12. Bracing for Failure #4
“Yeah, I’ve been curious about that too,” Gabriel chimes in, having clearly been eavesdropping.
Every pair of eyes—Gabriel’s, Dillon’s, Richard’s, Evelyn’s, and Lily’s—are to me. My palms start sweating and my mind goes blank.
Lily grins, fingers steepling. “Time to spill the tea, Eleanor.”
I twist my fingers in my lap. “Like I said… he was only helping me with my rond de jambe—”
“Yeah, yeah, we got that,” Lily interrupts. “What we need to know is how he helped.” She wiggles her brows.
“Come on, Lily.” Dillon leans forward, eyes bouncing between me and Lily. “Nik is our friend, yes, but he is also our coach. I’m sure nothing went on,” he says, raising a questioning brow in my direction.
Lily waves him off. “No, no. I can sense she’s withholding some very interesting information…” She says to Dillon, then turns to me, eyes sparkling. “Well?”
Nik’s like a brother to Lily, isn’t he? Why does she care about him coaching me?
“He… uh,” I stumble, my face growing hot. “He showed me how to do it more smoothly.” I clear my throat. “He grabbed me—uh, here.” I gesture vaguely to my hip. “Just to hold it in place. Then he helped me relax my wrist. That’s pretty much it.”
Lily squeals, fist punching the air in triumph.
Richard palms his face. Evelyn tries to calm Lily down. Gabriel’s grin stretches wider than I’ve seen all evening. Dillon’s face remains passive.
“Shut. The. Front. Door!” Lily screeches, clearly disregarding Evelyn. “Wait until I tell Irina!”
The color drains from my face. Oh no.
“All right, all right,” Richard says, reaching behind Evelyn to pat Lily’s back. “Don’t scare the poor girl now.”
“Please, Dad,” Lily drawls, brushing him off, “I’m not scaring her… am I?” She pins me with her gaze.
I attempt to smile. I want to say no. But whoever Irina is… I’m not so sure.
“Um… no,” I utter, trying to convince myself more than anyone else.
Evelyn throws an arm over Lily’s shoulders, pulling her close. “Pudding, leave Nik and Eleanor alone. He was just doing what coaches do. Isn’t that right, Richard?” she asks, clearly looking to him for backup.
He dips his chin. “Sounds like it to me.”
Evelyn’s gaze shifts to him, a warm smile softening her lips. Their eyes meet, and something unspoken settles between them. Warmth, understanding, and possibly love. If love even exists. If it does, it’s definitely in their eyes right now.
Lily frowns, narrowing her eyes at her parents.
“You two are old. You would never understand,” she says, then shifts to me.
“I just want you to know, Nik never does that. And I mean never. I’ve known him my whole life, and I’ve never seen him take someone aside like that. One-on-one? Alone? That’s a first.”
“She’s speaking the truth,” Gabriel adds.
“I’ve known him for…” He starts counting on his fingers.
“Twelve years now.” He shrugs, tossing a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth.
“I’m with Lils—never seen him correct someone as much as he does with you.
” His smile spreads wider. “He must like you.” He chuckles under his breath.
My head snaps toward him. “I hope not.” I press a hand to my chest, my heart pounding harder with every passing second.
A wry smirk tugs at Gabriel’s mouth.
If Irina is someone like his wife, I’m in massive trouble. What happened with Soren was already enough to haunt me; this would be so much worse. It’s not just opening a bag of worms, it’s unlocking a cage of hungry snakes.
But honestly, what will it say about him? Cheating is common in the ballet world. Just look at Soren. Married with kids, and he still offered himself to me in exchange for a promotion.
I shiver at the memory.
Dillon stands without a word and slips his jacket off his shoulders, holding it out to me. “Here. You keep shivering.”
I take it gently. “Thank you.” I give him a small smile and drape it around my shoulders. It smells faintly of citrus and pine, still warm from his body.
He dips his chin. “No problem. It’s pretty warm out here anyway.”
Evelyn gives me a curious once-over. Her eyes sweep down and then back up again, and a small crease forms between her brows. Like I’m suddenly a puzzle she can’t solve.
I smile faintly in her direction, then turn back to the game. I have no idea what’s happening on the field, but honestly, anything is better than being analyzed. Still, I can’t help but wonder what she’s trying to see in me with just a single look.
Thankfully, the attention drifts from Nik and me and settles back on the game.
The men shout praise toward the players while Lily, Evelyn, and I cheer for Grace on the sidelines.
It’s… fun. So much fun that I forget about the chill in the air, Nik’s confusing moment with me earlier, and Dillon’s strange on-and-off mood.
As cheers erupt for the winning team in crimson and cream, I don’t think about whose jacket rests on my shoulders or the piercing blue eyes I’ve been trying to forget.
I jump up and down with Lily, laughing, breathless, and for once… free. For the first time in my life, I’m glad I made a decision without overthinking it.