"What do you mean?" I removed my hand from Aleena's and placed it on her cheek.
She bit her lip. "I don't want to talk about it."
I thumbed away the tears. "Okay." I whispered, then kissed the top of her head.
She looked up at me. "Thank you." She mouthed, fully crying now.
"That's what I'm here for." I whispered, wrapping her in a hug.
Not for the first time, I held her while she cried.
*
After a bit, Aleena fell asleep. Standing up. While I was holding her.
I sighed.
"Alice." I whispered, know she'd hear me no matter where she was.
"Yes?" she popped up on the other side of the kitchen island.
"Can she sleep on a bed somewhere?"
"Yeah. Here; I'll take her."
"Okay. Thanks, Alice."
"No problem."
I walked into the living room.
"Michelle." I said.
She looked up at me.
"Can I talk to you?" I glanced at Esme and Carlisle. "Alone?"
Carlisle stood up. "We need to hunt anyway." He took Esme's hand, and they were gone.
"What is it, Seth? Is Aleena all right?"
"She's fine. She's upstairs sleeping."
"Then what is it?"
I sat in the recliner and leaned towards her.
"I want to know why Aleena won't dance."
Michelle inhaled sharply.
*
"Growing up, Aleena was in gymnastics, dance, archery…just about any class she could get into.
And she excelled at all of them.
In junior high, she was extremely popular.
Then, Kyle happened.
They began dating. They were sort of like…a power couple, you could say.
Dean was against her dating from the start, especially with Kyle. But, I convinced him to let her.
'If we say no, she'll just sneak around.' I told him.
Kyle was in football, baseball, basketball, track…pretty much an all-around jock.
But, he loved to dance with Aleena, or even just watch her dance.
Until she broke her ankle.
He then forced her to dance, every day.
He was convinced she was faking it.
She couldn't dance; she wouldn't. Not on her broken ankle.
He dumped her, and she hasn't danced since then."
*
"So…Aleena thinks that if she dances with me and messes up or something, I'll break up with her?" I asked.
Michelle shrugged. "Something like that."
"I couldn't break up with her if I tried!"
"You and I both know that, Seth." She said. "And Aleena knows it, but I don't think she understands…or believes it."
"Well, what do I do to prove it to her; get her to believe it?"
"You could start by not going behind my back." Aleena said, standing on the stairs.
"Aleena, I— "
"No, Seth. Save it." She turned and ran out of the house.
I stepped after her, but Michelle grabbed my arm.
"Let her cool off for a few minutes."
I nodded, but when she let go of my arm, I ran outside after Aleena.
"Seth!" I heard, but I ignored her.