Page 48 of Becoming Cinderella

She seems to buy it, or at least doesn’t press it any further. “I’m glad I got to see you again. Come back sometime, okay? We’re only here for a couple more weeks after all.”

Right. A couple more weeks until they pack up and leave as if they weren’t even here.

“Here,” she hands me her phone. “Put your number in, okay? I’d love to hang out sometime.”

I do as she says, trying to ignore my hands shaking as I input my number.

Olivia sends me a quick text so I have her number then she gives me a hug goodbye.

I get in my car but don’t leave, staring out my windshield as different emotions begin to consume me. I’m confused and anxious and maybe even a little relieved that it’s possible for me to have feelings for someone other than Jared.

I look at the time and realize I’m supposed to head to Penn’s for Taco Tuesday, but I can’t see Penn right now. She’ll be able to see right through me and I need some time to try to work through these feelings by myself.

For the first time, I text Penn to cancel Taco Tuesday.

Chapter Fourteen

I’m nervous as I head into the studio for Liam’s dance lesson. My stomach aches with all the tight clenching knots it’s producing. I haven’t seen or talked to Liam since I’ve been able to admit to myself that I’m falling for him, which was only three days ago.

I still don’t know when it happened. Was it when he came to help me bake cookies so I wasn’t alone? Did it happen in the closet when he was trying to help me win over Jared? Or was it here in this studio? Did it happen as fast as it seemed, or slowly?

I look around the scuffed brown floors to the smudged mirrored walls to see if they have the answer for me.

I don’t have much time alone to compose myself, or before I can overthink too much, before Liam pops in the back door.

You think by this point my breath wouldn’t catch when I see him. That it would be used to his presence by now.

“There’s my favorite coach.” Liam quickly crosses the floor and picks me up, spinning me in a full circle before he sets me down.

I don’t want him to let go, but he does as he goes to set down his belongings so we can begin.

“My favorite coach who brought me cupcakes. You didn’t stick around though, why? I didn’t even get to say hi.” Liam looks at me curiously as he comes back to stand next to me.

Oh, I don’t know Liam, maybe because I had the realization that I’m falling for you and I might have begun to panic?

“I couldn’t stay long, I just wanted to drop by a little treat for you. A little dose of sugar to hopefully make you smile.”

“Well, it did exactly that.” Liam smiles his crooked smile, the one where he doesn’t show any teeth and the right side of his mouth lifts a fraction higher than the left. My favorite smile I realize.

I’m hit with the realization that I can’t tell Liam he no longer has to help me win over Jared. Even though I no longer want Jared, a sentence I thought I would never associate myself with, Liam needs to think I still want to. If I tell Liam the truth, along with the fact that he starts practicing with Olivia and the choreographer next week, he might just disband the whole deal right now. I can’t risk that. I want to see Liam up until he walks onto his plane to go home. Well, even after that, but I doubt that will happen.

“Should we warm up?” I say, trying to push away these thoughts to the back of my mind.

Somehow, I make it through the warmup without any hiccups or complications and close my eyes in a silent prayer that I’m able to continue to function properly for the remainder of practice. The part that’s going to be tricky because that’s when Liam actually touches me.

He runs his hand through his hair, making it messier than it already is before he places a hand on my back. “Thanks for the cupcakes by the way.”

“Thanks for being my favorite student.”

Liam takes my right hand with his left, staring at mine in his for a moment before lifting his arms to create his form.

“Let’s run through it without the music first, okay?”

We take each set of eight slow so I can make sure he seems to have it mostly down. I know the choreographer will help tighten up any of his moves they’re not satisfied with when he practices with Olivia, but I want to make sure he’s entering those rehearsals feeling confident.

Liam slightly dips me, holding me with both hands.

“Good, but this arm-” I tap his right arm that is wrapped around my waist, “-needs to be up in the air.”

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