Trihn laughed. “Just happy I guess.”
“Preston?”
Trihn nodded. “I’m inviting him to the Hamptons.”
“Oh. Fancy!” Renée said. “Are you turning into Lydia now?”
“No!” Trihn protested. “Preston and I are actually serious.”
Renée shrugged. “Well, has he agreed to go?”
“I haven’t asked him yet.”
Renée rolled her eyes and reached for Trihn’s phone. “Oh my God! Give me the phone, and I’ll send the text myself.”
“I don’t need your help!” Trihn said, pulling her phone back. “I’ll send it now.”
Hey, I’m going on vacation with my parents in two weeks. They offered you an invitation to join us for the week, and I’d love it if you could come with me.
Trihn pressed Send and fidgeted as she waited for his response. Her phone dinged, and she looked down at it.
“And?” Renée prodded as she read over her shoulder.
I’ll check with work and get back to you.
“That’s not a very upbeat answer,” Renée said.
No, it’s not.
“He works a lot. He might not be able to get off.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Don’t uh-huh me,” Trihn snapped.
“I still think he’s a little creepy with the way he stalked you.”
“He didn’t stalk me! We’ve been through this.”
“Well, whatever. We have a class to teach, so worry about the BF later,” Renée teased.
“Fine.”
Trihn put her phone away into her dance bag. But just as she was about to walk away to go to the barre, it dinged. She reached for it to check the message, hoping for good news.
I just asked my boss. He said the weeks up until I get back into school are the most important. Sounds like a no-go. Sorry, babe.
Oh…
Disappointment—it was completely stupid to feel it. She hadn’t even wanted to invite Preston on vacation. That wasn’t her at all. Then, she had let hope weasel in, and she had actually considered that it would be a good idea. Even on short notice, she thought it might be possible. Then, her high hopes had deflated just as quickly as they’d come.
“What?” Renée asked, the concern evident in her voice.
Trihn must have really looked like shit to elicit that reaction from her. She normally had a casually playful tone full of sarcastic humor.
“Nothing,” Trihn said, quickly stashing her phone
“You can’t bullshit me. What did he say?” Renée took two steps toward Trihn and yanked the phone out of her hand. She read the message and then handed it back.
“Yeah, he can’t go,” Trihn said. She chewed on her lip and glanced away from her friend.
“Hey, if you’re not up for Intensive today, then you can head out. I can handle it,” she said consolingly.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Stop saying that. You’re clearly upset.”
“Renée, can we not?”
“Preston is your first boyfriend, and you put your heart on the line, inviting him to this. He probably doesn’t even know it, but I do.”
“Yeah, well, I feel stupid for being upset.” Trihn swiped at her eyes. God, now tears?
She took a deep breath. She would never have had tears like this if Renée hadn’t asked her about it. She could have held it together through dance, and then it all would have just gone away. It was always the worst when someone asked if she was okay. It was as if the minute someone cared, her walls would crumble.
“You’re not stupid.” Renée slid her arm around Trihn’s shoulders. “You’re just human. I know you wear your heart on your sleeve, no matter how serious or how much of a tough girl you are.”
Trihn shrugged. “Nothing I can do now. Let’s just go dance.”
She left Renée behind as she strolled to the barre.
Planting her feet in first position and resting her hand featherlight on the barre were the only things that Trihn let occupy her mind. She wasn’t going to think about Preston or vacation, which just meant a week without him, or anything else. She was just going to focus on her body lowering into a plié, the feel of her feet rising up onto pointe in a relevé, and the burn in her legs as she pushed her body to the limit.
THE SHOWER BEAT DOWN ON TRIHN’S HEAD, blocking out the pulse hammering against her temples. Ballet had temporarily alleviated the pain and disappointment of what had happened before class, but the anger had continued to simmer just under the surface, giving her a headache.
She shut off the shower and threw back two Tylenol she’d retrieved from her dance bag. She took a swig out of her mostly empty water bottle and waited for the miracle to set in.
“T, I’m heading out. Are you ready?” Renée called.
“Yeah, I’m coming.” She wound her hair up into a tight ponytail on top of her head and then slid into the clothes she had come in—loose-fit gray shorts, a white V-neck T-shirt¸ and black-and-silver slipper ballet flats.
With a deep breath, she set out for the exit with Renée. They both jumped when they found a figure standing in the foyer of the dance studio. It was late, way after-hours for anyone but a student to have access to the company.
“Sorry, we’re not open,” Renée called.
But as they drew closer, Trihn recognized the person in front of her. “It’s all right.”
They stopped in front of Preston. He had a worry line in between his eyebrows. His perfect lips were pursed with concern. She wanted to reach out and hug him, to try to comfort him for whatever he was feeling, but she didn’t move. She still keenly felt the sting of rejection.
“Hey. What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Came to see you.”
Trihn crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought you had to work.”
Renée coughed next to Trihn and then pushed her own hand out. “I’m Renée, Trihn’s friend.”
“Hi, Renée.” He shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. Take care of my friend,” she said with a slight warning in her voice. “I’m just going to head out and leave you two alone.” Renée tossed keys on a blue keychain to Trihn. “Lock up after you leave.”
“Thanks. I will.”
Renée left them in a hurry, clearly feeling the wave of tension between them.
Had it really only been this morning when I woke up in his arms, desperate to never leave?
For some reason, as they stood apart now, it felt like a lifetime ago.
“So, this is your studio?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Can you show me around?” He smiled tentatively. “I want to see where you spend all your time.”
“Sure,” she whispered.
She didn’t exactly want to play like everything was fine. She was upset but not at him. She was more upset with herself for wanting him to go with her so badly when she had never wanted that before. She just didn’t know how to channel that anger.
He took her hand, and they walked around the studio through the open foyer, down the hallway where the administrative offices were, past the empty dressing rooms, and around to all the dance studios. She ended the tour in the studio she and Renée had just been working in.
Trihn walked Preston over to the far wall, which had floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the New York City street below. He was so silent, and she wished she knew what he was thinking. She didn’t even know what he was doing here.
She couldn’t hold in all the emotions swirling through her any longer. “Why are you here?” she blurted.