I was too gobsmacked to say anything. I just stared at them, making the man chuckle as he waited for my reply. Finally, my speech returned, and I stuttered, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, we're quite certain," he said with a friendly smile. "You've impressed us here tonight. Somehow, you managed to even make your fall look graceful."
I laughed, tears finally spilling down my cheeks as I thanked them one by one profusely. They gave me some further instructions for the production, and I left the room with a bright smile and a sunny outlook on my future. Still, the thought of Grayson prevailed in my mind. How happy could I truly be if I wasn't with the man I loved?
I shook my head to get the thought out. I couldn't think of that, couldn't allow my feelings clouding my judgement. I'd left him for good reason, and he'd paid for the time I'd spent with him, just like he'd promised he would. It was well and truly over.
It was past nine p.m. as I made my way home through the dark streets. There was a flickering light pole in the middle of the street, and just like a couple of days prior, soft little snowflakes drifted from the sky, slowly melting on my cheeks. I should have been happy, but instead I felt alone and broken. There was nobody to share the victory with.
Since my first and last botched date, I hadn’t gone out with anyone. Instead, I chose to focus on my dancing, improving my technique until nobody could deny it was perfect. And still, every night, I found myself thinking about Grayson. Wondering whether I’d made a mistake when I left, whether he missed me as much as I missed him. Whether he’d take me back.
Those moments ended in tears and long nights of fitful sleep. Fact of the matter was, Grayson had never reached out to me in the eleven months we’d spent apart. For him, we were done.
As I was making my way down the deserted street a couple of blocks down from the theater, the lights flickered on and off above me, and I looked up at them with a worried expression. How ominous.
I'd reached the end of the street when the lights flickered again, this time turning off completely. My breath caught in my throat as I heard movement behind me, adrenaline instantly taking over and preparing me for the intruder that touched my shoulder, prompting me to whip around in a defensive position.
"Don't touch me!" I snarled, ready to hit the intruder until my eyes zeroed in on the dark, tall figure before me. "What the..."
"Hello, Kitty."
Grayson's deep voice was like music to my ears, and I whimpered out loud when I heard him speak. The man instantly made me feel dizzy, his mere presence making my knees go weak.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, nervously looking over my shoulder. The streetlights were still out, the dark street illuminated by nothing but the moon. "How did you find me?"
"You should know by now I'll always keep an eye on you," Grayson told me, sending shivers down my spine.
"What do you w-want?" I managed.
"I'll get to that in a second." He gave me his winning smirk, making my stomach flutter with butterflies. "But first, Amicia, I need to know. Do you want me to leave you alone? Because if you do, if you really do, all you need is to say it right now, and I won't bother you again. Do you understand?"
I swallowed the lump in my throat, considering his question. But there had only ever been one answer.
"I don't want you to leave me alone," I admitted in a broken whisper.
"Good," Grayson grinned. He clicked his fingers together then, and suddenly, the street lit up again. My eyes opened in wonder as a group of carolers, kids in their pre-teens, arrived from around the corner, singing Holy Night.
"What is this?" I whispered, my eyes dancing between the man I loved and the group of children. One girl stood out, not older than eleven, with midnight black-blue hair and sparkling grey eyes.
"They're part of a charity I sponsor," Grayson explained. "I pay for each of their scholarships to a music school. There's others, too. Dancers. Performers. Actors."
"You never told me about this," I mumbled, looking up into his eyes and feeling the familiar rush of heat between my legs as our gazes locked.
"It's a new thing I'm doing," he said smoothly. "In your honor, Amicia. And I'd like you to head the program. To select the winners for the scholarship yourself."
"Well, it might interfere with the job I just got," I said, finally relaxing a little.
"Back at Le Cabaret?" Grayson inquired.
I shook my head. "No. I got a role in Swan Lake as Odile. The production begins in four weeks."