Dancing On The Edge Of A Knife

33. Water

Ester blinked at the man in front of her, trying to cover up her surprise. She did not expect Alejandro to be a short Mexican man. The Mexican part was definitely the least surprising fact about him.

"Alejandro, this is Ester Celeste. My best friend. Ester, this is my soon to be stepdad Alejandro." Sierra introduced them on Friday. Ester held out her hand to shake his, but the short man took a step towards her and wrapped his chubby arms around her.

Ester hugged him back awkwardly. It was funny because he was just a few centimetres taller than her. Compared to all the Stones, he was definitely short. Alone Sierra, who stood next to him was a head taller than him.

"The famous Ester. You wouldn't know how often I hear your name in this house." Alejandro laughed and then pulled back to let the girl breathe.
"Oh really?" Ester asked, glancing at Sierra who shrugged and smiled in a mischievous way.

"Okay, okay I admit it. But apparently I'm not the only one who talks a lot about you." Sierra looked at her brother who was leaning against the door frame of the living room, silently watching the scene. When he heard his sister's words, his eyes widened slightly. He was about to deny everything, when Sierra opened her mouth again.

"Mom talks a lot about you too, doesn't she Devon?" Oh, she enjoyed teasing him. He had no idea but Sierra was just waiting for him to admit his love for Ester. Even if it probably wasn't love yet.

"Yeah, she does." Devon nodded, holding eye contact with Ester for a few seconds before they heard someone clear their throat. Devon glanced at Alejandro with a raised eyebrow.
"So, you're just gonna stand there and watch like a creep?"

"What?" Devon straightened his back, confused by Alejandro's words. The short man rolled his eyes before looking back at Ester with a deep sigh.
"I swear he gets his looks from me, but his manners? Probably from his mother's side of the family." He told her.

"You're not my dad!" Devon growled, making Alejandro chuckle.
"As soon as I stop spoiling him, I'm suddenly not good enough anymore. Ever since he was a baby." Alejandro continued.
"Oh my God." Devon rolled his eyes before turning around.

"Mom, he's teasing me again!" He shouted as his footsteps faded away, leaving Sierra and Ester alone with the old man.
"Oh joy. I love teasing him. Shall we?" Alejandro asked the women before leading the way into the dining room, the opposite direction of where Devon was going.

"Now, please take a seat. Make yourself at home. You look lovely, by the way. Both of you." The man complimented them with a smile. Both girls thanked him and watched as he left the room to help his fiance prepare the meals.

"I'm so happy you came. What changed your mind?" Sierra broke the silence as she leaned closer to Ester, who was sitting across from her.
"I just thought I should turn off tonight. Work has been stressfull and I shouldn't let it consume my whole week, you know. I already missed dance this week." Ester wasn't exactly lying.

She did miss dance this week and she did think a break from work would be great. But that wasn't the reason she came tonight. Because she really didn't want to come here. She had everything planned out. Tonight was originally going to be her and James Franco. A marathon of Freaks and Geeks was what awaited her.

But instead, her friend Olivia had to give her this stupid speech. About how cowardly Ester was acting and stuff. And she realized Devon and her never got along in the beginning and she was not running away then. So why should she now?

"That's good. And yes, you missed dance, I noticed. But if it makes you feel any better, Devon has also stopped coming." Sierra said with a smile, acting as if she didn't know what happened.
"But I'm expecting both of you to come in next week. We have a choreography to learn." She finished.