Page 12 of Love is a Dance Step
“Not a chance.” She bumped hips with Nora. This was what she missed when Asher wanted to hang at her empty house instead of his full one. Lizzy stood on her chair, her arms in the air while Penny danced in a circle, singing the words along with her brother.
More than anything, Lola wanted to be one of them, to have siblings, people who’d back her up.
Anyone who’d tell her Asher wasn’t good for her. That the boy he’d been was not the one now.
She looked down at him, noting the stubborn set to his jaw, his arms crossed over his chest. “Ash, enjoy the concert.” No matter how he’d changed, she wasn’t yet ready to give up on him.
He didn’t respond.
“Ash.” She dropped into her seat. “You’re acting like a child.”
His eyes widened, and she didn’t blame him for the shock. It wasn’t like her to say things like that to him. Normally, she did everything she could to make things easy for him. But now, as she looked into his angry eyes, she didn’t know why.
Asher shot to his feet. “I’m going to get a drink. I’ll be back when Noah Clarke is on. Are you coming?”
She looked to the stage as a new song started and then back to Asher. “No, I want to see this.”
He stormed away, pushing through the row of seats. Lola watched him go. When she turned back around, she found Mrs. Stone watching her youngest son as well, a note of sadness in her gaze. Their eyes connected in understanding. Both of them cared about Asher, but they’d seen the changes in recent years, the way he refused anything having to do with Drew.
Mrs. Stone slid into Asher’s empty spot and wrapped an arm around Lola’s shoulders. “He’ll come around.”
Lola wasn’t so sure he would.
But tonight couldn’t be about Asher, not when his brother commanded the stage, his body entrancing an arena full of people with its fluidity, its grace.
For a once-hockey player, a guy rippling with muscles, Drew moved with a surprising agility.
He was famous for his music, but it was his dancing she couldn’t tear her eyes from.
They say you can sometimes see a fall coming steps before it happens, but Lola didn’t think that was true. If it was, maybe they would have foreseen what happened next.
* * *
Drew dragged Leah to him, the two of them moving in sync as their bodies pressed against each other. She danced away from him, and he chased her.
It was almost a play within a dance, steps meant to mimic the meaning of the song. A love story. Losing love. Chasing after it.
Drew’s shirt hung open, revealing a thin tank that was almost sheer, highlighting the muscles along his chest.
Lola stood on her toes to get a better look.
Mr. Stone lifted Lizzy onto his shoulders so she could see the brother she idolized.
Nora and Lola danced together, their excitement shared.
One moment, this concert held a promise of hours of joy.
The next, it was like everything slowed.
She saw it happen before her mind could register it. Leah Baker’s scream echoed through Drew’s mic, and his words faltered before ceasing altogether.
Leah’s legs collapsed beneath her, and everything stopped.
5
Drew
The worst moment of Drew’s career was the day his first single bombed. The rollout failed so spectacularly the label considered pulling the entire album.
