Pas de Deux

by M. J. Duncan

  Siobhan nodded. “As soon as I come up with a good enough idea, I absolutely will be doing that. You want in on it?”

  “I think I’d rather stay out of the retaliation loop.”

  “You’re no fun,” Siobhan huffed.

  “Wise decision, my friend,” Will countered with a laugh.

  “You’ll be helping me,” Siobhan told him.

  “Yes, well, I chose to marry into the crazy,” he retorted. “Poor Mal just kind of got adopted into it all because of me.”

  “Nah, she’s basically your sister. Which means she’s my sister-in-law.” Mallory smiled. This wasn’t the first time Siobhan had laid claim to her like that, but it still blew her away sometimes that her best friend had managed to marry such a wonderful woman. “So she’s stuck with us whether she wants to be or not.”

  Before Mallory could speak up for herself in the matter, however, her phone began playing Addison’s ringtone—Balance, the final piece from Evolution. They had traded more texts than she could count over the last five days, but their schedules hadn’t ever aligned in a way that allowed them to actually talk, and her heart leapt at the idea of hearing Addison’s voice.

  “You gonna answer that?” Will asked, winking at her as he turned in his seat.

  “Absolutely.” Mallory arched a brow at his expectant expression and shook her head as she added, “Just as soon as I get out of the car.”

  He sighed dramatically and gave her a little pout. ‘Ugh, fine. I see how it is. Tell Addy we say ‘hi,’ then.”

  Mallory nodded as the music continued to play, pitting her desire to speak to Addison against her need to make sure Will and Siobhan knew just how much she appreciated their including her in their holiday plans. “I shall. And thank you for allowing me to tag along today. Even with the glitter, it was a wonderful day.”

  “Our pleasure,” Siobhan insisted with a smile. She waved at Mallory’s phone and added, “Now, go answer that before it goes to voicemail. You should never keep a beautiful woman waiting, after all.”

  Mallory tilted her head in agreement as she leaned through the gap between the front seats to brush a quick kiss over each of their cheeks. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  She tapped the icon to answer the call as she fell back into her seat, and lifted it to her ear as she reached for the door. “Hey, you,” she murmured, as she stepped out onto the sidewalk.

  “Hey,” Addy sighed.

  Mallory frowned at the hint of melancholy in Addison’s voice and offered Will and Siobhan a distracted wave as the car door closed with a hollow thud. “What’s wrong, darling?”

  “What? Nothing… I just…”

  Mallory hummed encouragingly as she unlocked the entry door, and couldn’t contain the shiver that rolled through her when she stepped inside. She hadn’t been in the cool night air for long, but there was a definite bite to it that made her glad to be inside again. When Addison didn’t elaborate, she prodded gently, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Of course,” Addison murmured. “I just miss you and wanted to hear your voice, I guess.”

  “I miss you too,” Mallory confessed as she began climbing the stairs to her flat. She hadn’t seen Addison since their abbreviated rehearsal the week before, and texts—while better than nothing—did very little to alleviate the ache of longing that settled in her chest whenever she thought of her. “How is your orphan Christmas going?”

  “Drunkenly. Very, very drunkenly.” Addison chuckled softly. “I think Ben and I are the only ones here who are sober. You should see them all right now. Matt and Gabs split everyone into teams, and they’re having a gigantic Just Dance competition for an empty bottle of vodka that Gabs filled with water and glitter because they, and I quote, ‘needed a fucking awesome trophy.’ Somebody is going to end up pulling a hamstring or something with the way they’re going at it, and then Nina’s going to lose her shit.”

  Mallory smiled as she rounded the curve at the first floor and started up the final flight of stairs. Nina absolutely would lose her shit if one of her dancers returned from their holiday break injured—especially if that injury was acquired playing a video game. “So I take it you’ve left the room, then, since I can’t hear them?”

  “Yeah, I’m on the fire escape. It’s so much calmer out here.”

  “And freezing. Please tell me you at least have a coat on.”

  “I do. And I stole the blanket from the back of the couch, so I’m nice and warm. How was your holiday? Are you still at Siobhan’s family’s thing?”

  “It was nice. But we left just after tea to make the drive back. I’m actually unlocking my front door as we speak,” Mallory shared as she twisted her key in the lock and pushed the door open. She set her purse onto the apothecary credenza that anchored the wall across from the door and sighed at her reflection in the mirror above it as she shrugged off her coat. She had no idea how it happened, but she looked like she had even more glitter on her than she had when they’d left Cambridge.

  “Oh…”

  There was no mistaking the hitch in Addison’s voice or the longing that imbued what was little more than a soft exhale, and Mallory closed her eyes against the ache that bloomed in her chest at the sound of it. She had thought she could wait until the following day to see Addison again, and she could if she absolutely had to, but she didn’t want to wait. Didn’t want to cross one more day off the calendar where she didn’t get to spend even a brief fraction of a moment of it with her.

  If she had a car, she would drive out to Richmond and pick Addison up herself, but she hadn’t seen a reason to buy one when her apartment was so close to the underground and she could get to anywhere from there. On the rare occasion she needed to go where the trains wouldn’t take her, she had gone and rented one, but there was no way she would be able to do that on Christmas night.

  “Does Ben drive, by any chance?”

  Addison huffed a quiet laugh that trembled with relief and happiness. “Yeah.”

  Mallory closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sky. “What would it take to get him to drive you over here right now?”

  “God, that would be…please tell me you’re serious.”

  Mallory’s heart fluttered into her throat at the unabashed hope in Addison’s voice, and she nodded as she murmured, “I don’t think I have ever been more serious about anything in my life. I would come collect you myself if I could, but—”

  “Hold on and let me go ask him?”

  “Of course, darling.” Mallory chewed her lip as she opened the narrow closet to the right of the console table to hang up her coat while she waited for Addison to return. Even though she had never visited the house in Richmond that a bunch of the dancers shared, she imagined she could picture Addison’s progress as she went in search of her friend. There was a slamming door followed by a hum of noise that grew louder as Addison neared the heart of the party, and she smiled at the sound of pop music and laughter and jeers that came through the phone.

  “Mal?” Addy asked just as Mallory closed the closet door.

  “I’m still here, darling.”

  “He’s going to give me a ride. Said it should take us around forty minutes or so to get there.”

  Mallory’s smile turned into a full-blown grin. “Wonderful. I can’t wait.”

  Mallory checked the time on her phone as she used her foot to push the drawer that held her hairdryer closed. Odds were good there wouldn’t be much traffic due to the holiday, but she probably still had at least another ten minutes or so before Addison might arrive.

  And, while she dearly wished Addison was already there, she was glad for the time it gave her to tidy up, as the glitter she had brought home with her dusted her path from the front door to the shower desperately needed to be hoovered so that it wasn’t tracked any further. She had given the apartment a thorough cleaning that morning as she waited for Will and Siobhan to pick her up so there wasn’t much else to do, and after she started a load of laundry with her clothe
s from the day to hopefully banish the sparkly menace from her home forever, she found herself hovering near the window that overlooked the street.

  The lights from the small, artificial tree she had put up earlier that morning reflected in the glass as she peered into the night, waiting for a car to stop in front of her building and a familiar lithe form to emerge, and she had to force herself to resist the urge to constantly check the time on her phone. Of course, that didn’t stop her from squinting to see the time on the blu-ray player beneath the television. Eventually, a dark, compact sedan pulled up to the curb, and her pulse stumbled over itself as she watched Addison climb out of it and loop the straps of a small bag over her shoulder. She tightened her grip on her phone as Addison ducked down to wave goodbye to her friend before slamming the car door shut, and there was no containing the smile that broke free when it began to ring.

  “Hey, you,” Addison murmured. “I’m here.”

  Mallory’s heart fluttered at the sound of Addison’s voice, and she couldn’t resist resting her forehead against the glass to watch her stride gracefully toward the door below. “Do you remember the code for the door?”

  “Yep. Be up in a jiff,” Addison promised before disconnecting the call.

  Mallory stayed at the window until she was sure that Addison made it inside. Once she had disappeared from sight, she hurried to the front door, not caring about how desperate it made her seem. She clearly wasn’t the only one who couldn’t wait, however, because not long after she opened the door to wait for Addison, she saw her jogging up the stairs. Much like herself, Addison was dressed for warmth and comfort in a pair of leggings and an oversized hoodie beneath her coat, and the feeling of something being just that little bit off that had niggled at her since the week before settled at the sight of her.

  She laughed at the way Addison slowed to a more restrained walk the moment she spotted her, and held out a hand and beckoned her onward with a playful, “Don’t stop now.”

  The light blush that colored Addison’s cheeks as she ducked her head before resuming her earlier pace was absolutely adorable and, though it was soft, Mallory still heard her mutter to herself, “Busted.”

  Mallory smiled as she stepped out of the way to allow Addison inside. Her pulse beat heavily in her throat as Addison’s eyes swept slowly over her face as if recommitting it to memory, and she swallowed thickly to try and force it back into place as she shoved the door shut behind her.

  Whether it was their time apart or the faint echo of Will’s advice from the other day or both she honestly wasn’t sure, but she was struck positively breathless by just how much she wanted this.

  Wanted her.

  Needed her, really, if the nearly overwhelming urge to reach out and take Addison into her arms was any indication.

  She had been painfully aware of how much she had missed Addison, but it was different now—stronger, almost, as if she could not fully appreciate just how much she had missed her until they were reunited. She had missed her, yes, but she hadn’t understood why she had felt the separation so acutely. Hadn’t realized until just this moment that it was because it was only when she was with Addison that she felt whole.

  There was a gentle affection in Addison’s eyes that hinted she felt it too, that the shared attraction they had confessed to weeks ago was actually something much more significant, and Mallory blinked back the sting of tears that threatened as she took a small step forward, closing the distance between them as her hands settled lightly on Addison’s hips. She marveled at the way Addison moved to meet her—the shift so instinctive and confident, like they had done this dance a thousand times already and were destined to do it over and over again for the rest of their lives. She drew a shaky breath as Addison’s bag fell to the floor with a quiet thud and strong arms looped around her neck to urge her even closer.

  “Darling,” Mallory whispered as Addison melted into her, and she ran her right hand up the length of her spine to press between her shoulder blades, cradling her against her chest. Her eyes fluttered shut as she leaned her cheek against Addison’s forehead, and she sighed as she felt herself completely relax for the first time in almost a week.

  Oh, how she’d missed this.

  She smiled at the way Addison burrowed closer, one arm dropping to her waist as the fingers of her other hand slipped up into her hair, and hummed as she pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  “God, I’ve missed you,” Addison breathed.

  A delicate shiver rolled down Mallory’s spine as the soft confession landed in gentle waves against the sensitive hollow of her throat, and her pulse beat an irregular rhythm as she pulled back just enough to dip her head and murmur against Addison’s cheek, “Me too.” She sealed the confession with a tender kiss, and her heart fluttered at the way Addison sighed and tilted her head invitingly. “Oh, Addy,” she moaned as she dragged her lips lower to press a kiss to the corner of Addison’s mouth.

  Addison whimpered and pulled back just enough that their breaths mingled between their lips, waiting, offering, and willing but not pushing, and warmth bloomed in Mallory’s chest as she dipped her chin to brush the softest of kisses over Addison’s lips once, twice, three times before finally, finally capturing them in a sweet kiss.

  After so many weeks and months of wanting this but being so, so afraid that she would do something to screw it all up, Mallory’s head spun at the feeling of Addison’s lips moving against her own, and her eyes stung with tears when a gentle hand curved around her jaw, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world. Addison kissed like she danced—deliberately, confidently, passionately, holding nothing of herself back—and it was positively intoxicating.

  Mallory clung to Addison as their kisses deepened and slowed, the euphoric rush of that first brush of lips smoldering into genuine affection and emotion, and their breaths were equally ragged when they finally broke apart.

  “Wow,” Addison hummed, her smile pure sunshine as she gazed up at Mallory. “Had I known that was what was waiting for me, I would have asked Ben to break the speed limit getting over here even more than he already was.”

  “I didn’t…” Mallory blushed. “I hadn’t planned on kissing you like that. This wasn’t… I mean…”

  Addison chuckled and pushed herself up onto her toes to save Mallory from her rambling with a soft kiss. “I really don’t mind.” She brushed another feather-soft kiss over her lips. “I liked it. A lot.”

  Mallory smiled as she tucked a rogue curl behind Addison’s ear. “Me too.” She shook her head at how much noticeably rougher than usual her voice was, and swallowed back the lump in her throat as she dipped her head to murmur against Addison’s smiling lips, “Would you like to actually come inside, now?”

  “Are there more kisses inside?” Addison retorted, her playfully serious expression belied by the twinkle of laughter in her eyes.

  Mallory nodded and ran a tender hand along the line of Addison’s jaw. “Darling, you can kiss me whenever and wherever you’d like,” she promised as she dragged her thumb over Addison’s lips.

  Addison shrugged off her coat and dropped a quick kiss on Mallory’s lips before turning to hang it on the doorknob of the coat closet. “Oh, I really like the sound of that.”

  Mallory smiled and inclined her head in a way that clearly said I do, too. She took a deep breath as she reached down for Addison’s bag, and let it go slowly as she stood back up, took her hand, and laced their fingers together. She cleared her throat as they started down the hall, and swung Addison’s tote bag in front of them as she asked, “Guest room, or mine?” She blushed at the low, suggestive chuckle and arched brow Addison responded with. That was absolutely not at all what she was asking. “I just want you to be comfortable.”

  “I was just messing with you.” Addison laughed and squeezed her hand. “I will never turn down a chance to cuddle with you, sweetie, so your bedroom would be wonderful. However, I do,” she added as she let go of Mallory’s hand and took
her bag, “need to get something out of that.”

  Mallory huffed a soft laugh when Addison pulled a small package wrapped in festive snowman patterned paper and brandished it with a triumphant grin, and shook her head as she leaned in and kissed her. “Sorry, you were just too adorable to resist,” she murmured when she pulled away.

  “I am definitely not complaining,” Addison hummed as she tossed her bag into Mallory’s bedroom. Her eyes crinkled with happiness as she pushed up onto the balls of her feet to return Mallory’s kiss with one of her own. It was slow and sweet and perfect, and she sighed as she dropped her heels. “You are so good at that.”

  “I’m glad you think so,” Mallory murmured as she guided Addison toward the lounge with a light hand on the small of her back. “I’m afraid I didn’t have much time or energy to worry about decorating this year,” she apologized as she waved a hand at the rather scrawny artificial tree in the corner that was bare of decorations save the fairy lights it came pre-strung with. It was a pitiful attempt, honestly, and as she looked at it now, she wondered why she had even bothered. Which was stupid, really, because the reason for her admittedly half-arsed attempt was standing right beside her. God knows she hadn’t had a proper tree or decorations of any kind in her home for years, but she had wanted to do something to make it feel like a real holiday for when Addison came over.

  “It’s more than I did at my place,” Addison assured her as she waved a hand at the sofa on the far wall. “What happened to the picture you had up there?”

  Mallory shrugged as she stared at the wall that had been blank since the morning after her talk with Will. It had actually been harder than she’d anticipated to take the picture down, knowing it would be forever, but also incredibly freeing as she committed to leaving that part of her life firmly in the past. The picture was stashed away in the back of the closet in the study, but she had plans to take it to the local charity shop in the new year, once her work schedule returned to a more humane pace. “It was time to take it down.”