Just Breathe

I heard the door creak open, even though they didn’t make a sound, I could still hear it, I could still hear the old door to the dance studio as it was opened. It needed to be oiled, badly as a matter of fact. I stopped my warm-up routine.

“You guys can come in, I already know you’re outside waiting, and thinking that you’re both oh-so-sneaky.” I called as I heard someone sigh.

“We don’t think we’re sneaky, we know it, or at least I do.” Rick’s unmistakeable voice piped up as I smiled before turning around and facing him and Joe who were now making their way across the wooden floor.

“Of course.” I muttered to myself, “well could one of you get the record player please?” I asked with a small sigh, this always seemed to happen, right as I started to warm up or when I was in the middle of a routine, never before or after I started, right when I was in the middle of it. Damn those two, especially Rick and there timing!

“I’ll grab it,” Joe mumbled more to himself then to me, I shot him a thankful look and a smile. Joe really wasn’t that bad, he kind of sweet actually.

“Any particular reason why you’re here?” I asked after a moment, looking from Rick to Joe to Rick.

“Not really, we were in the neighbourhood and just thought we’d drop by luv. Hope we’re not interrupting anything important.” Rick answered his smile stretching across his face, something told me the reason he was here was completely different from the reason he gave me.

“Of course, my practices aren’t that important.” I replied, trying to drop the hint that I didn’t want them here at all.

“If you were practicing, we could leave, and come back later.” Joe said speaking up as he approached us, I didn’t say anything as Rick just shook his head.

“She said it was nothing important and plus after that dance competition I don’t think you need to practice, you’re fantastic!” Rick said as I held back a groan, it wasn’t that I needed to practice; it was that I wanted to practice, and they just couldn’t let me.

“I guess.” I mumbled as Joe seemed to pick up the change in my mood.

“Didn’t Rick want us to practice today?” Joe asked after a moment of silence that seemed to snap Rick out if it, I assumed that Rick was a friend of theirs.

“I don’t think so; it’s just down the street though, so maybe I’ll just go run and check.” Rick said after a moment before pausing for a moment and looking from me to Joe. “And I’m just going to be a minute, so don’t think of doing anything too dumb.” He said before leaving the two of us alone.

“So is there actually a practice today?” I asked Joe as a smile appeared on his face and he shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know, probably not.” Joe answered as I smiled. A moment of silence settled over us before Joe cleared his throat. “So I was wondering if maybe sometime later this week you wanted to go out somewhere and maybe get a bite to eat or see a movie?” He said quietly as he looked at the floor and his cheeks got a bit of a red tone. I gave him a small smile as I felt my face heat up.

“Uhm, sure, that sounds like it would be fun.” I replied rather shyly, as my face heated up even more. He looked up at me with a small smile on his face, he was pretty cute.

“That’s good, so maybe on Tuesday we could go out and do something?” He said rather cautiously, watching the expression on my face carefully. Tuesday, that was three days from now, and if I planned my outing with Joe now, that means that I would be able to go on it.

“Yeah Tuesday sounds great.” I said looking away, maybe if I didn’t stare straight at him my face wouldn’t go bright red, again.

“Joe! You were right! There is practice and it’s in like five minutes, you better get your ass over there! I have to run home and grab my stuff.” Rick said as he stuck his head in the door and yelled.

“Yeah, I’ll go over in a second.” He called back as Rick slammed the door shut and probably, hopefully left. He waited a moment to make sure Rick had actually gone before he turned to me apologetically. “I gotta go, band practice.” He told me as I smiled.

“Just go, I have to practice too.” I said shooing him away with a smirk.

“Fine, but I’m not leaving without this.” He told me as he leaned forward and kissed my cheek softly. “Now I gotta go.” He mumbled as his face went red and he walked away, jamming his hands in his pocket.

“Have fun.” I called after a moment and mentally wanted to beat the crap out of myself for even saying that. Have fun, how lame could I possibly get?

“I’ll see you Tuesday night! I’ll drop by your house at six!”He called before I heard the door shut, and that was it he was gone.

“Yeah, I’ll see you Tuesday.” I whispered a moment too late before a smile broke out across my face.