The Face Of Ballet

Keys to his heart

When James got in through the front door he saw Lilly closing the back door and breathing heavily. He looked at her around the corner completely confused at her state.

Had she been running?

Why?

Was she running from something?

Or someone?

"You ok doll?" James asked as he sent down the carton of eggs on the table.

"Uh yeah I was just outside for a bit" Lilly said trying to slow down her breathing.

James looked at her trying to examine her features. He couldn't read them. James had no idea what was wrong and that scared him.

He was always able to tell by Lilly's face what she was feeling but she was looking at him like she never had before. He wondered to himself was it fear or frustration?

But why would she be scared of him?

This led him to think that something had happened when he was gone. She knew something and she was trying to hide it. That was slowly driving James mad as the day went on.

The hours went by and Lilly was trying to act as though nothing was wrong but James knew better than that.

When he went upstairs Lilly was getting ready to leave the house as she needed to go back to hers to get dressed to meet up with Natasha and Steve. James watched her get ready on her own, her eyes told him everything.

She was scared to tell him something.

James slowly opened the door and walked in. Lilly froze and looked over her shoulder at him.

"Hey" Lilly said with a smile on her face.

"You almost ready to go?" James asked as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Yeah I just need to put my shoes on" Lilly said trying to seem as normal as possible but James saw through her act.

"What's wrong you've been weird ever since I came home?" James let go off her waist to look at her. She was staring down at the ground and fiddling with her fingers. There was something on her mind. She was nervous about something.

"It's just- I need to go back to my apartment for the next three days we have rehearsals everyday before opening night and I don't want you to have to bring me back and forth, pulling you out of work every time. I-it just doesn't make sense" Lilly lied to the best of her abilities to cover up the honest truth but she did also need to go back to her apartment and she had been meaning to talk to him about it.

"It that why you've been avoiding me all day? You were scared to ask to go back home?" James looked down at Lilly as she stared back up at him.

"I didn't want you to think that I didn't want to be here anymore. It just makes more sense to leave right now" Lilly smiled up at James as he kissed her on the forehead.

"No it's fine doll I get it" James looked at Lilly before reaching into his pocket.

James pulled out a key with a pink cover on it and placed it in Lilly's hand. She looked down at it for a few seconds then back up at James.

"So you can come back whenever you need to" James held Lilly by the waist and kissed the top of her head before leading her out of the bedroom and down the stairs. When the got out the front door James let Lilly use her key to lock the door. It was like the christening of the house in James' eyes.

He had never met anyone he would want to share his home with, let alone love someone as much as he loved Lilly. Then it hit him hard like a train.