Take Me as You Found Me

Chapter 2- "You stopped by my house?"

Her aunt wasn’t ugly. She was the exact opposite of ugly, she was extremely gorgeous. She had a nice natural looking tan, with dark chestnut almost black looking hair. She looked like she might be Italian or something. Along with her gorgeous face, it looked like she had a smoking body. He couldn’t really tell she was wearing a black wool winter coat. She couldn’t have been taller than 5’5, after taking in the consideration of her four inch heel boots. And her name fit her so well; Alexandra. So sexy sounding. But she didn’t have this seductress look about her. She had this look of innocence. She couldn’t be older than twenty three. Three years wasn’t too bad, he thought.

All he knew was her name, she had a niece, and she danced. Ryan didn’t know if she danced for profession, or just for a hobby.  He had to find out though. There was something about her that he couldn’t stop thinking about her; no matter how hard he tried. It had been almost a week since he’d met her. He had the PR Staff looking up Leyla’s contact information, maybe her brother or sister or however made her Leyla’s aunt, could give her address or something so he could get in contact with her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lexi had already had a long day at the studio. Don’t get her wrong she loved her job. Being a dance instructor was her dream even as a small child; Even if it is for a small two room studio. One day, she told herself. One day she’d have a studio to call her own. Make her own rules, and call her own shots.

Faith said she’d pick up Leyla from school, since Monday’s was Lexie’s long nights. She started at 3:30 with a beginners ballet class which consisted of three and four year olds, and ending her night with an 8:30  advance jazz class. Sure she usually didn’t get out of there till close to 10:00 some Mondays, but she had Mace and pepper sprays in her purse if an attacker were to try and harm her.

Lexie had just finished her second to last class of the night, praying her last class would go fast so she could get home and put her sore feet up. She had a quick 15 minute break between classes to change her shoes and prep herself for the next class.

She was just pulling up the playlist for the class when heard a knock on the door.

The person she least expected to see was standing in the door way.

Ryan Callahan.

Lexie was beyond shocked. Why in the world was the captain of New York Rangers standing in front of her?

“May I help you?” She said finally finding her voice.

“Your roommate told me I’d find you here” he said as he stepped into the room.

“You stopped by my house?” She asked completely shocked.

“Yeah” he said like it was an everyday thing for him. “I wanted to you know if maybe you, Leyla and your friend would like to come to my game tomorrow”

“Well I um” she said not sure how to answer that. “Um sure?”

He smiled, which made her heart swoon. “Great” He said. Then Ryan noticed that she still had students waiting for class to start. “You still have another class?” He asked.

She nodded. “Yeah it’s my last”

“It’ll be close to ten before you get out of here. You’re not walking home that late alone are you?”

She smiled. “I do it all the time. I’ll be fine. I live like five blocks or so away”

He shook his head. “No, I’d feel really horrible if I found out something happened to you” He turned and walked to the small lobby “I’ll just sit and wait”

She smiled. Why was he being so nice too her?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He caught her looking his way a few times during class. It made him smile internally. But what really made him smile was how she taught these girls how to dance. She was extremely graceful, and sometimes it was hard to take his eyes off her. It was especially hard not to look at her when she was wearing that leotard and that see through wrap skirt she was wearing.

Finally the last student left and he was alone with her in the studio. He waited around the studio until he saw her walk into the lobby with a bag thrown over her shoulder, and wearing a pair of yoga pants and North Face fleece jacket.

“Ready?” he asked.

She nodded, leading him out the front and locking the door behind them.

“You do this every night?” he asked as they walked towards her apartment.

“Not every night” she smiled. “Monday and Wednesday’s are my real late nights. Tuesday and Thursdays I finish by 6.”

He nodded his head.

“So are you going to tell me how you got my address?” She asked.

He smiled. “I went through the PR department and had them pull up Leylas contact info”

She nodded. “Sneaky much?”

Ryan laughed. “Yeah I didn’t know you lived with Leyla though” he said.

“Yeah I’m her legal guardian” she said quietly. “My sister and her husband died about two years ago, when Leyla was four”

Ryan instantly felt like an ass.  

“I’m sorry, I had no idea”

She brushed it off. “It’s ok, I wouldn’t have expected you to know”

“I still feel like an ass” he mumbled.

“Ryan forget it. It doesn’t bother me. There’s no way to have known”

Before they knew it, they were standing in front of her building.

“Thanks for walking me home” She said.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t mention it. I mean what kind of guy would I be I let you walk by yourself this late?”

She smiled. “Well thanks” she said going to unlock the door to her building.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” Ryan asked.

She nodded. “Yeah”

“Good I’ll leave the tickets at will call, under the name Campbell”

She smiled. “Sounds like a plan”

“Well have a good night” Ryan said watching her step into her building.

“You too”

And with that he turned to call a cab, and get a ride to his own apartment across town.

Hopefully he could keep focused tomorrow.