Someone I Used to Know - By Blakney Francis Page 0,123

your feet in little dance steps…I know for a long time that stopped, but I just thought with everything…that maybe things were different now.”

Cam used to say that he could measure her happiness by the pointe of her toes. To him, dancing had always symbolized her happiness.

He couldn’t ask her if Declan made her happy…not yet. Change takes time, especially in matters of the heart. One day their love would be exactly what it should be, but until then, they were just blindly trying to find their way through it, doing the best they could.

“I can’t think of anything in the world that would make me happier than to know that you dance again.” He filled in the silence she’d left open, assuring her in his own way that it was okay that she’d moved on. It was okay if he wasn’t the one she danced for anymore. It was her happiness that mattered to him.

“I dance every day,” she told him with a grin that she knew he’d be able to hear, and watery eyes that she knew he couldn’t.

She truly meant it. She’d found her happiness again. Not only in Declan, but in herself, too.

“But you’ll always be my favorite standing ovation.” Her voice teetered on the brink of breaking, but she held firm on the ledge.

“Of course, I am,” he said with bravado she knew masked over his real feelings. “I gotta go, Ads. Be safe. Call me when you need bail money.”

“Bye, Cam,” she said softly.

“Bye, Red Shoes.”

Her luggage was already making its way around the carrousel when she finally found the right area. It was a real piece of luggage, large and sturdy with wheels, so unlike the duffel bag she’d started last summer with. Her parents had given it to her for her birthday, and she was well aware of the subtle hint hidden in the gift. Each time she spoke to them, they suggested another trip home.

She had just gotten a good grip on the handle and turned towards the exit when an unexpected sight stopped her in her tracks.

It was Declan.

Only it didn’t look like him. The bustle of the airport filtered around him, no one taking notice of the Oscar nominee standing in their midst. He was costumed convincingly as a chauffeur, lined up with all the others, where they waited for their human cargo. His hat dipped low on his face, shadowing most of it, but he’d added another layer of disguise with sunglasses as well. The suit he wore didn’t look a cent nicer than the ones around him, and the only thing at all that made him stand out from the rest of them was the unusual sign he held with both hands.

THE GIRL IN THE RUBBER DUCKY SHORTS

“You’re insane.” She shook her head, bewildered by the audacity of someone so highly recognizable to stand out in public unprotected. It didn’t mean she wasn’t smiling when she made it to him though, her mouth stretched wide at the sight of him, navy eyes beaming.

“May I help you with your bags, Ms.?” He didn’t break character, sliding his hand under hers on the handle of her luggage and easily stealing it. He was already striding away by the time she caught her breath from the feel of his touch.

It affected her to an embarrassing degree, and she noted that she’d have to build up a tolerance to him quickly, or things were going to get out of hand….Like, for instance, her jumping him at that exact moment and having her way with him for the entire world to see.

She straightened her shoulders and collected herself. The world had already seen quite enough of her as it was.

The real chauffeur was already helping Declan put her bags in the trunk when she made it to their car. It was his signature stretch limo, shiny and midnight black. Her gaze trained on his firm behind, even after he’d stood up straight and slammed the trunk closed over her luggage. He walked to the door and placed a hand on handle, turning to her with an irresistible smirk. That was all it took.

“Oh, screw it,” she professed, a second before shoving him against the very door he’d been opening for her.

“Please do,” he uttered, before she crashed into him, her mouth content to devour his.

The inch he’d managed to crack, slammed shut as her body pressed into him. The ledge of the sidewalk offered her an advantage, and she didn’t even have