Tasha's POV
I woke up with a start from the buzzing of my phone and my alarm going off. I turn over unplugging my phone and then realizing the bed was empty. I got up and went in the kitchen to find Kaleb cooking breakfast for the two of us. I sat down at the table not expecting him to bring it to me but he did. I looked at him and said "Thank you, seriously. You didn't have to stay with me yet you did, you learned the real reason why my parents left, all these things in the past 48-72 hours and you have stayed. You saw me melt down and didn't leave. So seriously I thank you. I know this is weird for me to express myself in this way but I just felt this need to thank you for being here."
Kaleb looked at me with his blue eyes wide mouth open. I turn to leave quickly but he grabs me by the wrist and pulled me back gently. I turned and faced him not meeting his gaze. He put his finger under my chin making me look him in the eyes. "I was only speechless because you honestly have not opened up to me since we talked about Ryan and you broke down. I was too afraid to say anything because I didn't want to say the wrong thing or say something come out completely different than how it had sounded in my head." He then pulled me into a hug. His smell engulfed my senses and I felt safe in the comfort of his embrace. I looked over at the clock and saw that we really had to go if we didn't want to be late for school so I quickly took my food and shoveled it in my mouth and put my plate in the sink.
I went to my room and quickly and got changed into a random t-shirt hoodie and leggings and shoving clothes into my bag for dance after school today. I ran out to my vehicle and started it, cranking the heat up as it was a really chilly morning. A quick second later Kaleb was in my vehicle and we were off to school. Once we arrived I put my dance bag clear in the back seat of my truck and hopped out throwing my hair into a ponytail before going into the school. Once there Kaleb didn't leave my side. He stuck by me until we had to go to class and thing were really starting to get better between us and almost like they were before he disappeared.
I walked out to my truck with a huge smile on my face because I knew that today was the first day Kaleb and I were actually going to work in the studio while other people were working on things and it not just being the two of us. But when I got to my vehicle my smile immediately vanished. I saw Courtney and Oliver were pushed up against my vehicle making out with each other and that made my day horrible. But then Kaleb came to my side and and my smile returned slowly and I was instantly in a better place then I had been just moments before.
Kaleb most have sensed how tense I was because he left my side and I felt instantly cold. He walked over to where I had parked and they must have sensed his presences because he easily towers over the both of them. They both looked at him and he said some things that I couldn't hear and they left hastily. He looked over at me and gave me one of his rare smiles and waved me over to the truck.
We got to the studio in a matter of minutes and the silence wasn't awkward what so ever it was comfortable and almost like living in a memory from the many times we had driven around times before. When we went inside I told him he could stay out here and study or something until I came and got him for our duet practice or he could just follow me around and just watch. I went to change and put on a long sleeve shirt knowing that I would eventually get hot but I did not care at this point and put on my spandex and walked into the studio room and did my whole stretch routine and warmed up a little bit and heard someone walk in. Thinking it was my instructor I quickly moved and got into place and heard a deep laugh. I looked up realizing it was Kaleb and relaxed and laughed and went back to warming up. Soon after Kaleb came in my instructor came in and did a double take when he saw Kaleb sitting there. I turned and realized what he was looking at. I chuckled and said "This is my new duet partner Kaleb." Kaleb stands and shakes his hand like the gentleman I know he is.
3 hours later....
After a long 3 hours of hard and intense practice Kaleb and I finally get to practice the duet for the first time that nigh. We start with all the lift sections and it goes better then what I had originally thought especially after the night before with me coming home late and being majorly pissed off at him. After our talk this morning I feel even closer with him. As we danced I felt like we were so close it was just the best time that we had ever done it. When we had finished I was breathing hard and Kaleb's hand went to my cheek and wiped the tears that I had not even realized had even fell from my eyes. When he finished he wrapped me into a hug and I let out a few silent sobs and the room was still silent even after us standing there for 5 minutes. My instructor stood up and said "That was the most emotion I had ever seen from you Tasha. Keep up the good work. Both of you."
After changing back into my street clothes I went out to the truck and waited on Kaleb who had to use the bathroom. I pulled up my sleeves and looked at my wrists seeing the scars from the past few months and years past. I felt like this was going to not be another time of me going back to my dark place and having to go back and getting back into figuring out how to dig myself out of this hole yet again. I was in my own little world that I did not even hear Kaleb come into the vehicle. He grabbed my wrists and looked at the scars that I had with one hand and with the other he wiped the tears that had started to fall. I took my wrists away because I know he knew what I had done and was afraid to even start with even explaining what all had happened. We drove home in an extremely tense silence. I could the anger boiling off of him right as we stepped in the door and he slammed it behind him and I jumped from the sound.
I turned and looked at him, I had already had tears in my eyes. "When were going to tell me that you had done that? Never?! Or was I just going to find out some random day and be even more pissed then I am now?" I turned away but then looked back at him and yelled, "I didn't want you to find out okay? These all happened in a dark time of my life! YOU were nowhere to be found! Ryan had JUST died! ALL I needed was some sort of release and some sort of feeling when I wasn't aloud to do what I loved! I needed something and that gave me something!" I felt the tears going down my face but I didn't give two shits at that moment because all that matter was that I was letting it all out because I had never let it out until now. "Ryan was gone and I just couldn't deal with the pain of losing him. My parents found out and took me back to therapy again. One day they left as you know and that killed me but I knew that hadn't loved me a long while ago. I tried and tried and tried to be a perfect daughter but that obviously didn't happen!"
I turned my back from him and felt a hand on my waist and he whipped me around so that I was facing him. I tried to pull away but his grip was tight enough he kept me in his embrace. I relaxed into him and melted into him. I felt him kiss the top of head and I looked up at him I whispered to him "I think I'm falling for you"
