Page 95 of Everything's Better With You
“Dance Machinewants me to headline a national tour next summer. Ten cities in five weeks. I just got the details today. Rehearsals would start end of May. I’d be done end of July.”
Leslie nodded. “For the summer then.” He planted his hands on his hips. “You sure you’ll be okay? With your hip?”
“I think so.” He needed to go all in. “They also need me for two more weekends for live shows. And the director I worked with forWest Side Storywants me to audition for a principal inKinky Boots. That would start rehearsing in August.”
Leslie let his gaze drop to the ground in front of him. “You want to go.”
“I want to work, yes. Barry can’t give me a for sure on next year yet, not until after my evaluations at the semester and the budget. Leslie, Ihaveto work. Iwantto work.” He stepped closer but was afraid to touch Leslie. Afraid of how he might react. He couldn’t take a physical rejection from Leslie, not now.
Leslie didn’t speak for several beats and then he exhaled harshly. “I wish I was enough for you.”
“What? Leslie, are you kidding me? You’reeverythingto me. How could you say that?”
“I worried you’d have one foot out the door the whole time you were here. Were you ever planning to stay? Or did you just say that to placate me?”
“That’s not fair and you know it! Leslie, you’ve reached the pinnacle of success in your sport. You won multiple Super Bowls, for god’s sake.You’ve achieved everything that a football player could ever dream of.Ihaven’t done that.”
“And look where it got me,” Leslie said, raising his voice for the first time in Joe’s presence.
Joe stepped back, a shudder running through him. He’d never seen Leslie angry, not like this.
Leslie’s eyes flared at Joe’s retreat, and he cursed.
“I’m sorry. But if you weren’t planning on staying, I wish you never would have come.”
He stumbled a bit and then he turned and walked away, leaving Joe dumbfounded.
“Leslie! How can you…Leslie?”
Sandy pulled up and Leslie climbed into the Jeep, leaving Joe standing there. In shock.
What had just happened? Leslie hadn’t seemed himself, but the hurt in his words had come through loud and clear.
Leslie had never walked away from Joe. But then maybe this was what Joe deserved for all the times he’d run from the person he loved most in the world.
Joe felt the first few drops of rain slap his cheek. As the taillights of the Jeep turned out of sight, he started walking back to Higdon.
By the time he reached the dorm, he was soaked to the bone.
Twenty-Six
Leslie
This one was a doozy, this migraine, but Leslie wasn’t sure what hurt worse, his head or his heart.
Or his pride.
He’d acted a fool, walking out on Joe like that, but what was he supposed to do? He knew if he’d stayed, it would have gone from bad to worse.
He’d lashed out at Joe, and didn’t he feel like an ass for it. But dammit, Joe said they were going to do this. He was going to stay. And now he was talking about not being here next year and taking on jobs that meant endless traveling and…
Had he ever intended to stay?
Sandy remained quiet on the drive from the school to their house and he stood by to lend a hand if Leslie needed it as they headed out of the Jeep and into the house.
“Thanks for coming all the way out there,” Leslie said. “Iknow a cheer competition is not exactly your idea of a good time on a rare Saturday off.”
“I wanted to support Joe and the kids,” Sandy said.
