Page 40 of Between Takes
My eyebrows rose at that. He hadn’t struck me as a surprise type of guy. Although showing up at my door at 7AM maybe should have given me a different perspective.
“Do you trust me?”
I laughed. “Not even a little.”
“That hurts, Mona.” He held his hands to his heart like I’d shot him. What a dork. “Come on, when have I led you astray?”
“I’ve known you for three weeks!”
“The answer you’re looking for is never,” he countered, his smile stretching teasingly wide as he pulled me from my seat and collected my things.
“This is not what I expected.” My voice was hushed as I gazed in awe at a short woman expertly twining herself around a purple silk.
“Pretty cool, isn’t it?”
Shaun left me to my gawking. I mean, there was silence, so I assumed he’d wandered off. Tearing my eyes away from the aerial performance was too difficult. Inexplicable jealousy tightened my gut. I was flexible and years of lifting my own body weight for Pilates should make me perfect for aerial arts.
Yet despite the shoulds, I wasn’t so certain.
I’d dreamed about trying aerial silks for far too long. What if I can’t even lift myself?
I gasped as the woman overhead released the silk. The rope around her waist unravelled. My heart raced as she rolled maybe ten feet before the silk caught her in an upside-down split.
How freaking epic was that!
A tap on my shoulder dragged my gaze from the performer. Shaun wore an arrogant but dangerous smile. I didn’t want to think about my dopey grin and saucer-wide brown eyes. I was too bloody excited to care.
“We’ve got a two-hour session, so you’d better not develop a fear of heights,” he joked before leading me to a waiting instructor.
She looked about fifty with her greying black hair, but her tight workout clothes revealed a strong, toned body. She wore a patient smile, and any jitter of nerves I felt from watching the performer rocket towards the hard floor earlier eased. The extra-thick mat laid out beneath the waiting strips of silk likely helped too.
Still, my smile fell slightly as I eyed the silks. They stretched at least thirty feet in the arched space. I’d never been that high up. I had no issue with flying or standing on tall buildings. However, that was different from dangling in the air with nothing but fabric and a mat to break your fall.
“How did you know I would go for this?”
His smile faltered slightly. “Sherry might have asked your sister.”
I flashed back to my phone call with Isla last week. I’d barely had time to sleep and we kept missing each other, managing not much more than a brief “Sorry, I’ll call you back.” It seemed she’d assumed I’d be terrible at making friends – past experience said she was right – so she’d brought one to me. I didn’t think she’d condone me spending any time with Shaun outside of work after our conversation, but it seemed she could still shock me. What she failed to realise was that this was nothing more than Shaun’s attempt to butter me up and play nice to ensure I’d be a good little PA.
“Penny for your thoughts?” His breath tickled the shell of my ear as he leaned into me.
My heart stalled and I jumped. His eyes laughed at me as he danced out of reach. He’s lucky I’ve never been the violent type.
Before I could tell him off for invading my personal space yet again, the instructor called for our undivided attention as she ran through a safety briefing. It was for the best. For some stupid reason, I liked him being close and I didn’t need him to realise it. That would lead to all sorts of inappropriate questions I didn’t want to field.
We threw ourselves into the session and, thankfully, any sly and teasing looks stopped. He didn’t really have a choice. If he hadn’t given the silks all his attention, he would have hit the mat faster than I could say “Golden Globes.”
For once in my life, my height worked to my advantage. Because I was so short, I had a much easier time than Shaun, whose six-foot-three inches of lean muscle slowed him down. Plus, the online Pilates classes I followed had improved my flexibility enough that I could hold some kind of a shape, however brief.
“You lied to me.” Shaun’s face tightened with displeasure. “Somebody lied to me.”
“What are you talking about?” My voice sounded strangled from my upside-down position. Note to self: don’t talk while upside down. It’s uncomfortable.
“I thought you’d never done this before.” He frowned at me.
I released my hold on the silk and slid down until my feet hit the ground with a satisfying thump.
“I haven’t.” I wiped my hands on my leggings and stepped off the mat.
