Love is a Dance Step (Rockstars Anonymous)

by Michelle MacQueen

  And all that mattered was the next step.

  She bent one leg, lifting the other behind her before turning on her foot. The ballet moves gave her structure, purpose, but the modern steps gave her freedom.

  For the duration of the song, she was in control, in charge of what happened next. There were no professors questioning her place in their programs, no rock stars trying to convince her to leave everything else behind.

  And there certainly wasn’t a best friend she wasn’t even sure was a friend anymore.

  Until there was. She’d danced through three songs, ignoring the burning of her muscles, the straining of her lungs. She turned on her heel one final time to find someone standing in the doorway.

  Asher.

  His eyes held hers with an intensity she hadn’t seen from him before. Ignoring the burning sensation his gaze created along her skin, she walked to her phone and shut the music off. When she straightened, she turned to find him in the same place.

  “What is it with you Stone boys watching me dance when I don’t know you’re there?” Her joke failed as his lips flatlined.

  “I didn’t know you could dance like that.”

  For all his talk of “you’re not a dancer,” he’d only just assumed she wasn’t good enough.

  “Ah.” She crossed her arms. “So, you just figured Lola Ramirez couldn’t possibly be good at anything?” She was tired of him demeaning her, tired of letting him affect how she felt about herself.

  He ran a hand through his blond hair, the same tic his brother had. “Lo…”

  “Whatever, it doesn’t matter.” Except it did. It mattered a lot.

  “I went to your house. When you weren’t there, I figured you’d be here.”

  “And…” She wiped her sweaty face on her arm. “Was there a purpose to finding me?”

  He blew out a breath, his jaw clenching. Lola once thought she could read whatever was in Asher’s mind, but right then, she couldn’t decipher the expression on his face. “I heard Drew on the phone.”

  “Good for you?” She tried to walk past him into the hall.

  He grabbed her arm. “Would you just talk to me for a second?” He was so close, too close. Weeks ago, Lola would have soaked in his nearness, letting herself wish for more.

  This time, she stepped back. “Speak.”

  “He was talking about you.” He walked farther into the room and stared at her in the mirror. “I never knew, Lo. I don’t really get along with my brother, but even I know he’s talented. And he wants you to dance on his tour.”

  “I know. I turned him down.”

  He turned to face her. “Why didn’t you tell me about any of it?”

  “You’re the one who always told me I wasn’t good enough. I’m tired of this dance, Asher. I think I’m tired of us. Aren’t you exhausted? All this anger and jealousy… it’s not fun.”

  “I’m sorry.” His voice dropped. “Lo… I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you wanted this.”

  “You’ve said that already.” She crossed her arms and put all her effort into keeping the tears at bay. “Here’s the thing, Asher, even if I was awful, you’re my best friend. You’re supposed to make me feel like I can do anything, not like I can do nothing.”

  His eyes glassed over as he took a step toward her. “I know. Drew makes me crazy, and you took the brunt of it.”

  “But why? Why does he make you crazy? Is it jealousy, Ash?”

  “Maybe. It’s like I can’t control myself around him. He takes everything, every bit of oxygen my family has to give. I guess I thought if you were a fan, he’d take you too.”

  “No one can take me.” She reached toward him and rested a hand on his arm. “I make decisions for myself. Our friendship hurts me, Ash. It literally hurts. And I don’t think friendship is supposed to do that.”

  Asher’s tear-filled eyes flicked to hers as silence stretched between them at her admission. It happened so fast Lola didn’t have time to prepare herself. Asher pressed his lips to hers. It was the moment Lola had dreamed of for so long, but nothing about this was right.

  Not anymore.

  She put a hand on his cheek and pulled back. “What was that for?”

  “I think…” He sucked in a breath. “I think I’m in love with you.”

  Wasn’t that what she’d wanted to hear? Maybe once. But now, as she looked into his eyes, she realized she didn’t feel the same way. “Ash, you don’t love me.”

  “How can you say that?”

  “Because I know what loving you feels like. It’s not this desperate attempt to keep each other from moving on, to hold on to our friendship.”

  “Lo, I’ve never felt this way before. It hurts right here.” He took her hand and pressed it to his heart.

  “That’s loss, Ash. Not love.” A soft smile curved her lips. “I have wanted to hear you tell me you love me for too long, but I’m not waiting anymore. Those feelings, I don’t think they were real. Just like yours, I think they were an attempt to hold on to the only person I’ve ever really counted on. But we don’t have to be in love to keep each other.”

  He put his hand over hers. “I thought our friendship made you tired.”

  “It shouldn’t. That’s the point. Let’s make a pledge to each other, Ash.”

  “A pledge.” He nodded. “Okay.”

  “No more holding each other back. We support each other, but it’s not okay to rely on each other so much anymore.”

  He brushed a hand over her hair, and one corner of his mouth curved up. “Sounds like you’re breaking up with me.”

  She shook her head. “Never. That’s part of the pledge. We remain friends no matter what.”

  He swallowed. “I think I can handle that.” Pulling her into a hug, he sighed. “As your friend, I feel the need to tell you you’re an idiot.”

  She tried to pull back, but he didn’t end the hug. “Uh, thanks?”

  “I might not be too fond of my big brother, but a rock star just invited you to join his tour as a dancer, Lo. And you said no. What would you prefer I call you?”

  “You think I was wrong?”

  “I can’t pretend to know what’s holding you back, but a few minutes ago, as I watched you dance, I saw what Drew must have seen. You love it like I’ve never loved anything. Not everyone gets a passion in life, and he’s giving you the chance to live yours.” He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “I made a binding friendship pact with this girl, and it says I need to support her, that I can’t hold her back. So, Lola Ramirez, are you going to hold yourself back?”

  She pressed her face into his shoulder. “What if I can’t do it, Ash? What if he realizes I was a mistake?”

  “That doesn’t sound like Lola at all.” He rested his chin on top of her head. “You, my best friend, are not a mistake.”

  She nodded against him and pulled away to dry her face. “So, my doctor-wannabe best friend thinks I should drop out of college, quit both my jobs, and join a rock tour?”

  “Nah. Your doctor-wannabe best friend thinks you should do anything that’ll make you happy.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “You have exactly one hour before Drew leaves for the next tour stop. The contract isn’t ready, so they’re having the new dancer meet them in Orlando.”

  An hour? She looked down at her sweaty clothes. She hadn’t even showered before coming to the studio. “Where is he?”

  “Probably at his bus. They parked them in an overflow parking lot by the high school.”

  She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I do love you, Ash.” Just in a healthy way now. She smiled as she grabbed her keys and raced out of the building.

  The drive to the high school took way too long with lunch traffic. She tapped her hands on the steering wheel, unable to sit still. Had Drew already offered the job to the other dancer? Was she too late?

  The almost-kiss no longer mattered. This wasn’t about them, it was about the dancing. She wouldn’t fall for the smooth rock star, and he certainly woul
dn’t fall for her. She wouldn’t ruin the opportunity. As she pulled into the parking lot and the row of buses came into view, Lola locked down her heart.

  Activity surrounded the buses as roadies loaded bags onto them.

  Penny and Lizzy saw Lola first and sprinted her way shouting a million questions.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Is Asher coming?”

  “Are you going to dance?”

  That was the only one she could answer. Yes, she most definitely was going to dance.

  If Drew still wanted her.

  She looked to Penny. “Where’s Drew?”

  Another voice answered. “In his bus.”

  Lola turned to Piper, facing her for the first time since hearing how Piper didn’t think she was good enough for this job. The assistant hadn’t been mean, only honest. And it was true, in those auditions, Lola hadn’t been good enough. The two women stared at each other, neither wanting to make the first move.

  Sighing, Lola stepped forward and extended a hand. “We haven’t met. I’m—”

  “Lola.” The sound of Drew’s voice had her every nerve ending on fire. She turned, gathering her courage. His lips parted, but no other words came out.

  “Well,” Piper said. “I’m sufficiently invisible now, so I’ll let you two continue this weird staring thing you’ve got going on.” She put an arm around Lizzy and gestured to Penny. “Come on, girls. You can say goodbye to your brother once he tells Lola he can’t dance with anyone but her, and then she says something equally dramatic like she’s been waiting to dance with someone like him her entire life.”

  Penny and Lizzy’s giggling faded away, and Lola realized she was still staring. She cleared her throat. “I...”

  “You what?” He stepped toward her.

  “I need to set some ground rules.”

  He smiled. “I’d agree if I knew what the ground rules were for. You need to say it, Lola.”

  “I want the job.”

  “Is it just a job?”

  No. He was right. Dancing was her life, or, at least, it could be now. “I want to dance with you.” The words lifted a weight off her shoulders, relief rushing through her.

  His smile widened. “Thank heaven.”

  She put a hand up to stop his celebration. “Ground rules.” She ticked them off on her fingers. “One, I don’t have to wear anything I’m uncomfortable in.” Nothing skimpy. He nodded. “Two, I don’t want to join the tour only to be kicked off if Leah comes back soon. My spot is guaranteed.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. She’s decided to sit out the rest of the tour.”

  She nodded. “And three.” She sucked in a breath. “You can’t try to kiss me again.”

  His smile fell, but he nodded again. “Lola, I need to apologize if I gave you the impression I expected anything. I don’t know what came over me, but it won’t happen again. I have a rule for myself. I don’t get involved with anyone on tour. I promise, you won’t have to worry.”

  She pushed out a breath. She hadn’t really been worried about him and what he might do. It never crossed her mind that Drew was anything but a good guy. He was a Stone after all. Her own heart was another matter. If he kissed her, she feared she’d never want him to stop.

  Holding out a hand, she waited. When his fingers closed around hers, the meaning rushed in at her. She was going on tour with Drew Stone. Soon, she’d dance in front of thousands of people every night.

  Was it too late to go crawl under her covers?

  “I didn’t pack anything.”

  Drew shrugged. “We’ll push back departure for an hour. Go home, pack, say goodbye to your mom. We’ll be here when you’re ready.”

  “You can do that?” He could delay the movement of this many people?

  “Lola, I’m the star. I can do whatever I want.”

  15

  Drew

  Okay, he couldn’t keep all the busses waiting. At least not without disrupting their schedule.

  But he could stop his own bus from leaving.

  Because there was no chance he’d leave without Lola, not when he still couldn’t believe she’d agreed.

  “Where is she?” Piper looked at the time on her phone again. “Think she’s second guessing herself again?”

  “Pipes.” He slid an arm over her shoulder. “Are you going to be nice?”

  “I’m always nice.”

  “No, you’re always business like. But you do remember how it was the first time you joined a tour, right? It’s not easy to be new. I want you to help her.”

  “Me? Why not you?”

  Because he couldn’t get that almost-kiss out of his head. He’d started wondering if it was a good thing she’d said no—right up until the moment she stepped out of the car and everything felt right again. But he couldn’t say anything like that to Piper. “I’ll just be busy.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Guess it’s what you pay me for. So, yes, oh rock star man, I’ll make sure the other dancers don’t eat her alive.”

  He winced at the thought of Brooke and the other girls. They were nice to him but not necessarily to each other. Competition for stage positioning put them at odds. He wished Leah was still there. She’d kept everyone in line, and he knew without a doubt she’d have welcomed Lola no questions asked.

  As much as Drew loved having Piper as his assistant, they hadn’t known each other for long. She was an ex of his old assistant, Matt. When Matt went to work for the label, he told Drew to steal Piper from Quinn Hayes. She’d been working for her sister and needed a change.

  He’d never looked back after that. But still, she didn’t get him like Leah did.

  For the past week in Gulf City, Drew could almost forget the tour was happening. Other than auditions for a new dancer, all he’d had to do was spend time with his family. But when he said goodbye to them an hour ago, he knew it would be a long time before he saw them again.

  At least Lola could be the piece of Gulf City he kept with him.

  Piper scrolled through a text on her phone. “Melanie is going to join the tour in about a week when we head up to Charleston. Says she wants to make sure the condensed schedule runs smoothly, especially because she’s set up some media events and she wants to go to the event in D.C.”

  He sighed. Media events weren’t his idea of fun, but they were necessary. At least having Melanie around should be fun. He liked his publicist.

  A familiar car drove through the parking lot, and Drew stepped off the bus. What was Asher doing here?

  Lola answered that question as she stepped out and retrieved two duffel bags from the trunk. He’d brought her? Drew hadn’t talked to Asher about Lola or inviting her on tour. He assumed his brother wouldn’t approve.

  Asher hugged her and kissed her cheek before getting back into his car, leaving Lola to approach on her own. The driver ran forward to take the bags from her.

  Piper stuck her head out the door. “You two coming?”

  Drew couldn’t help the smile on his face. “I’d started to think you weren’t going to show.”

  Lola shook her head. “I’m done standing still. There’s no going back now.”

  He extended a hand and helped her up the steps. As soon as he closed the door, his shoulders relaxed. Since losing Leah to injury, he’d had this thought in the back of his mind that everything was going to fall apart because he couldn’t do this alone.

  And for the first time since then, he knew without a doubt the show would go on.

  Lola was nervous.

  That was the only explanation for her near silence the entire bus ride. By the time they reached the hotel in Miami, it was dark, and Drew couldn’t have been happier to get off the bus.

  He just hoped the rest of the tour wasn’t as uncomfortable as those few hours.

  Piper retrieved their room keys, and Lola tried to reach in and get her bags. The driver—Erikson—stopped her. “I’ll take care of your belongings, miss. They’ll be up in your r
oom in no time.”

  Lola chewed on her lips. “You don’t have to. I can get them myself.”

  The driver smiled, his weathered face brightening as he looked at her. “That’s kind, but this is what I’m paid for. Well, this and not crashing the bus.”

  To Drew’s surprise, Lola let out a laugh. “I do thank you for that, sir.”

  Erikson winked before turning away.

  Drew watched the exchange in fascination. It never would have crossed his mind to try to carry his own bags. It wasn’t that he thought he was above the act, but he’d been on various tours since he was eighteen and famous since he was nineteen. Having his bags taken to his room was normal to him.

  Lola clasped her hands in front of her. They’d parked at the back of the hotel lot, but as soon as they were in their rooms, Erikson would move the bus to a dedicated lot near the arena.

  “This place is nice.” Lola looked up at the grand hotel with wide windows spanning the front of it. Palm trees lined the edges of the parking lot, illuminated by spotlights.

  He shrugged. “It’ll do.”

  Those were the most words they’d said to each other in hours. Drew looked sideways at her, wondering what she’d do if he pried that lip from between her teeth and ran his own along it.

  He sighed. This was going to be a long tour.

  “Was your mom okay with all this?” He hadn’t thought to ask about how she’d come to the decision to leave home.

  Lola snorted. “With me running away to join a rock tour? Or with me dropping out of college to pursue dance? A career in which one misstep, one ill-timed injury could end that future? Not exactly.”

  “And yet, you came.” He offered her a soft smile

  She shrugged. “My mom may not understand, but she loves me, and she trusts me. She just wants me to be happy and told me so.”

  He flashed her a smile. There was something honest about Lola, an honesty he sorely needed in his life. “And Ash?”

  “He got me here.” She hugged her arms across her chest.

  That surprised him, sending him back into silence. What could Asher have said to her to change her mind? Why did he do it?