Page 72 of Tell Me Everything
“I'll have a mango bubble tea,” Nina added, her attention on her phone.
Alex raised an eyebrow before replying, “Get your own.”
Nina sputtered in protest. Sophie let her head rest in her hand—she was used to it.
“What kind of favouritism is this? Elena gets chivalry from you, but we don't? Bros before hoes!”
Alex let her simmer, pretending not to care about what she was saying, but his gaze was playful. He was pulling her leg, and Nina didn't even realize it, too offended. After a while, he seemed to take pity on her. “I'm kidding. Of course, I'll order for you.”
Sophie and I giggled.
“He was going to order for you, no matter what.”
“He fooled me, didn’t he?”
“Just a little.”
I brought my thumb and forefinger together. Nina let her head drop against the table so hard that I feared she had hurt herself.
“Elena?”
I turned to face the speaker, surprised to find Robin standingin front of me. I hadn't seen anyone from the dance school since my accident. Going there as a visitor would hurt too much.
“Robin!”
His face lit up. “I knew it was you.”
He hugged me before I had time to respond. The Elena from a year ago would have had her heart racing. Today's Elena returned the embrace without losing her nerve. Robin stepped aside, all smiles.
“We're all looking forward to your return to the studio. When will you be back?”
“The doctor has forbidden me to dance while I'm revalidating. I'm still waiting for his approval.”
The dancer sat down in Alex's seat. Some of his sand-coloured curls were unruly. It was weird not to want to run my fingers through them anymore. Nina watched us with an inquisitive eye, but I ignored her while Robin and I chatted.
“The studio feels empty without you.”
My heart clenched. I'd managed to focus on other things, and yes, by other things I meant a taciturn boy who made my head spin, but I missed dancing. Seeing one of the members of the hip-hop club reminded me of that emptiness I'd been trying to ignore for months. I joked to keep the mood from getting gloomy.
“Of course, I'm the best.”
Robin ruffled my hair. “I can't say you're wrong. We should grab a drink sometime, what do you say?”
I opened my mouth to agree when Alex placed another chair on my other side and sat down. The hand he let rest on my thigh didn't go unnoticed. Robin wasn't impressed, his smile unwavering.
“Whenever you want,” Alex said, holding Robin's gaze.
The tension was palpable, but only on one side. Robin rested his elbows on the table, leaning towards us. Alex's hand becameheavier.
“Don’t worry, Alex, I'm not going to steal your girlfriend.”
A small part of me wished Robin had been interested in me. After all, he'd been my crush for years. On the other hand, if I'd kept obsessing over him, I might never have found Alex. Just the thought of it gave me goosebumps.
“That said, the day you screw up, I'll find you.”
I mentally prepared myself for Alex losing it. Instead, he just nodded. Robin stood up, and I followed him to the exit. From the corner of my eye, I could see Alex not letting us out of his sight.
“I was happy to see you.”
