Page 44 of Kissing the Debutant
“Thanks!” Lillian climbed to her feet, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “I hope I didn’t make too many mistakes.”
“Are you even serious right now?” Jack gawked at her. “That was flawless.”
Lillian shrugged, pacing to the other side of the room to retrieve her water bottle.
“You, my friend, are in trouble.” Mia elbowed him with a knowing smile.
“What?” Jack tore his eyes away from Lillian long enough to meet his friend’s gaze. “Seriously, what?” He shook off his Lillian stupor.
“You like her,” Mia sang in a low whisper.
“Do not.” He could feel his cheeks warming. Lillian was so far out of his league,
“Whatever.” Mia shrugged. “But sparks are going to fly once you two start that schmexy dance you’ve been cooking up for yourschoolproject.”
“Schmexy? You’re ridiculous.” He shoved her playfully. “Get out of here.”
“Have fun, you two!” Mia called, waving at Lillian as she headed for the exit.
“Your girlfriend is so sweet to film this for me.” Lillian sank to the floor to stretch her legs and feet. “I’ll be able to use it for tons of applications to schools and dance programs.”
“Mia’s the best.” Jack leaned back on his elbows. “But she’s not my girlfriend. She’s my best friend.”
“Really? I mean, Wylder mentioned that, but she’s so pretty.” Lillian frowned.
“Yeah, but she’s also like a sister, so… gross.” Jack gave a nervous laugh. He hadn’t realized Lillian thought he was with Mia this whole time. Mia was the best person he knew, but there were zero romantic feelings between them.
“We did it.” Lillian beamed at him.
“You did it,” Jack said. “That was all you.”
“I would have never come up with anything remotely as creative as you did. Seriously, Jack, you have so much talent for choreography. I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with for your project.”
Lillian’s eyes sparkled with excitement. He’d never heard her be so liberal with her compliments, it startled him.
“Speaking of.” He moved to stand up. “We still have some time left today. If you’re up for it, we could run through the high points of this dance… if you’re game?”
“Sure.” Lillian stood up to join him at the center of the room.
“Okay, the point of the project is to illustrate two opposing emotions using a medium I’m passionate about. Lucky for us, that’s dance.” Jack moved to pace in front of Lillian, excited to finally get to work with her on his project. “I want to illustrate love and hate.”
“Powerful.” Lillian nodded. “Which emotion is mine?”
“Hate,” Jack said hesitantly, not sure how she would respond to his ideas.
“I can work with that.” Lillian smiled.
“I think you could work with anything.” The compliment slipped out without warning, and Jack dropped his glance to the floor, feeling flustered. Jack Butler was never flustered with girls. This uncertainty was a first for him.
“Well, I’ve never danced with a partner before, so I hope I don’t disappoint you.” Lillian didn’t seem to notice his fumbling.
“I’ve never danced with a partner either, so we’ll figure it out together.”
Jack started the music he’d chosen for this piece and set it to repeat on low. “Above all, we’re telling a story,” he explained. “In this story, the guy is hopelessly in love with a woman he can never reach. She is cold and distant, oblivious of him and his feelings for her. She doesn’t even know he exists, yet he’s always dancing around her, aching to hold her. She is perfection, yet fragile as a glass figurine. She could shatter at any moment.”
“Classic unrequited love story.” Lillian nodded.
“With an ultra-modern kick.” Jack raised his brows for emphasis.
