Blue Lines
Page 46
“Okay, so I’ll pick you back up, when?”
“I’ll be done at three, but I wanted to take a shower and get ready to go on the plane, so three thirty?”
“All right, well, I’ll be done earlier than that, so I’ll just come back here and wait.”
She eyed him and said, “Wait where?”
“I don’t know, wherever you’ll be.”
“I’ll be dancing.”
“Dancing?”
“Yeah, I’m helping with some choreography for a duet that Reese is doing,” she explained.
Erik had a shocked look on his face as he pointed at her and asked again, “You’re dancing?”
“Yeah, I used to dance when I was kid. I went to the same school Reese went to, but dropped out for some reason I can’t remember. Probably to sing, but no telling.”
Erik blinked a few times, and then turned to get into the car.
“I’ll see you later.”
“What?” She laughed. “Why’d you make that face!”
Erik smiled.
“Because you just seem to be able to do a lot of different things, and it’s kind of amazing. Later.”
She watched as he got into the car. She waved goodbye to Stanley as Erik glanced back and nodded bye to her. It was moments like these when he totally confused her, and she didn’t know if he was lying or not.
With a shake of her head, she made her way up the stairs to Reese Allen’s Dance Studio. Music blasted from the back, and a smile came across Piper’s face as she followed the music to where she knew her sister would be. “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys shook the walls as Reese moved to the music in a way that only she could.
Reese was a choreographic genius. It was breathtaking to watch her dance and sometimes it brought tears to Piper’s eyes because Reese was so beautiful. They resembled each other, but not as much as twins should. She was darker in skin tone, with dark hair and green eyes, while Piper had a ruddier complexion, with blondish brown hair and blue eyes. Piper was small while Reese was tall and had a dancer’s athletic build. They had the same drive in them, only Reese was dead set on being the best dancer imaginable, while Piper’s focus was on a variety of things. Reese could be a little bitchy at times but they were sisters and loved each other and always worked out their differences.
When the music stopped, Reese looked over at her and smiled as she breathed deep.
“I only need you to go over the beginning and I think I got it,” Piper said, taking her shirt off and then her sweatpants. Underneath she wore a sports bra and a pair of booty shorts. When Reese started laughing, Piper looked up, confused.
“What?”
“How in the world did I miss this pregnancy? I thought you were just getting pudgy all this time,” she said with a smile.
Piper laughed.
“It just popped, I swear. My clothes used to fit but now, this kiddo is like ‘Hey! I’m here!’ ”
Reese smiled as she came over and held Piper’s little bump in her hands. When the baby kicked, Reese’s smile grew as she looked into her twin’s eyes.
“I would have been there for you, you know.”
“I know. I just wasn’t ready to tell anyone.”
“I’m not anyone. I’m your twin,” Reese said.
Piper nodded, hating to see the hurt in Reese’s eyes.
“I know, but I thought that Erik needed time to think before I told people.”
Reese shook her head. “Out of all the men.”
“He’s a good man, Reese.”
“He’s a cocky son of a bitch who thinks women should fall at his feet. Plus he is too damn smooth for his own good. He could talk his way out of a murder rap. Be careful.”
“He won’t hurt me,” she said, and she knew that it was true. Well, he’d never physically hurt her … emotionally was another story.
“Let’s hope not,” Reese said with a shake of her head as she walked over to the stereo.
“But I’ll be here if he does.”
“Thanks,” Piper said as she sat on the floor and started to stretch.
Nothing was said as Piper warmed her muscles, but the whole time, her mind was moving at the speed of light. She needed to know if Reese had slept with Erik, and she knew that if she didn’t use this moment to ask, she would forever regret it. Why, out of all of the women Erik had slept with, this one mattered the most, she didn’t know, but it did, and she had to know.
“Hey, Ree.”
Reese looked over her shoulder. “Yeah?”
“Did you sleep with Erik?” Piper asked, feeling a tremor in her voice.
Reese started laughing. “Isn’t it a little late to be asking that?”
Piper nodded as she looked down at her growing belly and said, “Yeah, but I need to know.”
“Have you asked him?”
“No.”
Reese slowly shook her head.
“No. I don’t even know if he wanted to. I never gave him that opportunity.”
Piper laughed as relief filled her. She had planned to ask Erik, too, and then she would know the truth. If he said they did, then she really didn’t know how she would handle it but she would cross that bridge later. At that moment, though, she believed that they hadn’t; she trusted her sister. “Okay, forget I even asked,” Piper then said. “Bring your happy self on over here and let’s get this done. I have a plane to catch.”
“I’ll be done at three, but I wanted to take a shower and get ready to go on the plane, so three thirty?”
“All right, well, I’ll be done earlier than that, so I’ll just come back here and wait.”
She eyed him and said, “Wait where?”
“I don’t know, wherever you’ll be.”
“I’ll be dancing.”
“Dancing?”
“Yeah, I’m helping with some choreography for a duet that Reese is doing,” she explained.
Erik had a shocked look on his face as he pointed at her and asked again, “You’re dancing?”
“Yeah, I used to dance when I was kid. I went to the same school Reese went to, but dropped out for some reason I can’t remember. Probably to sing, but no telling.”
Erik blinked a few times, and then turned to get into the car.
“I’ll see you later.”
“What?” She laughed. “Why’d you make that face!”
Erik smiled.
“Because you just seem to be able to do a lot of different things, and it’s kind of amazing. Later.”
She watched as he got into the car. She waved goodbye to Stanley as Erik glanced back and nodded bye to her. It was moments like these when he totally confused her, and she didn’t know if he was lying or not.
With a shake of her head, she made her way up the stairs to Reese Allen’s Dance Studio. Music blasted from the back, and a smile came across Piper’s face as she followed the music to where she knew her sister would be. “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys shook the walls as Reese moved to the music in a way that only she could.
Reese was a choreographic genius. It was breathtaking to watch her dance and sometimes it brought tears to Piper’s eyes because Reese was so beautiful. They resembled each other, but not as much as twins should. She was darker in skin tone, with dark hair and green eyes, while Piper had a ruddier complexion, with blondish brown hair and blue eyes. Piper was small while Reese was tall and had a dancer’s athletic build. They had the same drive in them, only Reese was dead set on being the best dancer imaginable, while Piper’s focus was on a variety of things. Reese could be a little bitchy at times but they were sisters and loved each other and always worked out their differences.
When the music stopped, Reese looked over at her and smiled as she breathed deep.
“I only need you to go over the beginning and I think I got it,” Piper said, taking her shirt off and then her sweatpants. Underneath she wore a sports bra and a pair of booty shorts. When Reese started laughing, Piper looked up, confused.
“What?”
“How in the world did I miss this pregnancy? I thought you were just getting pudgy all this time,” she said with a smile.
Piper laughed.
“It just popped, I swear. My clothes used to fit but now, this kiddo is like ‘Hey! I’m here!’ ”
Reese smiled as she came over and held Piper’s little bump in her hands. When the baby kicked, Reese’s smile grew as she looked into her twin’s eyes.
“I would have been there for you, you know.”
“I know. I just wasn’t ready to tell anyone.”
“I’m not anyone. I’m your twin,” Reese said.
Piper nodded, hating to see the hurt in Reese’s eyes.
“I know, but I thought that Erik needed time to think before I told people.”
Reese shook her head. “Out of all the men.”
“He’s a good man, Reese.”
“He’s a cocky son of a bitch who thinks women should fall at his feet. Plus he is too damn smooth for his own good. He could talk his way out of a murder rap. Be careful.”
“He won’t hurt me,” she said, and she knew that it was true. Well, he’d never physically hurt her … emotionally was another story.
“Let’s hope not,” Reese said with a shake of her head as she walked over to the stereo.
“But I’ll be here if he does.”
“Thanks,” Piper said as she sat on the floor and started to stretch.
Nothing was said as Piper warmed her muscles, but the whole time, her mind was moving at the speed of light. She needed to know if Reese had slept with Erik, and she knew that if she didn’t use this moment to ask, she would forever regret it. Why, out of all of the women Erik had slept with, this one mattered the most, she didn’t know, but it did, and she had to know.
“Hey, Ree.”
Reese looked over her shoulder. “Yeah?”
“Did you sleep with Erik?” Piper asked, feeling a tremor in her voice.
Reese started laughing. “Isn’t it a little late to be asking that?”
Piper nodded as she looked down at her growing belly and said, “Yeah, but I need to know.”
“Have you asked him?”
“No.”
Reese slowly shook her head.
“No. I don’t even know if he wanted to. I never gave him that opportunity.”
Piper laughed as relief filled her. She had planned to ask Erik, too, and then she would know the truth. If he said they did, then she really didn’t know how she would handle it but she would cross that bridge later. At that moment, though, she believed that they hadn’t; she trusted her sister. “Okay, forget I even asked,” Piper then said. “Bring your happy self on over here and let’s get this done. I have a plane to catch.”
