Right in Time (20 page)

Maggie sat up in her bed, allowing her long hair to cascade over her face and wherever else it wanted.  Not in the mood to care in the least.  Her mind tried it’s hardest to drift back to the conversation she had with her mom yesterday and not the dream.  Lunch with her had been wonderful.  Her mom had such lightness about her now that she knew she was still in the clear.  But when Maggie sat down across from her at the table, the first thing she saw was her mom’s face turn stern and her ask “What happened?” 
Mother’s intuition?
She thought.  Must be, or else Maggie wasn’t as good an actress as she thought.  “Did someone drop the cake?” her mom asked. 

Normally that would have warranted at least a chuckle from her daughter, but not today.  So before she could hesitate anymore, Maggie opened her mouth and spilled everything (including the information about the sex dream.  What can you say, when she gets going…) before eventually dropping her head to her eyes and peaking up at her mom expectantly.  It was their job to fix things, no?

Maggie’s mom was a firm believer in ‘all things happen for a reason.’  Even the bad, horrible, shitty things she had gone through.  And that is what she told her daughter.  “Everything happens for a reason.  And things may not be clear right now, but you have to give things time.  And I know it’s not the easiest thing for you to do, but you have to try to not over think things.  Whatever is meant to happen, will happen.”

“Wise.  Like a fortune cookie.” Maggie grumbled in her bed.  Despite this, she knew her mom was ultimately right.  But it sure would be nice if she could get a little preview of what was meant to be so as to prepare herself.  Or to take away some of the stress.  Yeah, the latter would be nice. 

When she noticed the sun peaking in through her blinds in between the strands of hair that still covered her face, she crawled out of bed and made her first pot of coffee for the day (four more were to follow).  She tried doing anything and everything to pass the time, but it went by so slowly.  Her phone rang a few times, but she let each call go to voice mail.  Today, today she needed to be alone with her thoughts.  “It is going to be a long day.” She thought out loud.

Twelve hours later
when the sun was finally setting, Maggie’s apartment looked like a bakery threw up in it.  There were cakes and muffins and various other types of deserts all throughout, placed on whatever surface she could find room for it.  Appliances adorned the countertops and ingredients left their marks there as well.  Exhausted, she fell in to her sofa and looked around her.  When she was stressed, she baked.  This was a fact known by many, but today’s display just went to show that her mind was about to explode.

Maggie wasn’t someone who rarely took chances.  Sure, sometimes the spontaneity bug would hit her and she would have her moment, but other than that, no.  Let’s think back to the first day of dance classes, shall we?  Her heart was something she didn’t play games with either.  Safety and security, that’s what everyone wanted in a relationship, right?  Caleb offered her that.  Danny was a wild child and a bad ass, even though that was a front most of the time.  As for whether he could offer her those things, she honestly did not know.  The one thing she knew he could offer her was passion.  He had it in every aspect of his life and wasn’t afraid to show it.  Of course Caleb had passion for what he did as well, but he was more subdued in basically every aspect of his life.  He was similar to Maggie in that regard and they meshed well together. 

Danny. 

Danny was the opposite.  She thought back to what he said about how he challenged her and how he knew that he wasn’t the easy choice.  Everything he had said that night was true and that was where her main fear came from.  He verbalized everything she had been feeling and was afraid to say aloud herself.  Every aspect of being with him scared her, but it intrigued her at the same time.  Taylor did say that sometimes the things that scare you the most are the best for you.

With more thoughts running in her mind, Maggie tried to fall asleep.  Soon after her head hit her pillow, her brain luckily shut off and she found a peaceful (dreamless) sleep.  In the morning, she awoke at noon, finally getting some much needed rest.  She rolled over and checked her phone, figuring it was time to check the messages that people left her yesterday.  Apart from her friends just checking in and wishing her luck on her competition there were two other messages; one from Danny and one from Caleb.

“Hey babe, it’s Caleb.  I just wanted to call and see if you’re feeling better.  We get in around 1pm on Friday, so I think I’ll have to meet you at the ballroom.  Anyways, I will see you then.  Love you!”

“Hey Maggie, its Danny.  I’m just calling to make sure everything is alright and you made it home safe and sound.  I enjoyed hanging out with you and umm...well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.  Bye.”

Maggie couldn’t help but smile at the last message.  His uneasy and nervous tone made him even more human and genuine.  Hitting end on the voicemail call, she rolled over and threw her face in to her pillow hard and screamed at the top of her lungs.  Again.  She then trudged onward to her bathroom to get ready for whatever the evening held.  Maggie learned the night that her relationship with Thomas went to hell that the shower is a fantastic place to have a breakdown.  With the auxiliary fan on and the running water crashing down all around you, no one can hear you and you are free to bawl your eyes out and curse whoever it is that put you there in the first place.  And today, she took to it again.  There is something soothing about it as well.  The sound of the running water, the heat enveloping you; warming you from the outside in.  After you have let it all out, it washes down the drain and you can come out with a clearer mind, ready to attack whatever is in front of you. 

Until all hell breaks loose again, that is. 

Apparently the sentiment behind ‘lather, rinse, repeat’ is fitting in many forms.

Chapter Forty Five

Maggie entered the hotel lobby and followed the signs that directed her to the ballroom that was housing the competition.  She held on to her dress which she carried in a garment bag and looked around uncomfortably until a woman tapped her on the shoulder and pointed her in the direction of the dressing rooms. 

She draped her garment bag on an empty chair and turned around to leave the room.  When she did, she ran face first in to a hard body.  Looking up, she connected with the blue eyes that she knew only belonged to Danny.

“Hey, sorry!  Are you okay?” he asked with genuine concern.

“Yeah, I’m good.  Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“No problem.  Where were you headed?”

“To find
Caleb.”

“Oh.” He said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

“Did you just get here?”

“No, actually.  I’ve been here for a bit warming up.  I’m doing a solo contemporary routine after the first round of competition, so I wanted to get prepared.”

“Oh yeah, Caleb mentioned that before I think.”

“Yeah.” He answered, leading them in to a silence as they stared awkwardly at each other.

“Right, well, I’ve got to change in to my costume.  You’ve got about an hour before we should be in our outfits for our routine.” Danny said breaking the silence and creating an out for them.

“Okay, great.  See you
later.” Maggie said, ducking quickly past him and out in to the main ballroom again.  She went and stood in the corner by the main door, still feeling out of place in her environment. 

A voice over a loud speaker announced the conclusion of the first round of competition and let the audience know of the special routine coming up; Danny’s.  Just then, Maggie felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.  She turned around quickly and came face to face with Caleb.

“Surprise.” He said with a sweet smile on his face.

“Hey” she said, returning the smile.  “I missed you.” She said honestly.  Caleb leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips and Maggie returned it.  It was simple and sweet and...plain?  Maggie smiled and giggled nervously, hoping that none of that last thought showed up on her face.  Luckily, the music started playing, taking the attention off of her and placing it on the dance floor.  The song was one that was slightly familiar to her.  Danny came out in black pants and no shirt.
Oh, he just had too!
she thought to herself, admiring his toned upper body.

Maggie watched as Danny moved rhythmically and gracefully to “Breathe In, Breathe Out” by Mat Kearney.  She felt Caleb shift his arms that were still around her and in that moment she knew she could not be there.  She moved out of his grasp and told him she’d be right back and quickly exited the ballroom.  She stood just outside the doors, leaning against the wall trying to clear her head.  However, the music was still audible from inside and the lyrics brought her to tears.

She heard the audience break in to thunderous applause in response to the routine that even though she didn’t fully see, she knew was beautiful.  When the clapping died down, she was able to hear the creak of the ballroom door open and she quickly wiped her eyes dry and turned to see Caleb standing there, looking for her.

“Hey! You okay?”

“Yeah, I just needed some air.”

“Okay.
” He said, almost questioning with a slight lilt in his voice, but decided to let it pass.  “Well, you should probably head back and get changed.”

Maggie
smiled at him and made her way back inside the ballroom and to the back to get changed.  The dressing room was buzzing with activity with other dancers, those competing, preparing for the next round.  Maggie made quick of her change and before she knew it, she heard them being introduced.  Danny appeared beside her and escorted her on to the dance floor. 

Here we go
, she thought. 
For better or worse.

Chapter
Forty Six

The music started playing as Maggie and Danny took the dance floor.  As they walked in to each other and his hand caressed her face, just as they had rehearsed, it felt different.  She looked in to his eyes, but quickly darted them away.  She couldn’t do it, she couldn’t be feeling this, not for Danny.  She put her blinders up and suddenly it wasn’t about the passion anymore, it was about the steps.  She did them as they had practiced and she had memorized, not putting anything behind it for fear of
it
being real.  Danny pulled Maggie tight as they rocked to the rhythm.

“Just let go.” he whispered in her ear before dipping her back in step
and pushing her away in turn.

Maggie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, pushing everything away.  This was Caleb’s dance.  This was her dance.  She wanted to put everything she had in to it to make them both proud and that meant putting whatever she was feeling in to this moment. 

On cue with the song, Maggie was pulled back in to Danny, crashing in to him.  Their hands joined together at their sides as they raised them up overhead in unison.  Danny let go of Maggie’s hands and ran his own gently down her arms and along either side of her breasts until they met with her hips and he jolted her towards him with a mix of fluidity and force.  Her eyes snapped up to meet his and the darkened storm behind the sea of blue took a hold of her. 

Maggie’s body instinctively knew the movements of the routine, which was a good thing because her mind had gone blank.  Her eyes never broke contact with Danny’s after that.  Even when spun away, they found their way back like a magnet, an instant attraction.  The building swell of music matched the building swell of emotion in her heart.  Things were crashing over her, things she wasn’t able to think about, able to process.  She was just able to be and feel in that moment.

The moment the music died out, the sound of their heavy breathing was all both of them could hear.  They stared in to each other’s eyes, not breaking that connection, not
wanting
to break that connection.  Everything that Maggie had been running from and trying not to feel was in the forefront and Danny sensed that.  He knew what the two of them had and he could see by the look in her eyes that Maggie was now on the same page.  Instinctively, he bent down slightly and kissed her hard on the lips.  Maggie gasped in to the kiss, being taken off guard, but the heat behind it was one that she couldn’t resist.  The thunderous applause that erupted from the room broke in to their heads as they snapped out of whatever trance they were in and broke apart and bowed professionally.  After their last bow, Danny took Maggie’s hand.  She looked down at it and up at him, only it wasn’t Danny she saw.  What caught her eye was standing just past him.