Chapter 34
Oscar
“You look like someone took a shit in your Cheerios.” The sound of Jax’s voice makes my annoyance flare.
“Yeah, well if you thought you were going to finally make a life with someone and instead they caused a fight and moved across the country without you, you’d be pissed too.”
I storm off throwing my shit in my locker and walk into the board room.
Horner takes one look at me and stands from his chair and starts walking towards me. “No, go home. You are not going to come in here and make this harder than it has to be.”
He tries to turn me around to have me exit the room, but I slide under his arm and sit down in the seat closest to me.
“I need to make sure you don’t hire someone I’m going to fall in love with. Apparently, I have a thing for dancers.”
“Don’t we all,” Kody says in a suggestive tone.
I pin him with my glare, not amused by his jokes right now.
“You have the entire off season to convince yourself of all the reasons dancers are bad for you, but you can’t be in here.” Horner spits across the table as he says it, but I ignore him, and it’s perfect timing as the first candidate walks in.
My back is to the door now, and I don’t bother turning around. The sound of the steps on the carpet have me curious though. They’re heavier than I would have expected for a dancer. Each one thuds against the floor in heavy beats.
I’m even more surprised when a tall figure takes the chair next to me at the head of the long table.
Horner gives me a pointed glance using his pen to signal me to sit up in my chair as he starts talking. “Hi there, so this is a pretty informal process. We already watched your audition tapes, we just want to get to know you a little better.”
For obvious reasons—mainly that the season is over, this will be a very different process. No live performance from the team. No fan voting. Just a conversation… With this… dude.
Judging by the clothes he’s wearing, hip hop seems to be his dance of choice, and if that’s the case, I’m here for it.
Interest has me sitting up a little taller in my seat.
“Tell us about your background, Marcus.”
“Yeah, I spent the last several years studying at Juilliard. I took choreography classes specializing in hip hop, contemporary, and ballroom dance. Before I went to Juilliard, I got my bachelors in marketing and investing. My goal is to build a network of connections with various sporting, theatre and dance companies that focus on youth development and engagement. I want to open an investment company one day that offers financial assistance to youth focused charities.”
Horner stares at this kid with his mouth agape, and I don’t blame him. I’m impressed as fuck by the ambition he has. He can’t be any older than 26, and has his entire life mapped out.
By the time we finish interviewing him, Horner offers him the job, thank fuck. I really like this kid and he’s not a tall, curvy dancer with tits that make my mouth water.
“Kody will show you around, if you have any questions, let me know.” Horner’s voice cuts the visions of Mare, and I want to kiss him for it.
“Oh I almost forgot, I have two buddies I met in undergrad in Vermont who would be amazing additions to your team. One of them might be signing with the Sun Cats, but the other is a PR dream, tall blond with bright green eyes, the ladies never leave him alone. I’m not sure if they’d be interested, but they both exude Moonshot energy.
They graduate this spring, when are tryouts? ”
“Tryouts are in a few months, so they wouldn’t be eligible until next season, but give them my contact information, we can stay in touch.” Horner is big on anyone who exudes Moonshot energy… whatever that means.
Masochist.
That’s me, the only word there is to describe me. How else do you explain me sitting on the couch in the dark scrolling through not only Mare’s social media pages, but mine, Orbit’s, Sloan’s, the Moonshot page, and any other page that will give me a glimpse of my girl?
Seeking anything that will allow me to relive the days we were together.
Because honestly this feels more productive to me than what I did last night, which was staring at her texts, and missed calls on my phone.
“Why don’t you just call her, and put both of you out of your misery?” Jax’s voice comes somewhere from the dark shadows of our living room.
“She was clear that she felt like a rebound. I can’t fix that.”
“She said something and it came out wrong. Shove down your ego.”
I sit up and turn towards the direction of his voice, “This isn’t about my ego, Jax, it was the haunted look in her eyes.
She thought she’d move away and I’d fall in love with the next dancer that took her place.
I could call her, shit I could even go there and try to make things right, but it would only be for now.
The second I come back home her insecurities would come right back, and she’d spiral.
I can’t undo things in the past that made her feel that way.
We’d end up losing each other despite our efforts.
I fucked up from the start. It’s better to rip the bandaid now before we’re too far in. ”
“Right because offering to uproot yourself and live half time in New York isn’t too far in.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that. It’s over, Jax. I just need some time to recover, and I’ll be good.”
“If you say so.” He shrugs me off.
“You don’t believe me.”
“No.”
“Why?” I stand as if I’m challenging him… to what I don’t know.
“When you walked in on T and Raf, you drank yourself into oblivion and then buried yourself in some random fucking redhead until you eventually came out the other side and saw Mare. There is no other side of Mare, because all you’re doing is falling deeper into the void. In the dark.”
“Fine, I’ll find the other side.” I pick up my phone and shoot off a text and head to the shower.
I close the bathroom door and close my eyes. Hesitating. Contemplating what this means for my future with Mare.
Is there one?
I open my phone again in an attempt to move on.
And then close it.
“Fuck.”