Spiral (Off the Ice, #2) (57)
Her eyes flicker with an emotion I haven’t seen from her. Something like hope. But it disappears when the horn blares again and she rushes out of the studio.
When the room clears, it’s just Elias and me.
His gaze hits my legs first, and slowly drags up my outfit to meet my face. The sweaty, blotchy one that should never be looked at, much less by a man who oozes sex appeal on any given day. The perusal has goose bumps riddling my skin, making me fight a violent shiver.
“I wanted to see you.”
Is it weird that my heart skips a beat? “You did?”
“Don’t sound so surprised, Sage. This is what boyfriends do.” I want to make a quip about him not knowing that, but my sunken mood wouldn’t let me fully enjoy one of his stony stares. He moves past me to look at the pictures I have pinned to a corkboard. They’re Polaroids from when I first started here, along with a few from the showcases I’ve done with my students.
“When was this?” He’s staring at a picture of me at my first performance.
“I was eight. It’s from my school talent show. My uncle made so many copies of it, I had to find somewhere to put it.” I move to my small desk to clean up the papers and put away the speakers. “What are you doing here? I was going to take the bus home because your practice was supposed to run late.”
He doesn’t answer for a long moment, but when I turn to look at him, he’s putting something in his pocket. “Maybe I want a private dance,” he says.
The question makes my face redden. It’s so intimate here, I can’t imagine having all his attention on me as I dance. There is no way he doesn’t notice the bout of heat that blooms on my chest because he stares for a whole minute—or an hour, I really can’t be sure—then looks away without mentioning it. Another drop in the bucket for his charitable efforts, I presume.
“Gotta pay extra for that, rookie,” I manage to choke out.
“Would a date work?”
“A date?” An embarrassingly giddy rush of excitement zips through me, and I pause to wonder if he knows it’s my birthday. But I didn’t tell him the date. “Shit. Did I forget about something we’re invited to?”
“No. I want to take you somewhere. We can stop by the apartment for you to change or we can go out as you are. You look perfect either way.”
The casual compliment hits my chest like he loaded it into a slingshot. I glance down at my leotard and the sheer wrap skirt, then back up at Elias, who watches me expectantly, seemingly unaware of the effect of his words.
“I brought a change of clothes.” My clothing selection is limited, but I have a simple pair of jeans and a pretty top to change into after my class.
When he nods, I go to the back room and change out of my tight leotard. When I return, he smiles. “Beautiful.”
I fidget with the fabric of my blouse. “You like the color?”
“Sage happens to be my favorite.”
When he reaches for my hand, I link mine with his. I’ve had worse birthdays.
AS WE ARRIVE at an abandoned farm area, I wonder whether he’s going to ditch me in the woods. Elias backs up the truck—Aiden’s truck—where there’s a white billboard-looking screen behind us. He hops out before circling around to open my door.
There’s a sliver of orange cast by the evening sun that still glows on the horizon. There are trees surrounding the overgrown grass area and not another car in sight. I follow Elias to the back, where he opens the tailgate, and I spot a blown-up air mattress.
My brows raise. “You know, there are better places to see me in my birthday suit.”
Elias blinks in confusion then looks at the truck bed, scratching his head as if he’s just now realizing what I’m thinking. “Trust me, you’ll like it.”
“To be fair, I’m pretty sure I’d like anything you do to me.”
There’s that unimpressed look again. “Shut up, Sage.”
I comply, only because his large hands bracket my waist and hoist me up. Elias hops in behind me, and that’s when I notice the chocolate cake. Before I can ask any questions or make another joke, bright light blinds me from the projector directly in front of us. What the hell?
When “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes plays, I freeze. I’d know that intro anywhere. I look at the white screen that’s lit up with my favorite movie.
The title card for Dirty Dancing pops up, and I realize we’re at one of the old drive-in theaters located on the outskirts of the city. I turn back to the once creepy air mattress, and now I want to cry. Elias sits there smiling, with a candle in the cake in front of him.
“Who is that for?” The words wobble off my lips, betraying my mask of indifference.
“I heard it’s someone’s birthday.”
“How did you even know?”
“I have my ways.” I pin him with a skeptical look, and his blank expression cracks with a smile. “Sean texted me,” he admits. “Now, come here.”
The command slithers right between my legs, and tries to pull my pants down. Relax, Sage. I bounce on the air mattress and wait as he lights the candle on the cake.
“I always let Sean do this part for me,” I say. My brother and I have spent almost every birthday together since he was born, and this one hurts a little.