Dance for Me

I am coming up on the half-mile marker when someone falls into step beside me. Focused on the music between my ears and the sidewalk stretched out ahead, the interruption startles me and I misstep, nearly falling on my face.

“Whoa, careful there, grace.”

Ripping the bud from my ear, I glare up at Ransom. “You scared the hell out of me!”

Gri

“I just started,” I grumble.

His gaze drifts down my body, and I can’t help feeling a little self-conscious. I don’t have any makeup on, I’m sweaty, and I probably stink. “Yeah? How far do you go?”

“Up to the dorms. About a mile or so.”

He looks ahead thoughtfully. “You could do more,” he decides.

I shake my head in a

“You were going pretty hard. It took me a minute to catch up with you. If you slowed down a bit, you’d be able to hold out longer. Plus, it’s less wear and tear on your knees.”

I mull over this as I catch my breath. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep it in mind. I should get back to it though before my heart rate gets too low.”

“Mind if I run with you?”

I do, actually, but it’s hard to deny him when he’s looking at me like that, as if he’s hoping I’ll say yes, but worried I’ll say no. I want to turn him down. The voice in my head is telling me if I don’t walk away now, this last week will have been for nothing, but I find myself inclining my head and saying, “If you think you can keep up with me.”

His smirk is paralyzing. “I’ll do my best.”

We fall into a comfortable silence as we run side by side. The pace that Ransom sets is slower than my usual, but I find it’s easier to breathe when my heart isn’t slamming against my ribcage, and by the end of our run, we’ve covered a good two and a half miles, a whole one and a half more than my usual.

I’m out of breath when we stop at the end of campus, and my mouth is drier than the desert on a su

I’m surprised to realize that ru

“I need to get back and grab a shower. It was nice ru

“Oh, yeah, sure. Maybe tomorrow morning…if you’re out, because I will be. Ru

The corners of his mouth tilt up. He steps into me, his hand covering my clammy arm, and kisses my cheek. “Sure thing, Hart. Same time and place.” As soon as I nod in agreement, he turns and heads off in the opposite direction, leaving me standing in the middle of the sidewalk wearing a ridiculous grin that I can’t seem to wipe off my face.

***

A

And Ransom’s concerted effort to avoid me makes me feel all the more conspicuous because instead of being invisible, I can feel how aware he is of me. Maybe the problem is that I am focusing too hard on him, but I can’t help it. Does the man have to be so damn irresistible?

This pattern continues into the following week. By now, it’s becoming old hat. He’s also stopped coming to the club, which is both a relief and a disappointment. I’m never certain how to read him, but the distance we’ve placed between us seems to finally be sticking. I have to admit, it’s getting easier to be around him. Each day that passes without incident is a little less torturous than the last. Now, I’d venture to say we’re almost comfortable in each other’s presence. Ransom’s even taken to speaking directly to me, and I’m learning to get a handle on the furious blush that constantly wants to seep into my face every time he does.

It’s Friday and we’ve just finished discussing religion in art, when A

Ransom points to her. “I have a question about my final assignment.”

He nods as he closes his book and gathers his papers. “Meet me at my desk after class.”

Great. Right now, I’d like more than anything to punch A

As the class files out moments later, I try my luck and give A

“Wait for me. I’ll just be a minute.”

Grumbling, I stand aside, eying the open door. My mind cycles through possible escape plans, but even having taken up ru

“I was thinking about this,” A

“This is good. It’s risky, definitely controversial, but if you’re up to the challenge, then I say go for it.”

My interest is piqued. Even though several feet still separate us, I lean closer. I still can’t see a damn thing, but I do catch the look on A

“Okay, thanks, Professor Scott.” We walk out together. A

“Okay, talk. What was that about back there?”

She shrugs. “Nothing. Just an idea I was tossing around for the final project. I don’t know if I’m going to do it, though. Like Professor Scott said, it’s kind of risky.”

“How risky?” A

Instead of answering with words, she pulls a scrap of paper from inside the folder she carries between a stack of books and hands it over. It has the name of the school stamped at the top and I realize that it is an article that has been torn from the monthly newsletter that circulates campus.

As I read it over, my eyes grow wide. Shock fills my voice and I screech to a halt, turning on A

Several people on the quad glance at us, but continue walking. A

I can see where that could be a problem. I don’t want to discourage my friend from taking chances, but this is the kind that I know she will regret. Friends don’t let friends make bad choices. “Sweetie, this is so not you.”

“I know.” She sighs, defeated. “I just thought it could be an easy A. Take my clothes off for an hour, let some people draw me, and then go.”