love him for it. But it’s not enough. I need dance.
Dylan has been great too. Every day, he eats lunch and dinner with me. He returns during the day with lunch for the both of us, and I make something for us to share for dinner. Each time, he sits with me for as long as he can, talking about anything and everything, just helping to pass the time before Josh gets home, which is when he tends to go out, so Josh and I can have ‘couple time’ as he calls it. He’s the ideal roommate – never in the way, and always there when you need him. He’s even taken to calling me ‘Rusty’ all the time now. Normally, I hate nicknames, but I don’t mind it coming from him, because I know there’s no malice behind it. It means we’ve become friends.
I find myself looking forward to our lunch date more and more each day because I’ve really grown to enjoy Dylan’s company. I can completely understand why he and Josh have been friends for so long. Dylan is so easy to talk to and seems to never run out of interesting conversation. I find myself laughing with him more often than not, asking him about his life, learning about his and Josh’s upbringing. Based on the stories he tells, I’m surprised either of them managed to finish high school.
Sometimes, to get me out of the house, he takes me back to the shop after lunch, so I can hang out and talk with Roxy and some of the other artists. Everyone is really nice and nowhere near what I used to expect tattooists were like. To make myself useful, I help behind reception, or I help to clean the tattoo stations, or whatever else I can manage while balancing on one foot. Roxy spends a lot of her time, trying to convince me to get some ink done (I keep declining), and they all sign my cast and add some really fancy artwork, giving me what I think is the most envied broken ankle in the entire state.
After being in the cast for a month, I’m given a boot so I can walk around without the crutches. I figure since I’m a little more mobile now, Dylan will stop coming back each day to have lunch with me. But it still continues, and the way my heart does a little flip flop in my chest when I hear his car in the driveway, tells me that perhaps I’m being a little too dependent on him for company. I only have a couple of weeks left in this cast, so it’s time to become a little more proactive and prepare for my return to the dancing world. I still really want to go to a few open calls to see if I can get a job, so I need to work on my form. I was lucky that my college transfer went through without the need for an audition, but I still have to provide medical proof that my ankle is heeled before they’ll let me begin.
“I have to go out so I won’t be back for dinner. Is that all right with you?” Dylan says, as he stands and clears the burger containers from the table.
I try to hide my disappointment with a laugh. “Why wouldn’t that be all right? I don’t own you.” I stand and grab a sponge to wipe up any crumbs left behind from our lunch.
He drops the containers in the trash and chuckles. “Are you sure about that?”
I turn and face him with a frown. “What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t force you to spend time with me. You’re doing that all on your own.”
He moves toward me, stopping right in front of me as he looks down at me with a smile, his green eyes sparkling. “I know, Rusty. And I love every minute of it. I’ll see you tomorrow maybe. Call me if you need to.” Then he leans down and gives me a kiss on the cheek, and the surprise of it cases me to flinch and suck in my breath, my hand flying up to cover the spot where his lips touched. It’s burning with a heat that sets my heart beating a touch too fast.
When his eyes meet mine they seem a little confused, or perhaps hurt. Oh god, why did I have to react like that? Friends kiss each other on the cheek all the time right? It doesn’t have to mean anything.
I force my hand back down to my side
Dylan has been great too. Every day, he eats lunch and dinner with me. He returns during the day with lunch for the both of us, and I make something for us to share for dinner. Each time, he sits with me for as long as he can, talking about anything and everything, just helping to pass the time before Josh gets home, which is when he tends to go out, so Josh and I can have ‘couple time’ as he calls it. He’s the ideal roommate – never in the way, and always there when you need him. He’s even taken to calling me ‘Rusty’ all the time now. Normally, I hate nicknames, but I don’t mind it coming from him, because I know there’s no malice behind it. It means we’ve become friends.
I find myself looking forward to our lunch date more and more each day because I’ve really grown to enjoy Dylan’s company. I can completely understand why he and Josh have been friends for so long. Dylan is so easy to talk to and seems to never run out of interesting conversation. I find myself laughing with him more often than not, asking him about his life, learning about his and Josh’s upbringing. Based on the stories he tells, I’m surprised either of them managed to finish high school.
Sometimes, to get me out of the house, he takes me back to the shop after lunch, so I can hang out and talk with Roxy and some of the other artists. Everyone is really nice and nowhere near what I used to expect tattooists were like. To make myself useful, I help behind reception, or I help to clean the tattoo stations, or whatever else I can manage while balancing on one foot. Roxy spends a lot of her time, trying to convince me to get some ink done (I keep declining), and they all sign my cast and add some really fancy artwork, giving me what I think is the most envied broken ankle in the entire state.
After being in the cast for a month, I’m given a boot so I can walk around without the crutches. I figure since I’m a little more mobile now, Dylan will stop coming back each day to have lunch with me. But it still continues, and the way my heart does a little flip flop in my chest when I hear his car in the driveway, tells me that perhaps I’m being a little too dependent on him for company. I only have a couple of weeks left in this cast, so it’s time to become a little more proactive and prepare for my return to the dancing world. I still really want to go to a few open calls to see if I can get a job, so I need to work on my form. I was lucky that my college transfer went through without the need for an audition, but I still have to provide medical proof that my ankle is heeled before they’ll let me begin.
“I have to go out so I won’t be back for dinner. Is that all right with you?” Dylan says, as he stands and clears the burger containers from the table.
I try to hide my disappointment with a laugh. “Why wouldn’t that be all right? I don’t own you.” I stand and grab a sponge to wipe up any crumbs left behind from our lunch.
He drops the containers in the trash and chuckles. “Are you sure about that?”
I turn and face him with a frown. “What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t force you to spend time with me. You’re doing that all on your own.”
He moves toward me, stopping right in front of me as he looks down at me with a smile, his green eyes sparkling. “I know, Rusty. And I love every minute of it. I’ll see you tomorrow maybe. Call me if you need to.” Then he leans down and gives me a kiss on the cheek, and the surprise of it cases me to flinch and suck in my breath, my hand flying up to cover the spot where his lips touched. It’s burning with a heat that sets my heart beating a touch too fast.
When his eyes meet mine they seem a little confused, or perhaps hurt. Oh god, why did I have to react like that? Friends kiss each other on the cheek all the time right? It doesn’t have to mean anything.
I force my hand back down to my side
Similar Books
