He Loves Me, I Love Ballet

Chapter 19

Rian led me out of the house, my parents paying no mind. Shouldn't they be more cautious about sending me out alone with some guy? I'm baffled by how much trust they have in him.

We get in his car. I never noticed before - it was shiny and oh so very expensive-looking. How expected. As soon as I buckled myself into the car and settled into the leather seat, I set about convincing myself that I was not at all excited to be spending the day with him. I've just resigned myself to the fact that he was dragging me off somewhere, I tell myself that's why I don't protest as he revs the engine and speeds down my street, swinging around the curve towards the Main Street of town. We pass the dance studio, then school, and soon we're all the way on the other side of town.

I don't know exactly what I'm expected to say or do in this situation, so I look out the window the whole time and keep quiet. I hope he's going to let me dance again, but I know that's not likely. We cross over the town borders and onto the freeway.

"Are you going to be silent the whole time?" Rian asked. "Because I know you probably don't want to be doing anything with me, but you've not really got a choice. It's only fair that you try to enjoy my company as much as I'm enjoying yours." He grinned.

I turned towards him. "You did not just flirt with me."

"Worth a shot," he replied with a casual shrug. I rolled my eyes and decided to take advantage of the fancy stereo system. My fingers flittered for a bit before I found and pressed the play button.

My lips parted in surprise when the first dramatic chords of Transmission by Joy Division reached my ears. What sort of popular jock liked Joy Division?

Rian's obnoxious grin widened when he met my gaze. "You never took the time to look at me properly, Ria. I might be cooler than you think." I just closed my lips and turned back to the window.

We arrived at our destination after a solid twenty minutes on the freeway. Rian took a sharp turn onto an exit, crossed and swerved around some back roads and we suddenly ended up in a park. It was quite beautiful, actually. The grass sloped downhill from the edge of the small, dirt parking area and plateaued around a large pond. The water was rimmed with sand, as though it were a small lake, and the rest of the expansive but secluded area was covered in long grasses and wildflowers.

I faced Rian skeptically. "You're not drawing inspiration from Twilight are you? Because Edward Cullen's 'bring the girl to a pretty meadow' thing wasn't even original when he did it."

"I'm not aiming to be original Ria, I'm just planning on having fun. You're going to, too, believe it or not. Give me a hand?" He opened the trunk of his car and pulled out a bundle of blankets and a picnic basket, handing me the blankets to carry. I couldn't believe he'd thought bringing Little Miss Eating Disorder on a picnic chock full o' food was a good idea.

I sighed and followed Rian as we traipsed downhill towards the glassy pond.

~~~

I passed the time rather ineffectively, since I was resolute to stay as silent as possible. I tried to mark a few dance steps in the concealing grass. Rian seemed distracted, so I began to dance the choreography out a bit more, and then a little more, and soon the impulse had taken over. Before long, I couldn't stop myself from improvising little jumps and twirls; dancing is too much a part of me. I can't stop dancing once I've started, be there music and a stage or silence and a meadow. The music is in my veins, and it's as much an involuntary life function as breathing.

I didn't notice Rian watching me or walking towards me. I only realized he was so close when I turned straight towards him. His expression was extraordinary; I could only call it amazed. He seemed to be absolutely in awe.