We stand like that for a long time. Holding the heavy box. Our hands touching. Not saying a word. It is the moment when Luke walks downstairs and sees us, he breaks the magical spell.
'Bring that to the storage room Jess', he says louder than I'm used to. I release the box quickly and Jess turns around, leaving me behind.
'I really appreciate that you went to Taylor's shop, you know I can't stand him I-'
'It's fine Luke', I whisper and take my apron from behind the counter. 'I'm sorry I didn't tell you about...', he starts again when I take the coffee pot, ready to serve customers. 'We are fine, honestly', I assure him before I get to work.
I can't stay mad at Luke. He has been taking care of me ever since I arrived here. More than he thinks he has. Luke isn't aware of certain things in my life but it is for the better.
(time skip)
'It must be nice, living in a small town like this', Brad notices when we walk to our local dance school again. It is the third time this week Paris wants us to rehearse Romeo and Juliet. Even the trees need to be present apparently.
We walk in way to early when Miss Patty is still teaching the seniors stretching exercises. I would do anything to escape this view. Miss Patty is the owner of the dance school named Miss Patty's. She used to be a Broadway dancer like me, only she had reached more and she is proud of it.
'This is unacceptable!' Paris pushes Brad aside while running in, his face turning pale again.
'I booked this room for 8 pm and guess what? It is 8.05 pm', she holds up her watch in front of Miss Patty's face, annoying her clearly.
'You can't force nature, honey', she answers in her usual dreamy voice. A grimace appears on my face, but I try to hide it once Paris looks at me. Eventually, it takes the seniors ten extra minutes to stretch but after that we can rehearse. If only Tristin would show up.
'If he isn't in school tomorrow, I'll kill him!' Paris yells and breaks one of her coffees. We all stand frozen, waiting for her to give us any command.
'Brad, you play Romeo for now', she hisses but Brad steps back until he hits the wall, only fear in his eyes. 'Fine, Madelaine play Romeo!' She yells. I take my place behind the table Rory lays on, trying to remember Romeo's lines when Tristan casually walks in.
'Madelaine kiss your Juliet', Paris says, not noticing his presence. Both Rory and I look up in confusion when Tristan starts laughing. 'I wanna see that', he grimaces. Paris turns around in a rush, throwing her script at him before she can even yell.
'You have no respect at all!' She yells before pushing him. He only laughs about it. The rest of the evening is kind of the same story over and over again until we finally are allowed to leave.
I quickly say goodbye to Brad who only nods and almost runs out of the building, before I walk home by myself. It is cold and dark outside, some raindrops falling out of the sky when I walk past the gas station. A mysterious figure leaning against it.
'Are you always this late on the streets?' I ask when I walk closer to Jess, the smoke of his cigarette disappearing in the night. 'Could say the same about you', he mumbles.
It seems that our little moment in the diner hasn't changed anything. It makes me wonder if we will ever be the same again. 'What is going on?' I ask after a moment of silence. He throws his cigarette on the ground, couching for a while when I watch him.
'What are you talking about?' 'You aren't the same as you used to be', I remark, a vague smile appearing on his face. 'Neither are you'. He stares at me, sighing a little when he sees the doubt on my face.
'It will never be the same again, will it?' I ask softer. He shakes his head after that, holding his hands behind his neck when he looks up at the sky, clearly thinking.
'Things change, Madelaine', he says eventually and with one last glance he turns around, hiding towards the diner. It is clear that he doesn't feel the same as I do. He has let go of the past.
I can't understand how.