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“I’m surprised you didn’t wear your shoes,” he said.
“My shoes?”
“You’re always wearing those shoes. Black and white, with the pink stripe on the back.”
“My Chucks? What’s wrong with my Chucks?”
“Nothing,” he reassured her. “I just think they’re cool, is all.”
“Theyarecool.” She scooted her chair back and frowned at her feet. “You know what? I should’ve worn them tonight.”
He started laughing. “I didn’t mean to bring you down.”
“No, it’s just that I wanted to, but I had it in my head that the sandals looked better with the dress, and now …” She sighed. “You should’ve said something. This is your fault.”
He held up his hands, still chuckling. “Won’t happen again.”
“It better not.” She was laughing too, because after Nick tried so hard to properly deliver a compliment, letting her know he’d noticed her favorite shoes was the sweetest thing he’d done all night.
They sat, and they talked, and it was easy. Hayley taught Nick more about dancing, what it was like to put on a show like the one they’d just seen, but she didn’t mention how much she liked dancing with him. She knew he could dance well with just about anyone, in the same way she or Kevin used to pull sheepish members of the Icarus audience up on stage for the Christmas shows: You made someone look good by playing to their strengths, even if they had precious few to choose from. But when it was just the two of them, Nick seemed to dance without even realizing it. Hayley knew she couldn’t talk about the energy that flowedbetween them, or the give-and-take that was getting easier by the day—Nick would be embarrassed and self-conscious, and he would pull away. For now, she was content to try to feel their rhythm, spot their steps.
Nick was obviously tired, but everything from his posture to his steady gaze told her he’d decided she was the most important person in the room. After a while, she wanted to say she was grateful, but she wasn’t sure Nick would see anything special about someone who actually listened when she spoke—which just made him more remarkable.
They were talking about Nick’s video project when the Vivez crew arrived. “Looks like they’re done cleaning the theater,” Hayley told him.
Nick lit up when he spotted Mimi. “Can I leave you for a second?”
Hayley laughed. “Go, Nick.”
But Nick didn’t need to go anywhere; Mimi arrived at their table before he was done stepping into the walker.
“You arenotgetting up for the likes of me!” she said.
Nick wrapped Mimi in an enthusiastic hug. “I am so proud of you,” he said. “You are so very good at what you do.”
Mimi beamed, and Hayley knew Nick had just given her a precious gift. “And you, sir, are thoroughly lovely.”
Hayley was about to add her compliments to Nick’s when her heart sped up—Kevin was striding toward her in his faded red Icarus T-shirt and tight jeans. His hair was wet and slicked back; she knew he’d dunked his head in ice water after the show. He’d given his all on the stage, and now this man of extraordinary talent and purpose would want her by his side, sharing the rush of what had happened and dreams of what could happen next. She was relieved to recognize this feeling; they hadn’t left everything in Indiana.
“Hey, babe,” he said after they’d kissed.
“Hey.” She smiled up at him. “Great show, Kev.”
“Did I light the place up?”
“You were a supernova.”
Hayley loved the light in his eyes when he knew he could conquer the world. She fueled the fire inside of him, helped him ward off the merciless doubts in his mind, and Kevin was never sexier than when he was fearless. He was about to kiss her again when they caught sight of a crowd gathering in a semicircle around an empty stool by the bar.
“Gotta go,” he said. “Stay right there.”
“What’s going on?” Hayley asked him.
Kevin grinned. “Just stay right there.”
Kevin jogged over to the bar, and then Calvin was speeding toward the stool with a guitar case. Hayley saw Linda Brandazzio quietly join the crowd as Cal’s voice rang out across the room. “Nick Freeman!”
Nick stopped chatting with Mimi as the room went quiet. He took in the grinning crowd.
