So, yeah, obviously she was freaked out after our first day as a couple. I’m here today to make sure everything is okay between us, and also fulfill number 18 on the cheat sheet. Surprise her at work to show her you care about her.
“Nathan? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” Bree asks, looking a little nervous as she glances back and forth between me and the girls all lined up gawking at me. I rarely get the chance to visit her at the studio, so I can see why she’d be concerned.
One of the dancers throws her forearm over her eyes dramatically. “Quick, someone get me some sunglasses—that man is so hot he’s burning my pupils off.”
The whole class giggles at their obvious ringleader, and Bree glares at her. “Cut it out, you! And don’t say pupils like that again. It’s weird.” Naturally they all start chanting the word pupils, and I’m struggling to not laugh.
Bree sees my smirk and walks slowly toward me, her lean lines looking as graceful and deadly as a panther. She stops right in front of me and narrows her big brown eyes up at me. “Something funny about interrupting my class and sending these hormonal teens into a fit of hysterics?”
I grin down at her. “No, absolutely not.”
She lifts a brow and hums. “I don’t think I believe you.”
Her gaze snags on my mouth and my smile slowly fades. We stand here like this for a few seconds, balancing on this tightrope of tension, unsure what to say or do next.
“OOO,” squeals one of the students. “Call the fire department! These two are about to make this studio burst into flames!”
Bree whips around. “Not another word out of you girls! I need to go talk to Mr. Donelson in my office for a minute. Continue your jumps while I’m gone.”
I look at Bree with an antagonizing smile and lifted brows while silently mouthing, Mr. Donelson?
She rolls her eyes then whispers, “Don’t egg them on. These girls are ruthless. They’ve been nagging me to date you for months now, and I continuously remind them we’re only friends. Since news finally broke about our…relationship, their taunting has become nearly unmanageable.”
They’ve been trying to convince Bree to date me? This news only validates my instinct that Bree and I would be perfect together, making me feel even flirtier. “So I shouldn’t pinch your butt in front of them?”
“NATHAN!” I love the way her cheeks go pink lately. Bree flashes me a Behave look before turning to address the class again. “Okay, line up and get into position. I better hear the sound of graceful jumps the entire time I’m talking with Mr. Donelson.”
“Mhm, she’s going to go talk to Mr. Donelson,” says another girl, addressing the class with air quotes bracketing the word talk. These girls are trouble, and I totally see now why Bree loves them so much. They’re just like her.
“Jumps!” Bree barks while clicking the classical music back on.
Collectively, the girls all bat their eyelashes and singsong, “Bye, Mr. Donelson.” Okay, that makes me feel creepy.
Note to self: Maybe surprising Bree at work when she has a room full of teen girls is not the best idea.
Bree reads my thoughts. “Yep. And you should stop posing in so many shirtless ads! You should see all the photos they have saved of you on their phones.” That’s disturbing and also something I could have gone without knowing.
Bree suddenly catches my hand and pulls me with her into the hallway. I wasn’t prepared for this skin-to-skin contact, and it triggers my whole body to zero in on that one point of contact. Bree stops when we are on the other side of the studio wall just outside of eyeshot. She lets go of my hand to face me, and I want to take it back again. I stuff my hands in my pockets to keep from acting on the impulse.
“So what’s up?” she asks as classical music swirls around us.