Page 62 of Handsome
I narrowed my eyes at him and then brushed his elbow as I said, “Dancing is not the passion of a stoic. The word 'stoic' to me means the Spartans in movies who live to make war. You’re the opposite.”
The twinkle in his gaze sent a thrill to my heart. I wondered if it was okay to dream about a future together. He winked at me and said, “Glad you think so.”
We finished our champagne and a server handed us some fruit. My heart still thumped, but my mind began to buzz with questions. Happiness was never in my fate, so I crossed my legs and asked, “Did you date a dancer?”
He straightened. “No.”
I tilted my head and my eyes widened. Maybe I was one in a long line of romances stretching forward from his past. I then said, “You’re red-faced.”
He rubbed the back of his head and took a deep breath. My skin buzzed. There was bad news coming. Finally he said, “My instructor wanted to date, but then I found out Leah gave birth to my son.”
Adrenaline zapped through me while I silently thanked my sister. Then I winced at the thought because it made me a horrible person. I tensed and asked, “What happened to the instructor?”
He shrugged. “Nothing. I focused on my son, and she found herself another partner for the competition. And now I have you.”
Heat rushed to my face, and I had to look away. Goose bumps prickled from my neck to my arms as I said, “I’m not a blessing like that, though.”
He was watching me. I felt it in every cell of my body. I slowly opened my eyes.
As soon as our eyes met, he said, “Don’t sell yourself short, Sarah.”
Neither of us said anything more.
While he poured a second small glass for each of us, I sighed and said, “It’s hard to believe I’m here with you, and we’re drinking champagne. It’s like I landed in some sort of alternate reality, and I keep wondering how it’s possible you’re here with me. Dreaming was never… my reality. Until today.”
He got up and went over to the galley while I shifted in my seat and wondered what he was about to do or say. Then he returned and placed a jewelry box for a necklace in my hands as he said, “Good, because I borrowed these, so you'll shine on TV beside me.”
I clutched the box while my pulse pounded. My voice sounded squeaky as I asked, “TV?”
He tapped the box and I opened it. The necklace glittered way more than my grandmother’s tree pendant. It was like a beacon in the sky, it spread so much light. He said, “They’re filming the competition, and you should be wearing Cartier.”
The only reason I even knew Cartier existed, much less recognized the name, was from movies and TV. However, his family was their ideal customer. He gestured for me to turn around so he could fasten it around my neck.
The weight wasn’t so bad. It was like I was born to wear it, though I couldn't resist saying, “You must have learned that from your mom.”
He finished latching the necklace, gave my shoulder and gentle squeeze, and I sat beside him again, tingly with hope for the future. Maybe itwaspossible to be happy.
He curled his arm around me like I was precious to him and said, “I hope Maman doesn’t come across as too aggressive when it comes to my happiness.”
“No, she’s wonderful. It’s clear who you learned it from,” I said, and held his hand.
A soft, quiet, coziness took over in that second, but I didn’t care.
I finally understood and accepted that Cyrus was amazing.
Then a few tears trickled down my cheeks, though I tried to wipe them away before he noticed.
38
Cyrus
The tears in her eyes replayed over and over again in my mind, like a movie or video clip set on repeat. I wanted Sarah to share my life, and to prove she could trust me with her heart. But my stomach tightened as the fear that I might never win her love replayed in my mind.
And I wasn’t sure what to do.
When we walked off the plane to the waiting car, she took my hand.
The air outside was hot and stifling.
