The Embrace by Vivian Wood

6

Ishift in my seat as the limo takes Kaia and me to the NYB. The healing wound in my shoulder aches.

I rub my shoulder very gently through my black hooded sweatshirt. Kaia looks over, her eyes tightening on my discomfort.

“Are you sure you’re ready to come back?” she asks.

It takes everything in me not to tell her to fuck off. My mouth tugs downward and I glance out my window. “I’m fine. We have talked about this.”

She heaves a sigh, putting up her leggings-clad leg on the seat. “You’ve talked. The doctors think you should rest for another week.”

I grit my teeth. “I gave you a week of rest. You’re not getting any more out of me. I’m nearly insane already as it is.”

Kaia pulls a face at my words. “I’m just concerned about you. After all, you did stop a bullet that was meant for me with your body…”

I hold up a hand, silencing her. “While I appreciate you trying to mother me, Kaia, I have to insist that you quit. I don’t want to be infantilized. And I don’t think that nurturing others is very sweet.”

Kaia frowns. “I’m not infantilizing you, Calum. I’ll save that for my future children.”

I shoot her a sharp look. “You can’t be serious. You’re a ballerina. Children are not in your future for at least ten years.” I make a disgusted face. “If ever.”

Curiosity comes over her expression. “You don’t see yourself having kids?”

I snort. “No. And I don’t know what would change my mind, either.”

She gulps and looks away. “Oh.”

I glance at her. “What, did you expect me to be pressuring you to have kids? Have you met me? I’m a selfish bastard.”

She shrugs a shoulder, still looking away out her window. “We don’t really have to talk about it, Calum.”

I open my mouth to continue the conversation, but she is already rolling the partition down to speak to the driver. “Will you let me out here? I’ll walk the rest of the way.” She licks her lips and glances at me. “We might as well not let the company see us arrive together in your limousine. Right?”

I narrow my gaze on her face. “If that’s what you want.”

The limo pulls over to the curb and Kaia springs out of the car, slamming the door behind her. I stare after her, trying to figure out what exactly I’m being punished for.

Is it the no kids thing? I have no idea.

The driver drops me off at the front steps of the New York Ballet building. I climb them slowly, feeling every minute of my age as I push open the heavy glass of the front door.

I makeit up the stairs with a throbbing shoulder. Then I head straight for the dance studios, my mind tumbling over and over the thought of punching Bas squarely in his snooty little nose.

By the time I find him, my mood has definitely curdled. Bas is dressed in sweats, sprawled out on the floor of one of the dance studios, stretching. He doesn’t even blink as I storm up to him.

“Who the fuck do you think you are? Hm? You go and talk to a reporter about me but you don’t even have the balls to say my name?” I shout.

Bas blinks, panning his gaze up to me slowly. “You’re upset that I told the reporter the truth?”

I grit my teeth. There are students in this room and they are looking between Bas and me. Making inferences, I’m sure.

“I think you’re a coward,” I grate out.

“And I think you’re so obvious. You come in here, demand to be taken seriously in the stage manager role, rip everyone up with your constant criticisms. And then you fuck one of the ballerinas. Tell me, did you decide to fuck Kaia during her audition? Or did that come later?”

“Don’t talk to me about Kaia.” I take a step towards him, my hands balling into fists. “I want to smash your face in right now. The only reason I’m holding back is because Kaia appears to like you.”

“Great.” He scoffs. “Just because you have money doesn’t mean you can just do whatever you want, Calum. I speak for not just myself, but for all the dancers. You need to find a replacement and leave.”

The last of my willpower drains away, leaving me ready to fight. Basil stands up, his body language indicating that this will not be his first brawl. I lick my lips and smile viciously.

“That’s it,” I growl, beckoning him closer. “Just try and hit me. See where that gets you, fuckhead.”

He squares up, circling me. “With pleasure.”

The door to the studio opens. Pretty little Kaia rushes in. “Hey, can I get the key to the shoe closet? Manon is locked—“

She stops mid-sentence, her gaze darting between me and Bas. “What’s going on?”

I drop my hands, shooting Bas a hard glance. “Bas was about to get his ass beat.”

“Yeah, you wish,” Bas snaps. He puts his hands down too. “I’m a brown belt in Krav Maja, asshole.”

I hold up a hand and shake my head at him, focusing on Kaia instead. “What’s the problem?”

Kaia’s gaze slides around the room. She scopes out the dancers huddled in the far corner. “Will one of you come with me? It seems like an emergency of some sort.”

“Show me.” Dropping my bag by the door, I give Bas a hard look. “We are not done here.”

He shrugs, his expression pinched. “Whatever you say, Calum.”

Huffing a little, I walk through the door the Kaia holds open. As soon as we are outside, I glance down at her. “Bas was being a dick.”

She tosses her hair. “I don’t care about that right now. You two are grownups. You’ll work it out some way. I came to grab you because Manon has locked herself in the pointe shoe room. She sounds…” Kaia screws up her face. “Distressed, to say the least.”

My mouth turns down as I follow Kaia to the little room, barely bigger than a closet. I’ve never seen the door closed actually… but it’s easy enough to press the code in the keypad.

I did insist on having the keypad locks, after all.

The door unlocks and I pull it open, exposing dual walls of nothing but different types, colors, and sizes of pointe shoe. At the far end of the small space, Manon is laying across a black leather sofa. Her dark hair is covering her face, but she’s obviously sobbing.

She raises her head a few inches, takes us in, and cries even harder. “Just leave me alone!” she manages to wail.

I glance at Kaia with a shrug. “Are you satisfied now?”

Kaia rolls her eyes and rushes over to the other girl, kneeling beside the couch. “Manon? What’s going on?”

Manon moans. “They’ve lost everything. Everything! Even what I was supposed to live on…”

Kaia pats Manon’s shoulder tentatively. “Who has lost everything?”

Manon flips her dark hair back and sits up, clearly beside herself. “My family! My dad--” She stops, sobbing for a few seconds before continuing. “My father was arrested today for a financial scam. People—“ She hiccups. “People are saying that he’s the new Bernie Madoff. My mother… my mother called to say that she would leave him if there was a single cent to be had between them!”

“Oh Manon,” Kaia says, exhaling. “That’s terrible.”

I shift my stance, checking the hallway behind me. A few interested dancers stand on the other side of the hallway, trying to listen discreetly.

I frown at them and they scurry away. Pulling the closet door closed behind me, I watch as Kaia consoles Manon. I’m skeptical at first.

I mean, I’ve witnessed Manon bullying Kaia on at least three occasions. Kaia is within her rights to walk away and tell everyone the news that Manon will soon be a pariah.

It’s what I would do.

But Kaia is much sweeter than I could ever be. She sits next to Manon and pulls her into an awkward hug, murmuring small kindnesses in her ear.

Just seeing that display of compassion tugs at my heartstrings. It just reminds me that there is no one quite as good and kind as Kaia. It also makes me ponder how very different Kaia and I are. Really, it makes me realize that without my money, I would probably not even be in her league.

“Calum, would you call for a car? I think Manon needs to go home.”

That sends Manon into a new fit of sobbing. I’m glad when I can step out of the room and dial my driver. As I tell him the situation, I am very glad to have something to do that doesn’t involve Manon’s hot tears.