Also by Elodie Nowodazkij
Broken Dreams: Em & Nick
A Summer Like No Other
Always Second Best
Broken Dreams: Natalya' story
One, Two, Three
One Dream Only
Gavert City
Fear Me, Fear Me Not
See Me, See Me Not
Geplatzte Träume
Alles für einen Traum
L'Histoire de Natalya
Un Seul Rêve
Un, Deux, Trois
Nick & Em
Un été pas comme les autres
Une Seconde Chance
Standalone
Alles für einen Traum / Only One Dream (Zweisprachige Ausgabe: Englisch-Deutsch)
Eins Zwei Drei
Broken Dreams Box Set
Un été pas comme les autres - A Summer Like No Other: Livre Bilingue - Bilingual Book (French English)
Un amour en si mineur
La peur dans le sang
Love in B Minor
Un Seul Rêve / One Dream Only
La peur dans les yeux
Watch for more at Elodie Nowodazkij’s site.
A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER
A Broken Dreams Novella
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Elodie Nowodazkij
A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER Copyright © 2015 by Elodie Nowodazkij
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For information, contact [email protected] or visit: www.elodienowodazkij.com
Book and Cover design by Elodie Nowodazkij
First Edition: July 2015
Contents
A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER
CHAPTER 1 - EM
CHAPTER 2 - NICK
CHAPTER 3 – EM
CHAPTER 4 - NICK
CHAPTER 5 - EM
CHAPTER 6 - NICK
CHAPTER 7 – EM
CHAPTER 8 - NICK
CHAPTER 9 – EM
CHAPTER 10 - NICK
CHAPTER 11- EM
CHAPTER 12 – NICK
CHAPTER 13 - EM
CHAPTER 14 – NICK
CHAPTER 15 – EM
CHAPTER 16 – NICK
CHAPTER 17 - EM
CHAPTER 18 - NICK
CHAPTER 19 - EM
CHAPTER 20 - NICK
CHAPTER 21 - EM
CHAPTER 22 – NICK
CHAPTER 23 – EM
CHAPTER 24 – NICK
CHAPTER 25 - EM
CHAPTER 26 – NICK
CHAPTER 27 - EM
CHAPTER 28 - NICK
CHAPTER 29 - EM
CHAPTER 30 - NICK
CHAPTER 31 - EM
CHAPTER 32 - NICK
CHAPTER 33 - EM
A little message to my readers
SNEAK PEEK
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
More books by the author
About The Author
CHAPTER 1 - EM
The pop music blasts from the speakers so loudly that it resonates within me. I jump once, twice, three times with my fist in the air, and then my hips move to the pounding rhythm.
The mirrors on the wall aren’t used to seeing me dance like this. I usually dance to Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Minkus. Not to Madonna.
I tilt my head to the side. I don’t want to rehearse the movements from any ballet choreographies, but I should. I rise on my toes into a relevé.
I don’t want to be Emilia Moretti—sixteen-year-old ballerina who tries to perfect each single movement to the point of obsession. I lower my body down, bending my knees over my feet, into a plié.
I don’t want to be the girl, who swears she doesn’t care about being adopted but who has been trying to find her birth parents.
I stand on my toes again.
I don’t want to dwell on the fact that I have the saddest crush on Nick—the best dancer at the School of Performing Arts and my brother’s best friend.
I want to let go and dance.
I close my eyes and raise my hands, moving my lips and making up words as I sing off-key. I leap from the ground. My legs form a grand jeté that would have me thrown out of the School of Performing Arts: my front leg is not entirely straight, and I’m definitely not high enough in the air. But I don’t care. I land on one foot, do little jumps and then turn and turn and turn—enjoying the moment, not worrying about anyone possibly watching me.
The summer has emptied the dorms and the hallways of the School of Performing Arts. And if my dad hadn’t lost his job, I wouldn’t be here either. I would be dipping my toes in the ocean, lying on the beach at the Hamptons, thinking of how to make Nick notice my new bikini. Those days of careless spending and adventures are gone.
My feet take me on another spin. I concentrate on the music, on the feeling of freedom that comes from letting my body move, on the possibilities ahead. Pushing away the thoughts that the music will end, that I will need to face reality, that this feeling of happiness will disappear.
“Nice, Em. But aren’t you supposed to wear clothes when you’re dancing?”
I gasp. Nick stands in the middle of the room. Shirtless. His sweatpants hang low like an Abercrombie model’s. All strong biceps, ripped abs and chiseled torso.
Note to self: keep breathing.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” I stutter. My heart does its usual happy-to-see-you-Nick dance. Even though, ever since my father got fired, it’s been a little tense between us. He’s not supposed to be here. He’s supposed to enjoy the beach where we used to have bonfires. He’s supposed to dip in the water where we played Marco Polo. He’s supposed to live the life we used to have. And of course, he’s supposed to be tanning on the sand, flirting with every girl in a tiny bikini, breaking hearts.
“Hmmm...what could I be doing in the dance studio?” He raises an eyebrow in his aren’t-you-cute-little-sister-of-Roberto way and I want to scream.
But I keep my voice as casual as possible. “Here, in New York.” I roll my eyes. Not joining the usual group in the Hamptons may have sucked, but it was supposed to give me at least two months without seeing him.
“I was enjoying the show,” he replies, laughing
“Yeah. Right.” My cheeks flame as I stare into the deep green sea of regrets that is Nick’s eyes.
He moves his hips to the music still blasting in the room. A room that is usually able to contain twenty students easily, but which now seems to be closing in on us. “I’m pretty sure this dance is not on the repertoire. But it should be. You looked great and like you were having fun.”
“Fun,” I blabber. He must be joking: I’m sweaty and out of breath, my hair is probably wild around my face, my posture is all wrong. But he doesn’t glance away. His eyes roam my face, down my neck, up and down my body. My almost-naked body. I’m only wearing a bra and tiny shorts. Because I was supposed to be alone here and the stupid AC is being a real diva—working one second and then stopping for a minute while temperatures are hitting the hundreds. My hands curl ar
ound my middle, my ears feeling hotter than my own personal Hell.
“You never dance like this—like you’re having the best time of your life.” His gaze heats up. Or maybe it’s me.
My top and my tights sit neatly folded on top of my gym bag. Right by the stereo. I shift on my feet, hesitating. Should I rush to get them? There’s something about the way he looks at me that glues me to the floor.
He’s looking at me like he sees me. Really sees me.
Maybe this is the wake-up call he needed to realize I’m not only Roberto’s annoying little sister.
Get a grip, Em. Get a grip.
I clear my throat. “You still didn’t answer my question. I thought you were supposed to be at the Hamptons with the rest of the gang.” My voice falters but I keep my I-am-not-hurt mask. None of the friends I used to go to the Hamptons with returned my calls. I’ve received a grand total of one text in the past two weeks, telling me how much fun they’re all having and that I’m missing out. Like I didn’t know.
Nick crosses his arms over his chest. His very muscular arms. His very defined chest.
I really should get a grip. He’s a dancer, he’s got an amazing body because he’s a dancer, because he puts in a lot of hours into training it, because that’s his job. Other guys at the school have a perfect body too. But I don’t drool over them, so why him?
He smiles and chuckles. “What’s so funny?” I ask, blowing a strand of hair away from my face.
His chuckles turn into one of his happy-laughs, one of his laughs that usually would have me melting. Nick never laughs at me and right now, it almost seems he’s trying to push me so I can forget about my bitterness. He winks. “You want to sound angry but you don’t. You sound surprised...and maybe, do I dare say it? Happy to see me.”
“Yeah, right. You’re so full of yourself. Is that a requirement to be one of my brother’s friends?” I stretch, grab the remote control lying on the floor and turn off the music. We do not need to have this conversation over the collection of eighties music I found in Mom’s closet. Something about listening to “Like a Virgin” right now seems...inadequate.
Or maybe too adequate.
“You know the only requirement to be one of your brother’s friends is to like playing Formula One and Mario Kart and the occasional Call of Duty. Your brother is pretty easy to please. You, on the other hand, not so much.”
“If my brother is so easy to please, why haven’t you been to our place since school ended?” I stare at my shirt as if I could will it to fly to me, as if I developed supernatural powers in the last hour. Going to grab my shirt would mean brushing past him, and I’m not sure my heart could handle the proximity. “I’ve seen your brother. I kicked his ass at Formula One last night,” Nick replies.
This time, my smile is real. Roberto hasn’t said anything, but he missed hanging out with Nick. I know they only needed a bit of time to figure it out. “I guess I didn’t get invited because you were afraid to lose.” I can’t help but sound a bit smug. I’ve got mad video-gaming skills.
“Or maybe because you’re a sore loser.” Nick grins the grin I love, the one that makes my heart beat faster than any ballet rehearsals or showcases.
And apparently, Nick cannot hear the thundering of my heart, cannot hear how it’s beating so fast I’m afraid it’s suddenly going to stop, cannot hear how it’s dancing its own dance for him. Nope, instead of staying at a safe distance, he strides my way, so close I could almost touch him.
This is one of my dreams come true. Dreams. That must be it—I must be dreaming. Which means soon he’s going to kiss me. He’s going to whisper that he wants me, that’s he’s always wanted me, that he loves me. I lick my lips and take a deep breath.
But nope, instead of kissing me like he would in my dreams, he smiles one more time, steps away and walks to the bench on the other side of the room. He picks up my clothes, my gym bag and then brings them to me. “Come on, Em. My turn to rehearse.”
My stomach clenches and I tilt my chin down.
Definitely not a dream.
And if it is a dream, it’s a really shitty one
CHAPTER 2 - NICK
Em tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, again and again, her mouth slightly open and her chin tucked in—clear signs she’s either angry or disappointed or both, but trying very hard to keep it all bottled up inside. The last time she looked like this was right after her father got fired. And my chest tightens, remembering how sad she was, how she couldn’t even look at me for a few days.
But then, she squares her shoulders and stares right at me. My gaze drops to her lips. Lips that are so fucking inviting I should get a prize for not asking if I could kiss her. Only once. Only to taste those lips.
She snaps her fingers in front of me. “And why should I go?” she asks, putting a hand on her waist. “I was here first, Mister Entitlement.”
And she’s back, ladies and gentleman. I tilt my head to the side—going for the innocent, I’m-so-nice look. “I didn’t know.” That’s a lie. Roberto told me where she was and yes, I had to rehearse, but I could have waited.
“But when you saw me dancing, you could have used another room. It’s the best one, but it’s not the only one.” I can almost see her pump her fist in the air, because she thinks she found the solution—a way to prove me wrong. Her life mission, apparently.
“It is the only one open right now. They’re remodeling the other ones.” I pause. “I wasn’t joking. You looked amazing.” I’ve only seen her dance like this one other time. Like today, she was alone in a rehearsing room, and she completely lost herself to the movements. She’s usually so put together, so serious about dancing, too much of a perfectionist to portray and communicate the emotions to the audience.
Her body was one with the music.
And she was hot.
She is hot. And...the wrong brain is taking over.
“Thanks,” she replies, blushing and glancing everywhere but at me again.
I clear my throat, tempted to forget my promises to Roberto, tempted to forget I only do short-term relationships (ones with expiration dates), tempted to forget everything but her.
The crush I’ve had on her ever since she beat me at Mario Kart last year wearing shorts which showed her long legs has grown bigger and bigger. Kind of like me now.
I shift around. “Anyways, there are rules.” I sound like a dick. But there are rules I need to follow. Not the rules I’m talking to her about, but rules nonetheless. Strict rules. Not the ones her brother—my best friend—gave me, but my own.
Never fall for a girl. Never fall for this girl.
“And since when do you follow rules?” She stretches on her toes, goes back down, stretches back up—she’s mesmerizing. And now I sound like an idiot.
She continues talking. “Apparently, since you decided the Hamptons weren’t cool enough for you this year, we’re going to have to share this room for the next few weeks. You can’t come in here and tell me I’m done rehearsing simply because you said so.”
“Did you sign your name on the sheet?”
“What sheet?” She stays on her toes and glances around the room.
“Online. There’s a calendar of reservations for the rehearsal room, and it’s been mine for the past twenty minutes. I was actually very generous to let you keep on dancing.”
“Generous, my ass.”
“Are we really having a discussion about your ass?” I tease her.
“You’re impossible,” she grunts, throwing her arm in the air and leaning against the mirror.
“There are rules about the mirror too.”
“You’re an asshole,” she replies, but she stops leaning on the mirror. Emilia is known to follow the established rules, to try to be perfect. Her tone is angry but her lips are turned up in a half-smile, the one that says she thinks I’m funny. I love that smile.
“I see your mind is really set on that ass discussion,” I answer, laughing. I can’t help it. Em and I alwa
ys have this easy banter, this kind of back and forth where we push each other’s buttons but know the lines not to cross.
She sighs. “I give up. I didn’t know about the sheet,” she says.
“I’m glad I can teach you things. Oh, little one.” I joke and expect her to get all pissy at me, but instead she steps toward me.
She’s way too close.
She’s not close enough.
“Little one? Really? Everyone knows size doesn’t matter.”
My mouth gapes open. “Did you say what I think you said?”
Her dimples deepen as she laughs. “You should have seen your face.”
“What do you know about size anyways?”
She grunts. “Really. We’re so not having this conversation either. I need a shower. I need to get back home. And I need you out of my face.”
And I’m picturing her in the shower. I shift on my feet again; this is becoming very uncomfortable. “I’m here for the summer. And Roberto wants me to hang out. He told me I should come for dinner. Sooner than later.”
“What?” Her eyes glance down and it seems she’s trying to look upset, but instead there’s almost hope on her face. Rob does want us to go back to the way things were before his dad got fired. But Rob has also warned me about flirting with Em. Rob has warned me to not break her heart.
I need to stop the flirting. Now. So, I lie. “Not tonight though. I have a date with Jen tonight.”
“Jen—Jen?” She steps back and puts on her shirt in a hurry. “I can’t believe you’re going on a date with Jen. Again.”
“Why not?” I shrug. She doesn’t need to know that the only reason I dated Jen in the first place was because my dad told me to. The only reason I spent so much time with her was to help him land a business deal with Jen’s parents.
“She was a total bitch to me.” She stares at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“She sees you as a threat.”
“Natalya is her t-threat. N-ot me,” Emilia stutters. She only stutters when she’s excited or hurt. I’m pretty sure she’s not excited right now, and I have to hold myself back. I can’t tell her that this date with Jen is not real. To tell the truth, I’m not even sure Jen is in the city. I should probably call her. She’s not all that bad, and when we dated—for a whopping two weeks—she dropped the spoiled girl act, but Em and she have been rivals since they both got into the School of Performing Arts.
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