Dancing For You

Chapter 5

The final day the four of us are together we are meeting our parents here in New York City to spend the evening together before heading to our respective schools. We're meeting at a restaurant after our families are checking into the hotel we've been staying at this past week. I'm sad to see this month end, we've had such a wonderful time and who knows when or if the four of us will be able to do this again in the future.

We've meet new people that we've friended on social medias to keep in contact with them. There was a guy at the ski lodge that I instantly clicked with. His name is Harper Troye and he's 18 years old like me, going off to college here in New York City himself. I never did ask him what college he was going to but I will soon. I know he's going for his degree in the performing arts. He's a beautiful man, Harper is, he's around 6 feet tall, with dark brown hair that is somewhat long with pretty hazel eyes and a beautiful smile. Harper and I have been texting or facetiming every day for the last few weeks. Miles, Jax and Adam like to harasses me about my new friend.

Harper is on a month adventure with four of his friends before college like the we are doing. Harper is originally from Austin, Texas and he has such a damn beautiful southern accent that makes me drool every time we facetime. We've learned a lot about each other and learning more. I will have to make it a point to find out what college he is attending and meet up with him regularly to hang out in person.

The four of us are in our two hotel rooms preparing to meet our families for dinner. I'm pulling on my dark wash skinny jeans when my phone rings causing me to glance at it thinking it's my mom but when I see that it's Harper, I feel my lips breaking out in a huge grin. I swipe the answer button on my phone to answer his facetime call.

"Hey Harper, how are you?" I ask with my smile becoming even broader.

Harper smiles instantly at me. "I'm doing great especially with my view. How are you?"

Blushing once I realize I'm only wearing jeans and no shirt. "I'm doing great, too. What's up?" I ask pulling my shirt on.

He chuckles at me as he answers, "I just wanted to call and see you, what are you getting ready for?"

"Jax, Adam, Miles and I are meeting our families for dinner since tomorrow we're heading to our schools tomorrow to settle into our dorms. What are you doing tonight?"

"The same for the five of us, what restaurant are you going to?" he asks while I sit on the bed to pull my flip-flops on before standing back up to grab my phone. I tell him the name of the restaurant we're going to and he full out belly laughs when I tell him causing me to cock an eyebrow at him in question. "We're going to the same place, what time?"

I glance at the time on my phone. "Our reservation is for 7 p.m., how about you?"

"7:30 p.m. I was wondering if I can introduce you to my parents and my little brother and sister." I nod blushing as I agree to it only if he lets me introduce him to my mom which he quickly agrees too. We sign off since me and my friends need to head out so we're not late meeting everyone. He won't let me end the call until I promise to see him later at the restaurant which I happily agree too.

Hanging up the phone I grab my wallet and glance up at Miles when I hear him laughing. Glaring playfully at him I ask, "What?"

His laughing becomes harder when he answers me. "It sounds like he wants to introduce you as his possible boyfriend to his family."

Scoffing at Miles I just study him and he really does believe what he's saying. "Whatever Miles, that's not what he's thinking or doing, we're just friends."

"Okay, think whatever you want, A.J. but that's what it sounds like to me," he says then lets the topic drop thankfully.

Twenty minutes later we're at the restaurant sitting down with our families. Adam and Jax's parents along with their younger siblings; along with Miles' dad and his little brother and Milo and my mom. I'm excited that Harper and his friends and their families will be here in a half an hour but yet nervous because I don't want anyone thinking that I'm replacing Gavin so soon because I'm not.

While eating I receive a text from Harper says 'I see you turn around." Grinning I turn in my chair to see him standing there with a woman who I'm assuming his mom.

"Hey," I say blushing since the woman with him is staring intently at me. Harper smiles as he introduces me to his mom and his dad who walked up beside them and then I introduce him to my mom. Harper's mom is intently staring at me and Miles and I'm starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Are the two of you by chance ballet dancers from a small production company from Colorado Springs?" she asks me after looking between Miles and I.

I nod as does Miles. "Yes ma'am we are, well were, the both of us are attending Juilliard when classes start. How did you know this?" I ask surprised.

She smiles at the two of us. "You were Romeo and you," she says turning from me to Miles before continuing, "where Mercutio, in the production of 'Romeo and Juliet' I think seven months ago."

Miles and I smile at each other before turning our smiles to Harper's mom. "Yes ma'am that is correct," I say blushing as Harper is intense stare.

"I never realized that was you, mom and I attended that ballet together. Even though I know you are a ballet dancer and where you were from it never clicked with me," he says his voice sounds like he's in awe.

Blushing I nod as I glance down trying to hide the sudden tears because that was the last ballet I performed and the only one Gavin had attended. Miles and mom instantly reach over to rub my back knowing where my mind has wandered too. Harper and his group manage to obtain the tables next to us and we end up placing our tables together and make it a huge group.

Four years later - Miles and I have been offered jobs at ballet companies; both of us have been offered jobs and accepted those jobs at the American Ballet Company here in New York. Adam and Jax are also staying here in New York as well in two different business. I'm thankful and grateful that the four of us have maintained our friendship over the last four years and we are able to continue that while in the same city. Adam and Jax have attended several of our ballets over the years as well. Over the last four years all four of us have gone home on summers to stay with our families and that also allowed me to visit Gavin and his mom. Our families have also come out during the school year to visit us when they could.

Mom has just remarried the summer before my senior year here at Juilliard and her new husband is a co-worker that she had started dating the first year I was here in New York. I'm happy for her because I know she was lonely after my dad had died when I was 12 years old.

Harper also attended Juilliard with Miles and I. This could not have made me any happier because then I could see him almost every day. We had most of our classes together but our dance times no because he was in the drama department. Over the last four years Harper and I have grown closer and in our Junior year here we started dating and became each other's boyfriends. Miles snickered when I told him and he said that he knew it was going to happen when we met him at the ski lodge the summer before we started at Juilliard.

Harper knew about Gavin and that he had passed away my senior year but I had never told him until one night I was wandering around my dorm when he noticed the writing in my tattoo and questioned me on it. I broke down in tears and told him the whole story about how Gavin died and what the tattoo meant. He had pulled me onto his lap to let me bawl until I couldn't any longer. That was also the night that Harper and I lost our virginities to each other and it was the most magical night of my life and every time Harper and I have made love.

Harper is becoming a high school drama teacher here in the city, so that helps with him not having a long commute to work every day or us having to do a long distance relationship if he had to take a job in another state or town. We're getting an apartment together as Miles is moving in with his boyfriend, Harris, who he met through Jax. Jax and Harris meet at their college since the two of them had the same classes together.

Jax is moving in with his long term girlfriend, Tammy. They're moving into the same apartment complex as Harper, myself, Miles and Harris. Adam and Jenny already have moved into their apartment in the same complex that the rest of us are moving into. Surprisingly there were four empty apartments on the same floor, so the four are going to be near each other which is awesome and I couldn't ask for more at this point in my life. Do I wish my life was a little different that it is, yes, but I've finally come to the conclusion that if it was, who says that Gavin and I would still be together. I have to accept that his death was meant for different things in my life than what I wanted and he gave his life for me and I will forever be thankful and love him for his selfless sacrifice every damn day of my life.