Stalking the Dancer || 18+

Part Twenty - Goodbye

It's been a week since my birthday. I still can't say the words out loud– what happened in my childhood room– and for the most part, it still doesn't feel real.

In the days since, I introduced Billy to my mom, which went as well as I could have expected. She was skeptical at first, like any smart woman would be, but it wasn't hard for her to see how protective Billy is of me, and I hope that brought her some comfort. I know she worries about me living out on my own, but honestly, I worry about her being alone just the same. Moving away was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I had to do it for myself. I'm glad I did, because I found an entire family in the mountains, and I can't wait to see them tomorrow.

"You all packed up, sweet pea?" The couch cushion dips as my mom sits next to me, and a single duffel rests near the front door. I nod, not trusting my voice to come out steadily. It's hard to leave my mom. Even though we've had a rocky relationship at times, she's the only consistent person in my life.

"Your flight leaves at six in the morning?" I nod again, blinking back the tears that are trying to drown me from the inside out.

"I know you don't like goodbye's, but you're going to have to talk to me at some point." She isn't wrong, but that doesn't make it any easier. I just need to bite the bullet.

"I'm going to miss you." Tears stream down my face, the dam breaking on my first word. I finally glance at her, and her eyes are full of understanding. Somehow she's always able to keep her cool, storing her emotions in a neat little compartment in her mind, unlike me, who can't bottle up my feelings for anything.

"I'll miss you too, Dorothy– of course I will." She sighs dramatically, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Maybe if you were illiterate and untalented I'd feel okay about keeping you here with me."

I snort, and a smile breaks across her face, "But you're neither of those things, so it would be selfish of me to hold you back." We sit in comfortable silence for a bit, until my brain came up with an idea to rival sliced bread. "Maybe you could fly out for Thanksgiving?"

Her face falters so quickly that I would have missed it if I hadn't been staring at her. "It's okay, mom. I understand work is unpredictable." To say the least.

I know she hates having to miss out on things, but if I don't invite her at all she will never be around, and I'd like to change that. "Just think about it and if you're able, you're more than welcome to come. Either way, I'll be back for a few weeks at Christmas." She gives me a weak smile before wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug; the kind only a mom can give.

"I love you more than life, Dorothy Lou." Her arms loosen their hold, but don't move from their positions. "I love you too, mom. I'll call you right when we get there tomorrow."

The goosebumps alert me to Billy's presence before my ears can, and I spot him leaning against the entryway, watching us say our goodbyes. He doesn't try to hurry us along, he watches us curiously. He wears an expression that I don't quite recognize, and I commit it to memory so that I can ask him about it later.

Moms hands rest on my shoulders as she pulls back to look at me, and I feel tears continuing to fall down my cheeks.

"I have to get to the hospital. Are you going to be okay?"

I nod instinctively, standing from the couch and smoothing out my jeans to distract myself from saying goodbye. We hug again and exchange I-love-you's, and she leaves through the back door the way she does every day.

Billy wastes no time scooping me off of my feet to cradle me in his arms. "You okay, Doe?" His tone is gentle, concerned. I nod my head and press my nose into his neck to hide my face from his view. I don't want him to see how not okay I actually am.

"We have your appointment in an hour and your lesson at four. After that we can come back here and I'll make dinner for us, how's that sound?"

Us.

His kindness to my mom this week has not gone unnoticed by me. He cares for her without question, making food for all three of us every night, even when she's not here. I walked in on him packing her a to-go-style breakfast one morning, because he knew that she wouldn't have time to eat before her midshift.

I'm beginning to realize that his thoughtfulness is one of the sexiest things about him, and now it's like I pick up on every sweet thing he does.

It makes me want to be near him at all times, which is why I agreed when he offered to chauffeur me around this afternoon. Thankfully, the hours pass more quickly than expected. Before I knew it, I had gotten a referral from my doctor, and we were already walking out of my last dance lesson with El. She's come so far in such a short amount of time that I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her with no instructor. I connected her with a friend of mine, who was happy to add El to her teaching schedule, and we've blocked out our usual lesson times for video chats. That way, she can show me her routines, and I can pass along any corrections I may see. Thankfully, she wasn't too bummed at my sudden departure, and I'm grateful that I will still get to be a part of her dancing career. I've learned so much from teaching her that I'm starting to think that I'm the student.

The rest of the evening whirls by: dinner, a movie on the couch, mom getting home in a different pair of scrubs than the ones she left in.

Yuck.

All in all, the last day in this cursed little town went as well as it could have. Standing on the curb in the cool morning breeze, my mother's arms wrapped around me while we watched my... Billy loads my bag into the back of his rental.

We're officially starting fresh, together as a team. Knots twist in my stomach, but his brooding eyes find mine like he could feel my fear, and the knots burst into butterflies. A simple look from him squashes the intrusive doubt, and the power he has over my body feels almost ethereal.

He breaks the trance for me when he moves to hug my mom, exchanging a few words before asking me if I'm ready to go. I feel tears threatening to fall, so I don't dare open my mouth. Nodding, I give her one last hug before power walking to the passenger side door.

I barely have enough time to hop in and slam the door before the dam breaks.