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I traced my finger over my symbol on his ribs. “Both.”
“Physically, it feels like I got run over. Which I guess I kind of did. Nothing that’s really damaged but, I’ve felt better.”
“You’re not coming to rehearsals for a few days, right?”
He nodded before rolling over me, pinning me to the bed. It reminded me of the first night he spent in my apartment, when I was the one in pain.
“No, I don’t think so. Not just for the bruises, but because mentally I… can’t face everyone.”
“Are you okay with the company knowing?”
A shrug of his shoulders. “They’re going to, one way or another. If they know right away maybe they’ll be less horrified when they see me.”
They wouldn’t. No matter what, Ash’s first day back at rehearsal wouldn’t be easy. “Okay. I’m sorry I have to go.”
“Don’t be. You’re the Swan Queen.” He smiled faintly. “You have to be there for your subjects.”
I pulled him down to kiss me. “How can I help you? Tell me, please.”
“Just be you, sweetheart. I don’t need anything else.”
A whine slipped out of me. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. It’s going to take time. But I’ve been here before. I know I’ll get through it.”
Pulling him again, he let me pillow his head on my chest, breathing me in. “I love you.”
“You’re everything, blue.”
We laid there until I had to leave. I didn’t want to, but Ash got up with me and promised he wouldn’t spend the whole time in bed. Still, it was hard to go to the car with Gabriel and Jace.
Class passed in a daze. Petra, Eva, and Esme had known, probably because of Harrison if Gabriel called him. Or because the security he’d hired had reported us tearing out of the garage like a bat out of hell.
But none of the company knew yet, and I didn’t know how to make that announcement. Maybe Gabriel would, or maybe the news would filter out slowly. Ash was correct. Everyone would know eventually.
Claire put her arm around my shoulders on the way to the studio. “You okay?”
“Not really?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” I said. “I’ll tell you later, okay?”
She looked at me, assessing, before releasing me. “Whenever you want.”
“Thank you.”
We were in the big studio today, with almost the entire company, to work on blocking out the crowd scenes like Ian had scheduled. “Think we’ll have to do thefouettéstoday?” She asked.
“I hope not, but knowing Ian? Probably.”
Swan Lakewas a notoriously hard ballet for the role of the Swan Queen Odette. Especially during the period when you were playing the character’s opposite. The Black Swan, Odile. The choreography famously had a sequence of thirty-twofouettés—whipping turns that were fast, difficult, and on pointe.
“Dion, can you do me a favor?” I asked quietly.
He bent over in a stretch. “Sure, Lolo. What’s up?”
“Ash can’t be here today. If he has us dance individual cohorts, can you step in?”
