Chapter 181: Penny
Plié! Plié, again, Penny. Again! No, not like this!”
Madame Loretto’s voice slices through the rehearsal room like a whip, sharp and commanding. My thighs are burning, sweat clinging to the nape of my neck. my chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. Every muscle aches. My armis feel like they’re made of glass, my legs like fire–but God, I feel alive.
I’m back.
Back in the mirrored room, back under Madame’s watchful look like poetry.
eye,
back with Luc, who moves beside me with the kind of effortless grace that makes everything
あ
And Madame?
She’s treating me like she always did.
Which is to say: like I’m made of steel, not porcelain.
Well, mostly. We haven’t done a single lift since I came back.
She says it’s because I’m “rusty,” because my frame has softened and my center is off–balance and I need to work on my foot placement and everything before we even consider running the full choreography.
But I see the way she looks at me when I lose my footing. I catch the flash of hesitation in Luc’s eyes whenever I take a turn too sharp. I know they’re both haunted by the moment my body hit the floor, limp and unconscious.
Still. I’m here. And I’m dancing.
And I feel strong.
“From the beginning,” Madame snaps.
The piano starts again. I push my breath down into my ribs and move–fluid, centered, rising onto pointe like my body remembers exactly what to do, even if my brain doubts it.
Luc is at my side, steady and sure. I turn, he mirrors me. I extend, he follows. We glide across the floor like we’re tethered to the same invisible music.
I catch my reflection in the mirror as we hit the final pose. I look… okay.
No, I look good.
“Très bien,” Madame mutters. High praise, coming from her. “We’ll stop here.”
I exhale hard, bending down to stretch out my calves.
Luc catches up to me as we walk out of the room. “Your fifth position today was not entirely offensive,” he says, ever the dramatic Frenchman.
“Oh my God, thank you. Please embroider that on my tombstone,” I pant.
“You are improving. A little less… dead inside,” he teases.
I elbow him, laughing. “That’s my brand, Luc. Don’t take it from me.”
We exit the hallway, still discussing the second half of the routine, and that’s when I see him.
Leaning against the white marble lobby wall, legs crossed at the ankle, a paperback in one hand and his other in his jacket pocket.
Asher.
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Chapter 181 Penny
He looks up when he hears my footsteps, but instead of moving immediately, he holds up a single finger as he finisher his rentang
God, of course he finishes his sentence,
Then he closes the book, slides it into his coat, and walks over. He kisses the top of my head.
“Want me to take you home?” he asks softly.
I shake my head. “Nope. I want to go with you.”
He smiles. “Okay.”
Luc whistles low and says something in French that I know is about how hot Asher is. I roll my eyes and tell him to shut up and keep walking.
It’s been six days since… everything.
Since Tyler slammed the car door shut and drove me off into the night like a complete stranger. Since I threw up under the bleachers. Since Asher chased as down, carried me away, held me through the night like I was something precious instead of something broken.
The first night, I fell asleep in his arms. The second night, too. My parents let him stay. But after that, he went back home.
Things haven’t been great since.
Asher keeps his cool on the surface, like he always does, but I can tell it’s different now. He’s detached around Tyler. Polite. Quiet. Barely looks at him. I think their parents feel it too.
But Asher’s been planning to move out since before all this. He told me weeks ago, when he first thought maybe he wouldn’t re–enlist. He wants his own space, something smaller, more private. A place that’s just his.
So now I’m going with him to look at apartments.
Turns out, he does pretty well for himself. With his rank and his specialized diving missions, he made a solid amount of money. Three years with the Navy SEALS and no time to spend it made him quietly comfortable.
I was surprised when he told me. But I’d shared things with him too–like how the spring gala offered me a year contract with an $80,000 salary. More than I ever dreamed of, especially at nineteen.
Between the two of us… we’re okay.
Not that it matters. I don’t know what we are. But I know how he looks at me. And I know how my stomach flips when he does.
We pull into a small complex in the hills just past town. There’s snow on the grass, a little frozen path leading to the door. Inside, the apartment is warm and modern–big windows, open kitchen, light hardwood floors.
The real estate lady is peppy and enthusiastic. “It’s a one–bedroom,” she says, “but everything is brand–new. Central heating, in–unit laundry, quartz countertops, and the water pressure in the shower is divine.”
She’s right. It’s not huge, but it’s nice.
1 trail behind Asher as we walk through the rooms. He runs his hand over the kitchen island, opens the cupboards, tests the light switches. We check out the bedroom, the small living area, the cozy bathroom.
When we circle back to the main space, he turns to me.
“You like it?”
My cheeks heat. “I do. But it only matters if you do.”
The woman smiles and says, “I’ll give you two a minute,” before stepping out into the hallway.
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Chapter 181: Penny
The second the door clicks shut, Asher’s mouth is on mine.
He kisses me slow and deep, his hands on my waist. When he finally pulls away, breathless, he murmurs, “I like kissing you in this toont.
Then he grabs my hand and pulls me toward the bathroom.
He presses me gently against the cool tile of the shower wall, eyes gleaming with something playful and wicked.
“I really like kissing you in here too.”
I’m breathless by the time he pulls away.
Then we’re in the kitchen again, my back against the counter, his lips grazing mine between smirks.
He leans back, eyes glazed like he’s drunk on it all. “Yeah,” he says. “I approve of this place.”
I giggle. “Maybe you should see some more first.”
He frowns. “Do you like it?”
I glance around–the soft light through the windows, the quiet, the peace outside.
“I do,” I whisper. “It’s so nice.”
The real estate agent returns, adjusting her coat. “Well, any questions?”
Asher doesn’t even look at her.
He keeps his eyes locked on mine and says, calmly, without hesitation-
“We’ll take it.”
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