Breaking Hearts (B-boy Book 2) Page 24

  Of course that part of me was soon hushed the moment I clicked ‘Submit Order’ for a ticket to Virginia on United’s website.

  I needed to get back to my roots and find myself once again. In my opinion, the best way to have a second coming was in a place I felt secure—at Mommy and Daddy’s house. Hey, a grown woman still needs her parents!

  Long story short, I was back and basically going through my growing pains all over again. Running into Jacob and his crew again was a blessing in disguise because it reminded me how much I missed photography, so when a spot opened up for a camera assistant, I jumped at it. Of course, I could have done without my twenty-year-old boss.

  I pushed my bangs back as much as I could, but a few tendrils still stuck to the moist skin of my cheekbones. “Of course Alan would choose the hottest day of the year to shoot in the swamps.”

  I climbed into my old Wrangler and pulled my hair up into a messy top bun. I flipped on the AC, which did nothing but blow hot air out, making me feel as if I was being boiled.

  “Uh, I can’t wait until I get home so I can take a nice, cool shower.”

  The jeep bounced around with stones popping under my tires. Exiting the marsh, I found great solace once I hit the highway. There was something about being surrounded by flies and the color of mud that made a hot day seem even warmer.

  I pulled at the hem of my thin camisole, confident that I had sweat stains up my back and ringing my armpits. “Thank God, I don’t have to do anything else today…or see anyone.”

  Of course expectation can sometimes lead to disappointment.

  Fifteen minutes later, I rounded the corner to my parents’ house and nearly slammed on my brakes. “What the fuck?”

  Jacob abruptly stood from our stoop the moment he laid eyes on me. Like a zombie, I pulled into my driveway without consciously knowing what I was doing. All I could do was stare at my fantasy, right there in the flesh—in Virginia, no less!

  I placed the car in park, but couldn’t bring myself to come out. After a few moments, Jacob frowned and jogged down the three steps of my porch to my car.

  “Hey, Estelle,” he greeted me, opening my door in one swift move.

  My jaw dropped involuntarily. “Hey, Estelle? That’s all you can say to me?”

  Jacob rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. Since the last time I’d seen him he looked a bit tanner, healthier, and happier. I guess not having Kurt in your life could do that to you.

  “Um, I guess this is a bit of a surprise,” he remarked.

  “You think?”

  He glanced over at my house and grimaced a bit. “Um, your parents wouldn’t let me inside the house to wait for you…only child?”

  “How can you tell?” I asked flatly.

  “Lucky guess. Will they let me in now that you’re here?” I could tell he was a bit weirded out by the situation. I couldn’t really blame him. The thing about moving back home is that I once again was the apple of my parents’ eyes and still the kid I was before I left. As hard as it was to rally, I needed it.

  “Yeah,” I lied. Thinking twice about it, I added, “Wait here.”

  I ran inside and in an almost sitcom-like fashion, went head to head with my parents. Imagine a tape on fast forward, that was how it felt like as we argued, debated, and came to a conclusion in a little under three minutes.

  Breathless, I ran back out to Jacob, whose shirt was now stuck to his body in sweat. My eyes greedily traveled up and down each bump of his torso. I swallowed. “You can come in.”

  He threw me a look of doubt before entering our humble two story home. Nothing about it had changed since I was a child and it still had walls made out of wood paneling, gingham patterned curtains, and a fluffy couch with matching love-seat whose cushions were a bit depressed.

  “Nice,” he commented as he gazed around our den.

  “Yeah, nice,” I mumbled, running my gaze over his biceps, which seemed a bit bigger, but that wasn’t what caught me a bit speechless. Jacob’s eyes, which were always so kind, looked a bit different than I remembered them to be, and believe me, I didn’t need a photographic memory given I stalked his online profile as much as I could.

  His eyes gazed at me with a sense of softness and happiness that complemented the curve of his lips and the slight indentation of his dimple.

  He was looking at me as if he…no, it couldn’t be.

  I motioned for him to take a seat. Though I was tempted to sit beside him on the sagging couch, I decided to go for my dad’s old recliner.

  I swallowed. “Jacob, what are you doing here?”

  He shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and began moving his fingers around as if he were typing on an imaginary keyboard.

  “Are you rehearsing your lines are something?” I laughed softly.

  “Yeah.”

  His answer definitely surprised me and made me feel a bit more nervous. I swallowed. “Jacob, why are you here?”

  This time he made no hesitation before answering. “I spent the last six months in California.”

  I knew that of course, but I played dumb.

  “I was angry and I was depressed. I lost some friends, but gained others. I landed more teaching gigs, but that took time away from b-boying. It was a pretty sucky time.”

  “I’m sorry?” The words came out like a question. I didn’t know how else to respond. “With all due respect, why are you telling me this?”

  “Estelle…I realized I was the only one holding myself back. I didn’t need Kurt or anyone to allow me to do what I wanted.” He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “I quit my job. Took whatever savings I had, and traveled around the country competing in different battles.” He paused and opened his eyes, gifting me with the sight of those soulful eyes yet again. “I won them all.”

  They have a decent size scene in Virginia…

  Vivian’s words echoed through my mind. That explained why he was in the area. He was at a battle. He didn’t come all the way here to see me.

  “Um, congrats.” I shifted my weight from one foot to another. “I knew you were great enough to do it—all of it. Win, travel…yeah…”

  He nodded. “You want to know what I learned?”

  I tilted my head to the side and frowned. “That, in Rob Schneider’s profound words of encouragement, ‘You could do it’?”

  He burst out laughing. “No. What I found out is all this trying to do it on my own; pushing people away so I could ‘focus,’” he paused and made quotations in the air, “was a load of bullshit.”

  My heart was pounding so hard I was afraid it would fly out of my chest and land in a bloody mess on the floor. I gulped. “Okay…?”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. “None of it is worth it if I’m lonely the whole damn time I’m doing it.

  Okay, my heart was officially in a clump at my feet. “What are you trying to say?” I whispered.

  “Estelle…”

  He called me Estelle!

  “Maybe I was too brash. Breakdancing…I don’t need to do it alone. All the years leading up to when we saw each other again, well, as much as I loved b-boying, it became monotonous, but seeing you again…it made me feel the way I used to. It made me remember how I did it for pure grit when I was younger, not for fame.” His mouth tightened. “Seeing you reminded me how my integrity was more important than the recognition.”

  My breaths came out staggered.

  He slowly rose from his seat and walked over to me slowly. “I can always dance. I can always compete. I can always travel. You know what I won’t always have the capability to do?”

  I shook my head dumbly.

  “I won’t always have the opportunity to come over here and tell you how I have not stopped thinking about you since you walked out of my room in New York.” He grunted. “It must have been how David felt that day.”

  My eyes were sewn shut. “Please do not mention his name again.”

  He bowed his head apologetically.
“I know it sounds crazy, given I really haven’t known you for as long as many people in my life, but…”

  “But what?” I whispered.

  “Sometimes in life you meet people that you know will make a big dent in your life. You meet people you just know are meant to be in it and meant to help you grow.” His lip curled in that way I loved so much. “From the moment you called me ‘amazing’…”

  “Seriously?” I snorted.

  He couldn’t help but laugh. “I knew you were different. I knew you were meant to be in my life. Heck, I even sought you out.”

  “What do you mean?” I gasped.

  “I’d look around campus for you all the time and…yes, I actually knew you were dating David before that night…I was just hoping that it had ended, given he’d never talk to you or brag about anything you guys, you know, did.”

  I shrugged shyly. “It wasn’t as if we did anything worth speaking about.”

  “Until…” He cleared his throat.

  “Yeah, let’s not talk about that.”

  He laughed again and smiled. “When I saw you again in New York, I felt as if I were being given a gift to start over with you. No more David, Gemma, and stupid head games. Now that I was hitting it big, I didn’t need to sacrifice all of me…then there was Kurt.”

  Kurt. He was like a dark cloud that hung over my head.

  “Look, I don’t need to rehash everything that happened because truthfully, I hate thinking about it,” he admitted.

  “Same here,” I whispered.

  He nodded. “I’m glad we agree, so let me say this. Estelle, I can’t stop thinking about you. I know you’re meant to be in my life and I know I can do everything I always wanted to do in my life with you. I don’t need to be alone anymore. I dance better with you watching me—”

  “Are you sure about that?” I quipped. “Memory tells me you’ve tripped over your feet a few times with me in the room.”

  “Would you believe me if I told you I was falling head over heels for you?”

  I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help but smile. “Maybe just a little.”

  He grinned. “I can travel the world with you, Estelle. We can see the world together.”

  “Oomph!” Both my parents stumbled through the kitchen door, looking completely embarrassed.

  My mother smoothed out her bob and smiled up at us sheepishly as my dad dusted off his tailored khakis.

  “Really, guys?” I rolled my eyes. Maybe Jacob wasn’t too far off thinking my whole living arrangement was weird. My parents’ inability to eavesdrop well did dampen a rather romantic moment.

  Jacob coughed “Ahem, thank you all again for your hospitality. I hope you don’t mind that I actually came inside…I mean in the house…um…er.” He rubbed at the back of his head awkwardly.

  I shut my eyes and shook my head. “Guess I’m not the one who word vomits anymore,” I murmured.

  “Shut up,” he hissed, just loud enough for me to hear.

  I snickered as he jabbed me lightly in the ribs. I cleared my throat. “Mom, Dad…don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

  In a scene reminiscent of a cartoon, my parents nodded quickly and practically sprinted out the front door. As overprotective as they could be at times, I was sure they were happy to see a great guy come calling for me. After everything that went down, they really didn’t trust my taste in men anymore.

  Jacob and I waited until they were completely out of earshot to continue.

  “Wow, I can’t say I’ve ever been in an incident as awkward as all that.” Jacob shrugged, trying to alleviate the mood.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry about it. They’ll be gone for a while.”

  “How can you be sure—?”

  “Where do you think I got my uncanny ability to run away from socially anxious situations?” I cut him off by lifting onto my tiptoes and planting a firm peck on his soft lips. I lowered myself back onto the floor with a smile on my face.

  Jacob blinked in surprise. “What was that for?”

  “I haven’t been able to stop thinking of you either. Actually, I never have,” I admitted. “When I left Cal U, I desperately wanted to contact you, at least to explain why I had gone…but…”

  “Gemma,” he finished.

  I nodded. “I did look you up on social media, though.”

  “You did?” he perked up.

  “But not stalker-ish or anything…I mean I wanted to see you and what you were up to and…” Okay, maybe Jacob wasn’t the only one capable of word vomit.

  He took a step forward and cupped my chin. “Is it safe to assume you’re on the same page as I am?”

  Once again I rose on my toes and placed my lips against his. This time both our mouths parted, taking each other in. I let out a soft whimper when I felt his hands cup my ass and in return caressed his tongue with mine. He squeezed me tighter, further pulling me in to his body. All of a sudden, he pulled away.

  “What?” Confusion flitted my eyes as they darted back and forth between both of his.

  “Are you sure your parents won’t come back?” He shifted uneasily. “I have to admit, I’m a bit uncomfortable making out with you in the middle of your living room.”

  A sly grin stretched across my face. I took a step forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You know, I was always afraid of trying anything new growing up. Maybe I’m just making up for lost time.”

  He grinned and placed his hands back on my butt, giving them a playful squeeze. “I’m all for trying new things.”

  Chapter 48

  Some Years Later

  The dark coliseum glittered with the bright flashes of cell phone cameras pointed toward the stage. The music was drowned out by the rumbling of the crowd, who were jumping to their feet in excitement.

  “Wow,” I breathed, looking around. I yanked at the lanyard around my neck in disbelief, literally having to pinch myself that I was actually here.

  France.

  To be hired as an official photographer for the International Battle was such a big deal no matter how many years I’d been doing so already.

  “Spinja! Spinja! Spinja!”

  Of course it didn’t hurt that my husband was one of the world’s most renowned b-boys.

  Proud tears brimmed my eyes as the M.C. took to the stage. In a thick French accent, he announced, “And next up for the judge’s exhibition is…well, he needs no introduction.”

  Jacob—er, Spinja walked up to the stage and momentarily glanced around. When his eyes landed on me he winked and mouthed, “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” I grinned and lifted my camera to my eyes, snapping one of my hundred pictures of Jacob, which weren’t all modest and fully clothed, mind you. My eyes grew heavy, thinking of what I’d be doing to him later that night in our hotel room.

  Feeling my cheeks flush, I muttered. “Focus, E.”

  Click.

  Life can be amazing in so many different ways. After that day Jacob sought me out in Virginia, we found ourselves making plans to move to the same city. We’d already lost so much time and we didn’t want to waste another day far apart. Sure, we opted for the obvious—California or New York, but we didn’t feel that those cities is what fate had in store for us. Call it luck of a draw, but somehow we decided to move to Florida.

  We both started at the bottom in the city of Orlando, but we made sure to at least do things we loved. I took my first gig as a photographer at Disney and Jacob worked part-time at a dance studio teaching breakdancing to a bunch of ten-year-olds. Though at times it was hard to make ends meet, we were together and that’s what was important.

  Of course, hard work almost always pays off. Jacob never stopped battling and I never stopped taking photos. After being picked up by a local crew—who were better than his old Cali crew, but that’s just my humble opinion—Jacob soon found himself in the big time. Needless to say, Jacob finally accomplished his dreams of traveling the world, having qualified to compet
e in the International Battle year after year after year. He even was approached by many movie producers to do choreography for those movies Vivian had once told me about, and he has never once compromised his integrity again.

  As for me, about a year after we got married I was brought on as one of the breaking industry’s go-to photographers. As Jacob predicted, we were able to travel the world together.

  I watched Jacob with awe as he moved across the stage. Every step he took in his top rock was precise, yet relaxed; aggressive but playful. I snapped enough photos to be able to make a flip book. From his top rock he spun down into footwork, doing what he called CC’s, somehow managing to travel the whole stage from left to right. Once he got back to center stage, he began to relentlessly go through his arsenal of power moves—flare to 90 to airflare to hopping airflare back to 90, to drilling his signature10 headspins—it may have only been an exhibition, but in Jacob’s mind it was still a battle.

  Needless to say I learned a lot more about breaking in all my years with him, there was no denying he still sexed the air. It was hard not to get turned on watching his muscles flex and the fluidity in his movements. Warming my cheeks once again, I couldn’t help but think of ripping his shirt off and running my tongue across his abdomen as he ravaged my body assuming that he wasn’t tired after the competition.

  Click.

  But hey, you know what they say about assumptions.

  The End

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