and weave such a masterful tale that you never wanted to leave. It would be as if you were living those moments, feeling those emotions, having your heartbroken and then repaired.
I wanted a fictional story—only in real life—with a strong hero who would swoop in and fill my heart with joy. I sighed and looked around for Charlie. She was on the other side of the shop, leaning against the checkout with one hip and flirting with one of the employees.
Why couldn’t I be more like her? I wanted to be outgoing, to be able to let go of my fear and forge on. Charlie touched the man’s arm as she laughed, and I stood mesmerized as his smile widened, and he shifted slightly toward her. There was instant chemistry between those two, and I was in awe. I stood there for a full minute, watching them flirt with one another, and then finally, Charlie removed a card from her purse, took his hand, and placed the card into his palm.
They stared at one another, and then she tipped her dark head to the side, winked, and said she hoped to hear from him soon. She was grinning at me as she passed and glanced back over her shoulder once. I turned to the man, his gaze glued to her retreating back and a smile of amazement on his handsome face.
I wanted to stomp my foot, throw my hands in the air, and scream. She made it look so easy! How? How can she just walk up to a man and start talking, then give him her number? Seriously? I rushed after her and caught up to her on the sidewalk.
“How do you do that? You amaze me. If I could be a tenth as confident as you are, life would be so much easier.”
“Ali, you don’t give yourself enough credit. You are a confident person; you are an amazing person.”
“Yeah, when I’m in the kitchen, but you can walk up to anyone, anywhere, and say anything. What were you two talking about anyway? He was a handsome man.”
“Yes, he was. I told him I wanted him to model for me.”
I snickered. “Did you tell him he was going to be nude when you did?”
She bumped her shoulder into mine as she laughed. “No, I didn’t, and I wasn’t even thinking that. I love his facial bone structure. I’d love to photograph him on the stairs of the museum.”
Another thing I was in awe about with Charlie. She could see a person and immediately come up with the perfect backdrop for them. “You simply amaze me,” I said with a sigh.
“Oh, Ali, you amaze me just as much. Especially when you cook one of your incredible desserts; that chocolate mousse thing that you made the other night—oh, my god, it was unbelievable.”
“Ah, yes, Decadent Midnight, that’s what I’m calling it. We are going to add it to the menu next month when we revamp it.”
“It is going to be a bestseller.”
“I hope so.”
We finished our shopping and then stopped at a local pub for a drink and meal before we split ways. While we enjoyed a light dinner and drinks, we joked about our jobs, love, the past, and the future.
“I sure hope that it goes well for you this week. Will I be able to watch?”
“The dance sessions are closed, but they do have a viewing area for the recording of the dances on Friday for VIPs.”
“Make sure my name is on that VIP list. I don’t want to miss this!”
“Oh, I already have it there. I’m not sure I can do this without you being present.”
Charlie hugged me tightly. “I know you don’t have confidence in yourself, but I do for you. You can do this, Ali, I know you can.”
“Thanks!” We said our goodbyes and parted ways on the street.
