Chapter 2 #2
When she opened her eyes and chatted with the others, I smiled to myself as I caught a glimpse of the gorgeous smile that lit up her face, traveling to her eyes.
Her cheeks were rosy from all the movement, and it added to her allure.
I wanted to get closer so I could hear her talk because I knew that her voice sounded so lovely.
I watched as she signalled for them to do the routine once more, and then she began walking towards me. I panicked internally, but my feet didn’t move from their place. It wasn’t until our eyes locked that she stopped doing what she was doing.
Her mesmerizing brown eyes stared back at me, and I felt my heart rate pick up.
I’d never been the nervous type, but she had me feeling things I’d never experienced before.
It was a weird feeling, but it also felt right.
Here I was, standing with these two beefy bodyguards beside me as I was bewitched by this gorgeous, voluptuous dancer who was more skilled than any other dancer I’d worked with, and I’d only seen a little of what she could do.
I bet she had plenty more skills and tricks up her sleeves, and I wanted to become familiar with every one.
Just as I was about to reach for the door, she turned around and began to talk to the others.
I snapped out of my trance and quickly turned to walk away when my aunt circled back to see what was taking us so long.
I do wish I had at least gone in to get the woman’s number, or at least her name, but we had pulled out of the parking lot before I could remember to. So much for that.
“Okay, Dawn, here’s the list of volunteers for the event next week,” my aunt said as she handed me a folder. “Most of them are regular volunteers and instructors at the center. They’ve all had a background check run on them beforehand.”
I nodded as I settled back into the seat.
We had a 45-minute drive to my parents’ place, so I slid on my headphones and listened to my lo-fi playlist as I flipped open the envelope.
My aunt always ran a background check on people I worked with, so I made sure to familiarize myself with them.
The last thing I wanted was surprises. I liked to know exactly who I was working with for me and my team's safety.
As I was flipping through the pages, one in particular caught my eye.
It just so happened to be the same gorgeous woman from earlier smiling back at me.
Raine Williams. I continued reading her profile and found out that she’d been dancing since she was six.
She volunteered to teach classes at the center every Saturday, but her day job was as an office worker for the local newspaper.
“Hey, Auntie, did they know they were signing up to work for the event I’d be headlining?” I asked.
“They knew that they signed up to work a charity concert, but it hasn’t been disclosed yet who the headliner would be,” she replied. “The company plans on keeping it a surprise and dropping hints leading up to the event.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, not at all. I was just curious.”
She looks at me skeptically, but I flash her a smile, assuring her that I am fine.
She nods before turning her attention back to her phone.
I pull out mine as well and open IG. After a quick search, I found Raine’s profile, and damn…
she was so attractive. I could feel the infatuation growing, and I was getting anxious that I hadn’t stopped to talk to her, so I followed her.
I wasn’t sure if anything would come out of this, but at least I’d get to see her new photos whenever she posted.
I then swiped over to her videos, hoping to see more of her dancing, and the first one made my eyebrows shoot up.
It was a post in a collaboration with another account and had over half a million views.
I switched over to the other page and saw that it was one specifically for her dance videos.
So, I followed that one too, and then scrolled down to finally watch the video.
When I pushed play, I was taken aback as my song blasted through the headphones.
The choreography was different from the one I’d seen her doing earlier. This one was something she’d no doubt come up with all on her own. Honestly, I don’t think anyone could keep up with the way she moved.
She was graceful but powerful, and watching her was like watching the best scene of my favorite movie over and over.
I could see why this video had gotten so many views, but it definitely deserved more because she was talented as hell.
And by the looks of the comments, everyone else thought so as well. So, I did something that I rarely do.
I shared the video on my story.
Over the next thirty minutes, I watched as her follower count started to climb.
I was content with the outcome, but I hoped it wasn’t too overwhelming for her.
I know how hectic it can get to have so many people follow you out of the blue.
I just wanted her to get the recognition she deserved because her skills were worthy of that and more.
I finally locked my phone and sighed to myself as we pulled up to my parents’ place.
It wasn’t the same house we’d grown up in since I’d purchased a house for them right after I got my first big check.
It was a token of my appreciation for them always being there for my siblings and me.
I adored my parents like crazy, and without them, I wouldn’t have had the guts to follow my dreams.
They’ve always encouraged us since we were younger, constantly telling us to follow our hearts.
They wanted us to be happy and enjoy life to the fullest. They never said to us that what we wanted to achieve was unattainable.
In fact, they repeatedly reminded us that we were capable of doing anything we put our minds to.
In a world full of people praying for your downfall, it was nice to have people who genuinely supported you.
“The company rented out the entire store, so y’all can just take your time when you get there,” My aunt said as I climbed out of the SUV. I thanked her, and she smiled. “You sure you don’t want us to go with you?”
“Nah, we’ll be fine,” I assured her. “Devin doesn’t like too much attention being drawn to them, so I prefer just to drive myself. Dominic will be with us too, so don’t worry.”
“Okay, well, I'm off to another meeting. Call us if you need us.”
I wave as they pull off. Once the gate closed behind them, I turned to walk up the few steps to the front door.
Instead of knocking, I used my key and let myself in.
Bud, our family dog, immediately greets me.
After giving him a few head scratches and switching my shoes for a pair of the house slippers by the door, I travel deeper into the house and towards the smell of something delicious.
We’d stopped to get food on the way, but my stomach was growling once again because I knew that my mom was making her specialty of fried fish Po’ Boys.
“Mmm, it smells good in here,” I say as I enter.
Four heads turn towards the sounds, and soon, I’m being pulled into hugs from every side. It’s been too long since I saw them, and I instantly felt at peace in their embrace. There was nothing like being around family to brighten the mood.
“How have you been, my love?” My dad asks as my mom continues to pepper my cheeks with kisses. I giggle.
“Okay, Mom. Okay,” I say. “I’ve been good. Dang woman, I’ve only been gone two weeks.”
“And that’s two weeks too long,” she pouts. “You can’t blame us for being worried about you always being on the road.”
“And I don’t. I’m glad to be back, even if it is only for a little over a month,” I say, walking over to greet my sister-in-law Jennie. I place my hand on her protruding stomach. “How’s my nephew doing? He’s not giving you a hard time like his bigheaded ass daddy, huh?”
“You better chill out, Dawn,” Dominic warned with a laugh. “Already starting, I see.”
“You know I gotta keep you on your toes, baby bro.”
“Y’all two are something else,” Jennie replies. “And he’s doing well. He’s really active. Dom keeps saying that it means he’s gonna be an athlete.”
“Or, he could be a singer who happens to dance like his auntie,” I suggested.
“Whatever he is, he’s gonna be the best, I just know it,” my brother says, staring at his wife with pure adoration in his eyes. “Just like his Mommy.”
“Aww,” she gushes, and they share a kiss.
“Ugh, kill me now,” I joke, pretending to gag. He throws a plastic fork at me, which I dodge. “Alright, relax. Now, where is my favorite sibling?”
“I’m right here,” he says.
“Ew, yuck. Don’t flatter yourself. Just because you were born only ten months after me, doesn’t mean that you’re my favorite, loser,” I tease, causing everyone else to laugh. He flips me off, and our dad pops him upside the head.
“They’re up in their room getting ready,” my mom says.
I nod and turn to leave the kitchen, taking the stairs two at a time until I’m standing outside of Devin’s room.
The door is slightly ajar, but I knock anyway.
There’s no answer, so I peek my head in and see them with their headphones on, eyes closed, and dancing to whatever song they were listening to.
So, I pushed the door open wider and leaned against it, crossing my arms over my chest. It took them a good five minutes to notice me, but when they did, they jumped back, startled.
“Oh my god, you scared me, Dawn!” they exclaimed, and I couldn’t help but laugh. They frowned. “That’s not funny.”
“It kind of was,” I replied, walking deeper into their room. I held my arms open and welcomed them for a hug, which they gave me. Once we broke apart, I sat on the edge of their bed. “So, you ready to go dorm room shopping?”
“Uh…n-not really?” they admitted as they began to play with one of the bracelets on their wrist. This was something they always did when they were trying to calm their anxiety. I motioned for them to sit beside me, and they did.
“Want to talk about it?”
“I’m just…scared?” they replied, glancing at me. “I know I’ve been excited these last few weeks, but now that it’s about to happen and I’m seeing how much stuff I will need and how much I have to get done in the next few weeks, I am very overwhelmed. It’s a lot.”
“Yeah, it is, but guess what? You have me. You have Dom. You have mama and daddy, Auntie Jewels, your friends, and even Jennie,” I point out.
“We’re here for you whenever and however you need us.
We can take it as slow as you want, and if you aren’t up for shopping in stores, we can do it online too. You know it’s nothing.”
“So, you don’t mind if we skip the mall altogether?”
“Not at all,” I assure them. “And, I apologize for assuming that you would be up for that instead of asking you first. That’s my bad.
” They tell me that it’s okay. “Although you did promise that you’d try to get out of the house more, so, since you’re already dressed, how about we go spend the day together instead?
We don’t have to talk about anything school-related if you don’t want to. ”
“Can I spend the night at your place?” they ask enthusiastically.
“You know it,” I nod, softly bumping my shoulders against theirs. I stand, and they follow suit. “Pack a bag for the whole weekend and meet me downstairs when you’re done. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect.”
I hug them once more before leaving them to pack what they needed.
About twenty minutes later, we were saying bye to the rest of our family and heading back to New South.
I’d never get tired of spending quality time with them, and I hoped that we’d always get to spend time together like this even after they’d finally moved into college.