Bated Breath

C h a p t e r : 13

Y a s m i n e

Thursday, February 25th

Today, Chante was taking me to one of Chris' rehearsals. Ever since our talk she's just been taking me anywhere she can, just the two of us, to cheer me up.

"Hey baby." Chante said as Chris engulfed her in a hug kissing her everywhere. She giggled trying to hide her face in the crook of his neck and finally he stopped, just hugging her and rocking them from side to side.

Their relationship is admirable and the vibe they gave made my soul feel good. Now that's how you know when something is real.

"I missed ya boney ass." He said kissing her forehead. She blushed and bit her lips pecking his lips once more. "Yasmine," Chris finally noticed me and was surprised to see me, "It's good to see you. How you been?"

"I'm doing alright for now." He nodded approvingly and picked Chante up throwing her on his back. "There's someone who would love to see you though." He winked taking us down to the front seats.

I knew he was talking about Anthony but...was he here? It's been a while since I've seen him so the thought of him possibly being here made me nervous.

Chante and I sat about three rows away from the stage and just talked while Chris went over the routine with his dancers. When he was finished another person took the stage and it was a face I haven't seen in a while.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw him. He had cut his hair down a little and I loved it. I was curious to see what he was about to do.

He signaled to someone in the back and the music cut on. From the moment he opened his mouth I was enchanted. His voice was beautiful and gave me goosebumps almost everywhere on my body.

I sat forward taking in every bit of this, never looking away from him. When he finished I was startled by Chante's eruption of cheers. Anthony's curiosity brought him down to our row of seats and I couldn't have properly explained to myself the mix of emotions I was feeling.

"That was great Toni. You definitely got this." Tey said, praising him. I was still in shock of what I just witnessed. "I'm gonna go check on Chris. Be right back." Tey left us alone to talk and honestly I didn't know where to start.

"Hey..." He said breaking the silence. My eyes fluttered a few times as reality slowly crept back into my mind. It's really him.

"H-hey..." What do I even say right now?

"How've you bin?" He bit his lips in as he wiped away a few beads of sweat from his forehead.

"I'm ok...you?"

"I'm gud." He answered, throwing his towel over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry about not returning your calls." I blurted out. "After that night I just kind of shut down." He nodded.

"S'all gud. I'm just happy you doin betta." He smiled.

"Thanks." I felt terrible now. I shouldn't have pushed him away like that.

"Well I gotta go now..are you comin to da show?" I nodded way too quickly, but at least it made him laugh. "Aite den. I'll see ya." He bit his lip taking his time to leave.

"Toni!" I called out. He stopped and turned to look at me. I don't know what came over me but I just ran into his chest giving him the biggest hug I could manage.

After a few seconds, I felt his arms wrap tightly around me. His chin rested on my forehead as we stood there taking in each other's presence a bit longer. "I'm so sorry. I've missed you so much." His arms tightened around me.