Chapter 13 #3
I was so lost in the movement that I didn't hear the door open.
“You're beautiful when you dance.”
I spun around, breathless, to find Derek leaning against the doorframe. He wore gray joggers and a Titans hoodie, his hair still messy from sleep. He looked soft and rumpled and perfect.
“You're early,” I said, pressing pause on the music. “It's only,” I glanced at the clock. “1:30. Shit.”
Derek pushed off the doorframe, walking toward me with that easy athlete's grace. “You've been dancing for four and a half hours?”
Had I? I looked down at my sweat-soaked clothes and felt a pleasant ache in my muscles. “I guess so.”
“Rosie.” His voice was gentle but concerned. “That's a lot.”
“It's not nearly what I used to do,” I said defensively. “When I was training seriously, I'd do six to eight hours a day.”
“But you're not training seriously anymore. Your hip,”
“My hip is fine,” I snapped, then immediately regretted it. “Sorry. I just... I need this. The dancing. It's the only time my brain shuts up.”
Derek studied me for a long moment, then nodded. “Okay. But will you at least take a break? Drink some water? Let me look at your hip?”
“You're not a physical therapist.”
“No, but I've spent enough time with them to know when someone's pushing too hard.” He grabbed my water bottle from the corner and handed it to me. “Drink. Then let me see.”
I wanted to argue, but the concern in his eyes stopped me. I drank the water, realizing I was desperately thirsty, and then sat on the mat.
I glanced at my phone, reading the notification, my heart skipping a beat as Daisy’s name appeared.
Daisy
I’m sorry I was mean. I was just very stressed and worried about the whole Jer thing. I shouldn’t have said what I said. You’ve been an amazing friend to me. I love you.
Emotions clogged my throat from her message, and some of the heavy weight lifted off my shoulders as I showed Dex the message. “Look.”
“That’s great! I’m glad you girls made up.” Derek knelt beside me, his hands gentle as they pressed around my hip joint. “Does this hurt?”
“A little. But it always does.”
“And this?” He rotated my leg slightly.
I winced. “More than a little.”
He let out a slow breath. “You need to ice it. And rest.”
“I'm fine.”
“Rosie.” He cupped my face, forcing me to meet his eyes. “I get it. I get the need to push, needing to prove you still can. But you can't dance yourself into another injury. You told me that I needed to listen to my body, remember? About knowing the difference between discomfort and pain?”
Damn him for using my own words against me.
“I just...” My voice cracked. “I just need to feel like myself. And dancing is the only time I do.”
“I know.” Derek sat beside me, pulling me against his chest. I melted into him, feeling his heartbeat steady against my back. “But you're not going to lose yourself if you take a break. I promise.”
We sat like that for a long moment, his arms around me, my body finally relaxing.
“How did your morning go?” he asked eventually. “After our call?”
“Good, actually. I texted Nova and Ivy, and made plans with both of them. Apologized to Daisy.” I tilted my head back to look at him. “I'm trying. The whole 'being a better friend' thing.”
“I'm proud of you.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “That took guts.”
“It was just texts.”
“It was more than that. It was you deciding to show up differently.” Another kiss, this time on my temple. “That's huge.”
I shifted in his arms, turning to face him properly. “Thank you. For last night. For not letting me spiral completely.”
“Always.” His thumb traced my cheekbone. “We're a team, remember? You show up for me, I show up for you.”
“A team,” I repeated, liking how that sounded. “Is that what we're calling it?”
“Would you prefer 'couple'? 'Dating'? 'Exclusive situationship'?” He grinned. “I'm open to suggestions.”
I bit my lip, trying not to smile. “What do you want to call it?”
“Honestly?” Derek's expression turned serious. “I want to call you, my girlfriend. But I know we're keeping things quiet right now, so whatever label makes you comfortable works for me.”
My heart did a complete somersault in my chest. “Girlfriend?”
“Too much?” He looked suddenly uncertain, vulnerable in a way I rarely saw. “We can stick with just ‘us’ if you want,”
I kissed him. Cut off his rambling with my lips on his, my hands sliding into his hair. He made a surprised sound but recovered quickly, his arms tightening around me as he kissed me back.
It was different from our first kiss. Less tentative, more certain. Like we'd both stopped questioning whether we should and started just... doing.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, I rested my forehead against his.
“I want to be your girlfriend,” I whispered. “Even if it's a secret for now. Even if it's complicated. I want this. I want you.”
Derek's smile was brilliant, transforming his entire face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I kissed him again, softer this time. “Now come on, boyfriend. You have a Pilates session to get through, and I'm going to make you work extra hard for making me emotional.”
He groaned but stood, pulling me up with him. “You're evil.”
“You love it.”
“I do,” he agreed, and the way he looked at me made my breath catch.
I do.
Not I love you, not yet. But something close. Something that felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing you were about to jump but not quite ready to let go.
Soon, maybe. But not today.
Today, we had Pilates to do, secrets to keep, and a relationship to figure out one moment at a time.
And somehow, that was enough.