Never Say Never (Completed)

Ten {How Will I Know}

"That's a wrap for today guys! I'll see you all Thursday!"

My dance instructor, Amelia, said from where she was leaning back against the barre. I didn't have to turn around to know she was looking in my direction, I could feel it. She might as well have been family with how much time I'd spent here over the years. She'd watched me through every phase of my life. When I was a toddler hardly able to walk, to my embarrassing puberty stage-that also had much of my father's abandonment woven in there, to more recent issues like my mom's sickness getting worse. She never questioned my missed classes, at most she'd text me to ask if everything was okay, and even a text as small as that had me so fond of her that I had promised myself to pay her in any way I could before I started at the university next year. There was no doubt I'd be too busy with everything going on to even bother to attend.

"Charlie." Amelia's soft hum was behind me now, and when I turned, I found her standing a few feet away, lips pursed and dark eyes full of worry. "I haven't seen you around much. Are you okay? Are the kids okay?"

I hesitated. "My mom's under another seventy-two hour. And you know school just started, so everything's just been really hectic."

"Of course." She rested one of her hands on my shoulder. "Just know that I'm here for you and your family, alright? I hope to see you Thursday, get home safe, darling."

Taking that as my cue to leave, I slipped out of the room and headed for the bathroom. The one thing I absolutely despised about my dance studio being in a business building, was that they had to put the rest room clear at the end of the hall. I was barefoot and had nothing more than a thin whit shirt and tights on. I'd decided to ditch my usual unitard today, mostly because I had forgotten it, but I also wasn't in any mood to try and squeeze in and out of it.

I'd just reached the bathroom when one of the doors at the end of the hallway, just before the curve that leads me down another, swung open and nearly hit me in the face. I tripped backwards over my foot and hit the ground before I could see who'd done it.

Nothing prepared me to find a shirtless, and extremely sweaty, Bryan Grace staring down at me with a mix of horror and curiosity. "Evans?"

"Bryan?" I shot back just as quickly. He blinked a few times, obviously hoping I was just a figment of his imagination. I pushed myself up from the ground as he tried to muster up something to say. "What the hell are you doing here?"

This entire hallway was nothing but the dance studio and a bunch of vacant suites.

"What's it to you?" He muttered, his eyes finally taking in my appearance. "You're a dancer?"

I could feel my cheeks starting to flush. Nobody, except for Savannah and Ian of course, had any idea that there was actually an extremely fit and girly girl under all the band shirts and jeans.

"Yeah." I finally gained enough courage to answer. "Why are you here? And why do you look like you just had sex?"

The horrified look in his eyes was soon replaced with a look of amusement upon hearing me words. "You think I just had sex I'm shirtless and sweaty? You do realize that not all guys are like your little boyfriend who works out with clothes on, right?"

I blushed even more this time. The thought he'd been here to workout hadn't ever crossed my mind.

"Ian's not my boyfriend." I replied. "I'm just exhausted, sorry for jumping to conclusions."