After pacing around my hotel room for about an hour, I decided that surfing would get my mind off of things. I got into my swimsuit and wetsuit and started walking to the beach. I rented a board and headed out onto the waves. I was right. It did calm me down. Getting out of the water was a different story. Luca, Quinn, Lana, Jason, and Hayden were on the beach. They looked like they were having a great time. I sighed before I set the board in the sand and pulled down my wetsuit halfway. I picked the board back up and started walking towards them.
“Hey, Jobear!” Jason smiled. I laughed and rolled my eyes.
“Never call me that again, Jason,” I said, shaking my head. Hayden’s face went to one of remorse and hope. He stopped what he was doing and stepped towards me.
“Jo,” he said lightly. I avoided his eyes. Jason looked between the two of us.
“Just kiss and make up already,” Jason said in an exaggerated manner. Lana and Luca looked over to us curiously. I looked around before I shook my head hesitantly.
“Let’s go talk,” Hayden suggested. I sighed and started walking. He jogged up and started walking with me. I turned in the board and pulled off my wet suit. “Jo, I know I was wrong, and I’m going to be here waiting for you,” Hayden said. I sighed and looked away from him.
“It’s hard to stay away from you; you have to know that. But I need time to think without you around. My love for you clouds my judgment. And the fact is: you cheated on me. I don’t take that lightly,” I said. He begged me quietly with his eyes. Every time we talked, my answer wavered a little more.
“Marry me,” he said suddenly. I looked at him shocked.
“What?” I asked. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it lightly.
“Marry me,” he repeated. I shook my head.
“Hayden! We have so many issues right now and we’re not even together. Marrying me won’t change anything. And I don’t want to get married just because you’re desperate,” I said. He looked away from me as a heat crept into his cheeks.
“I just want to be with you, Jo,” he said softly. I hesitated before I pushed up on my tip-toes and kissed him. My hand went to his cheek lightly. His hand went to my waist as he kissed me back. After a moment, I pulled away so my face was inches from his.
“I love you, Hayden. That’s not the problem. The problem is that you hurt me. You intentionally hurt me. I love you, and I want to be with you; I just don’t trust you right now,” I said quietly. He ran his thumb along my cheek before he pecked me gently.
“I can’t stand being away from you like this,” he whispered. “Come over,” he asked. I shook my head before he made me look at him. His eyes begged me. I sighed.
“Okay, okay, but only for a little bit,” I finally gave in. He kissed my head, his lips lingering. I found my eyes closing as he interlocked his fingers with mine. I changed into a change of clothes before I went with him. Back at the apartment, I was a little nostalgic. I missed being here. And even though I’d only been gone for a few days, I was getting homesick. Hayden wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. I couldn’t help the stirring that started in the bottom of my stomach. His hand went to my lower back and scrunched up my shirt. I pushed him away as I tried to catch my breath.
“Hayden, that’s not why I came here,” I said, stopping him. He rested his forehead against mine, making it nearly impossible for me to think straight.
“Jordyn, I just want you back… in every way,” he said in a whisper. I couldn’t help it; my breath caught. His electric blue eyes held me there.
“Hayden,” I breathed. He didn’t give me a chance to say anything else. His lips attached to mine fiercely, making my heart swell. He pulled me so close to him that I could feel every inch of his body. He was desperate, and I could feel it. He really did miss me.
“I don’t know how long I can handle being without you,” he whispered as he kissed me. He laid me down on the couch and gripped my waist. “Please come home,” he begged as he kissed my neck. He slipped off my shirt before he attached his lips back to my neck. Having him here with me reminded me that I missed him too. I missed his touch and his lips. I couldn’t help but to think of how those same lips were on someone else not to long ago. My eyes shot open and I pushed him off of me.
“Hayden, stop,” I breathed. I sat up and pushed my hair back. I closed my eyes as I sighed. “Hayden, I can’t,” I said hoarsely as my eyes watered.
“Baby,” he started as his thumb brushed away a stray tear. I shook my head before I stood up and took a step away from him.
“All I can think about is that you were with someone else not too long ago. I can’t deal with that,” I cried quietly. Hayden sighed and looked away from me.
“I love you. And yes, I messed up. I know that. Please just forgive me, Jo,” he said softly. I shook my head before I brushed away the fresh tears and walked out of the apartment.
The next day, I didn’t go to rehearsal. I locked myself in my hotel room and just cried. I missed him but I couldn’t forget what he did; as much as I wanted to. I avoided rehearsals all that week. I talked to my dad often but I didn’t mention everything that was going on with Hayden. Finally when Monday rolled around, I came out of my hotel. I went looking around town and found that a restaurant, close to the apartments and the hotel, was hiring. I needed a job anyway so I went ahead and applied. I went shopping to get my mind off of things. That always helped. Tuesday, I decided that I’d been avoiding everyone long enough. I went to rehearsal.
“There she is. We were starting to think you were gone for good,” Luca smiled at me. I shrugged and gave a light smile before I started stretching. Hayden just stared at me the whole time. I noticed a cluster of mats off to the side. It made me curious. What in the world was Luca up to? Luca clapped his hands in front of him and looked to everyone. “We have two new dancers joining out crew; Kendra and Bradley,” Luca announced. Just then, two new people walked in. The girl, Kendra, had brown hair and green eyes. She looked tiny and Italian. The guy, Bradley, had jet black hair and blue eyes. He looked like he could hold his own against pretty much anyone. He had a lot of muscle.
“Oh goodie, fresh meat,” Jason joked.
“Thank goodness, I thought you were going to add Sophia,” Quinn laughed. I laughed as well and rolled my eyes.
“I’ve seen enough of her to last me a lifetime,” I added.
“Our next gig is an acrobatic lyrical,” Luca said, moving on. I could feel Hayden’s eyes on me. “We’re switching up partners so Kendra and Bradley can get a feel for us. Plus, these pairs need to be perfectly balanced for the tricks we’re going to be pulling. Kendra, you’ll be with Jason; Lana with me, Jo with Bradley, and Quinn with Hayden,” Luca announced. Everyone looked at him shocked. I let out a silent sigh of relief. I just couldn’t deal with Hayden today.
“Luca,” Hayden started to protest.
“Shut up, Hayden. I think we all know that this is going to be better for everyone,” Luca said. Quinn and Lana looked at me while Jason and Luca looked at Hayden. I looked down at my hands as an awkward silence fell over the space.
“Well let’s get started then,” Jason muttered. We all started moving to our new partners.
“Oh, and with the next gig, they only want one couple to perform as an opening to this art exhibit. Let’s work on simple lifts and partner work first. We need to pull out the mats,” Luca instructed. I smiled lightly and held my hand out to Bradley, as everyone else started walking towards the mats.
“Hi, I’m Jordyn, but everyone calls me Jo,” I introduced myself. He shook my hand.
“Bradley,” he said back. He looked around at everyone else working before he leaned in closer to me. “What was all that about?” he asked. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
“Hayden is an ass who can’t keep it in his pants,” was all I said. We went to help put the mats out before we started warming up. We started with basic lifts and just spent the day getting used to our new partners. Bradley was pretty cool. He was steady with his hands. His hands gripped my hips easily as he tossed me. I found out that he used to be a cheerleader, which would explain why he was able to one-man me. I was a little surprised because I was bottom heavy and a base. I smiled as we popped off. I laughed and squeezed my arms around his neck.
“I haven’t done that in a while,” he laughed. I smiled as well.
“That was awesome! If we pull a handstand one-man and flip a dolphin to a cradle we would get the spot for sure,” I said. He nodded and we fist bumped. I could practically feel Hayden glaring at Bradley. I ignored him. I grabbed my bag and said goodbye to everyone before I headed out to my car.
“Jordyn,” I heard from behind me. I sighed and kept walking. I felt an arm on mine and stopped. I felt chill run up my arm.
“Hayden, leave me alone,” I said.
“Please, Jo… come home,” he said softly. I turned to him and sighed sympathetically.
“You have to give me space,” I said. I shook his grip and got in my car.