Page 86 of Movers and Fakers

I turn the TV on that’s hanging from the wall nearby. A few clicks later and Barbie of Swan Lake is playing, the gentle notes of the opening music filtering through the cabin. Aurora tugs the blanket down off the back of her seat and covers both of us. I gently massage her feet, careful not to press too hard and accidentally hurt her.

“Hayes?” The warmth in her voice makes my heart skip.

“Hm?”

I turn from the screen to look at her. She’s looking at me from within a burrow of blankets, her eyes like tropical waters I could spend forever swimming in. The look she wears gives me a dangerous sort of hope. One that makes me wonder if maybe, just maybe, she’ll think this is worth all the trouble. That I’m worth it.

“Thank you.”

My lips turn up in a smile.

“Anytime, Princess. I mean it.”

And I really do.

Chapter forty-three

Welcome to New York

Aurora Driscoll

I don’t think New York City would be as wonderful without Hayes by my side. Maybe I’m wrong, and I’ll come back on my own one day and find it just as magical, but I doubt it.

Hayes drapes a quilt he bought without looking at the price tag over the leaf-strewn ground in Central Park. It’s been a busy morning of exploring the city, taking cheesy photos in front of cheesier tourist traps, and buying overpriced I Heart NYC T-shirts from a stand with a very persuasive salesman. I don’t think I’ve smiled so much offstage in my life. Everything feels alive. My skin is buzzing and my chest is warm in spite of the chill in the air.

I sit down on the quilt while Hayes lays out our lunch. He took me to one of his favorite delis to pick up sandwiches and the most decadent-looking tiramisu I’ve ever seen. Now we’re having a picnic in Central Park, surrounded by colorful trees with a view of the skyline not far away.

“So, what do you think of New York?” he asks as he hands me my turkey sub.

“It’s loud and busy and chaotic, but … I think I love it,” I reply as I unwrap the sandwich. “I don’t think I’d mind living here if I got accepted into the New York City Ballet.”

Hayes smiles while unscrewing the top of a bottle of sparkling water.

“Is that where you’d want to be? Or do you have another company you’d choose?”

I take a bite of my sandwich while I think.

The New York City Ballet is one of the world’s most prestigious companies. It would be an honor to dance for them. But there are also a few others around the world that would be incredible to dance in if I got the opportunity.

“New York would certainly be one of the easiest, since it wouldn’t be too far for my family. There are companies in Paris and London that I’ve always admired, though.”

“If you didn’t have to think about your family, what would you choose?” Hayes asks.

I frown. “That’s a pointless question. I’ll always think of them.”

“Even if it stops you from achieving a lifelong dream?”

The sandwich wrap crinkles in my hand as I pull it down and take another bite.

My family has only ever pushed me toward my dreams, aside from the occasional wish that I’d have more of a social life. They aren’t afraid of me leaving the nest. My mom might cry if I moved across the world, but she’d be happy if it meant I was living life to the fullest.

“My dream includes my family,” I explain after some thought. “I don’t want a life where I only see them once or twice a year.”

Hayes nods while chewing. I eye him for a moment before taking a risk and asking him a question.

“What about you? Are you going to follow in your dad’s footsteps, or do your own thing?”

He drops his gaze, looking more guarded than I’ve ever seen him.