One Step at a Time

Chapter Two

The next week, Tom took a deep breath as he straightened his white collared shirt in his entryway mirror. "Why do I feel so nervous, I shouldn't be..." he sighed. He was happy to be seeing Edie again.

Meanwhile Edie felt the same way as she paced in front of the mirror at the dance studio. "Does this dress look okay?" she asked her friend Rose, who had been teaching tonight as well. "Why am I even worried about that? I never worry about that!"

Rose chuckled as she sipped at her lemonade while sitting on one of the benches. "No, you don't. Did you meet someone?"

Edie made a face. "No," she replied. "I mean, kind of, but not in that way. Remember I have those private lessons starting tonight? They're for Tom Hiddleston."

"T-Tom... seriously!" Rose gushed, her eyes wide. "Edie! That man is walking sex on a stick!"

"Shh! You are so loud!" Edie chided. "And... yes, I am aware of what he looks like." Smoothing her hands over her fitted dance dress, she chewed on her lip a little. "He bought me coffee the other day. I stopped his runaway dog in the park..."

"You saved his dog?" Rose questioned. "It's a romance waiting to happen!"

"Oh, stop," Edie said, waving off the idea. "You know I'm off men, anyway. Especially not one who pretends to kiss other women for a living."

"Oh, Edie... just because you had one bad apple in the acting world it doesn't make them all bad," Rose countered. "Jack was an asshole anyway."

Edie rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yeah, sure. Couldn't I have seen that three years earlier?" she asked with a scoff. She shook her head. "He's not thinking like that, anyway. I'm just his dance instructor."

Rose turned her head as she heard the main door open to see Tom in dark gray slacks and a white button-down shirt that fit his form perfectly. "I wouldn't be so sure..."

Edie looked up as she heard the door, and she felt a rock drop in the pit of her stomach as she saw Tom. "Oh god, he looks great..." she groaned in a murmur to herself. She was trying to remain professional, to be the teacher she knew she could be.

As Tom walked further into the studio he smiled as he spotted Edie before bending down to unclip Bobby from his leash. "Go get her," he murmured.

Bobby whined and jogged up to Edie, holding a small bouquet of yellow daisies in his mouth.

Edie's eyes moved to Bobby as he approached, and her heart gushed at the sight of the flowers. "Oh, thank you, Bobby," she greeted, taking the flowers from the dog's mouth before she looked back up at Tom as he approached. "And thank you, Tom."

Tom smiled as he stepped closer. "You're welcome, Edie." He watched as she turned pink as she smelled the flowers. "I saw them at the stand on the way here and I couldn't help myself," he admitted.

"They're beautiful," she replied shyly, her heart fluttering. You're his teacher. But the flowers... snap out of it! She cleared her throat and nervously brushed her hair behind her ear. "Come in, come in... good night, Rose," she said, ushering her friend out the door.

"Oh!" Rose scoffed. "You're gonna push me out?" She laughed as she stood.

"This is a private lesson, Rose," she pointed out with a friendly smile before waving her out. "Close the door on your way out, please," she added as she walked over to the stereo and set the flowers on top. She took a moment to gather herself before turning around to smile at Tom. "Hi, again... it's good to see you."

Tom could only chuckle, quietly noting the pink in Edie's cheeks. "It's good to see you too."

"And you're dressed perfectly... I hope those are dancing shoes," she said with a friendly smile as she began to walk towards him. "How have you been?"