“You look awful,” Karen greeted me as I opened the passenger door on her Honda civic.
“Yea, thanks Karen,” I huffed as I slide into the car and pulled the door closed behind me, “it’s good to see you too.” I personality didn’t think I drank that much last night but this morning I woke up with a killer headache, hence the sunglasses I now wore.
She only shrugged as she backed out of the parking space, shifted the car into drive and looked at me. “So where am I taking you?”
“To um...” I took out my phone scrolling through my messages from last night until I found the message with Tyler’s address, and plugged it into the GPS on Karen’s phone. “Here ya go.” I handed Karen her phone back and with a nod she pulled out of the lot.
The ride to Tyler’s was quite, which I was thankful for, because I wasn’t much in the mood for talking. Tyler’s place really wasn’t that far from mine so it wasn’t long before we pulled into his neighbor.
“Wow Beth,” Karen’s eyed widened as she drove down the streets. “What does this boy doing for a living?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged, “he’s never told me and I never asked.” I confessed as Karen pulled onto a street that was all too familiar.
“Well Beth, you are messing with royalty.” Karen stated as she pulled into the driveway, next to my silver Honda accord.
“Tell me about it,” I gave her a wink and I opened the door. “So I think I’m going to stop for coffee on my way to the studio so…”
“Don’t worry about it Beth,” Karen rolled her eyes, “like I said earlier, you look awful, so go get your coffee and I will cover your class until you get there.”
“You know Beth,” I smiled, “you are one like the greatest, most amazing friend in the world.”
“Whatever Beth,” she tried to wave it off but I could see her cheeks redden at the comment. “Go get your coffee.” She shook her head as she waved me out of the car.
I didn’t say anything else as I slid out of the car, closed the door behind me and made my way to my car. I grabbed my keys from my bag and unlocked my car as Karen backed down the driveway.
She waved as she pulled away, and I slipped into my car. I closed the door behind me resting my head on the head rest for a minute before placing my keys in the ignition. ‘Well today is going to be an interesting day,’ I thought to myself as I shifted the car into reverse and backed down Tyler’s driveway.

---

I tapped my foot lightly to the beat that flooded through my headphones as I stood in the little coffee shop at the corner down from the dance studio. A place that I frequently used, especially on days like today. Now, I waited for my order to be called, but a light tap on my shoulder made me turn around.
A smile spread across my face as I pulled one of the pink ear buds out of my ear. “Jamie,” I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth as my eyes wondered over his brood shoulders and muscular chest, now clad in a gray t –shirt. “Haven’t heard from you in a while.”
“Yea,” a soft smile covered his lips as he ran a hand through his dark hair. “It’s been a busy week.”
“Is that the best excuse you can come up with Jamie?” I teased as I pretended to fix the sleeve of his shirt, liking the way his cheeks heated up.
He shrugged but didn’t get a chance to reply before my order was called. I excused myself with a pat on his chest before I turned to claim my drink. As I wrapped my hands around the warm cup and thanked the barista I could feel a pair of eyes on me.
I smirked as I turned around knowing what I would find, “don’t be a stranger now Jamie,” I winked as I walked passed the tall dark hair man, and I could still feel his eyes on me as I pushed the door of the little shop open and tugged my sunglasses back into place.

---

I snapped out of my thoughts as a pillow slammed into my stomach. “What,” I shook my head as I turned to the petit girl next to me.
“Are you thinking about Jamie again?” Karen asked as she hugged the small purple pillow to her chest. I guess the question really shouldn’t have surprised me, especially after rehearsal today…
Karen and I were touching up the dance that we had been working on for a couple weeks now. Left foot, right foot, shimmy, repeat, easy enough, but today my body just was not cooperating.
“Beth, are you okay?” Karen questioned as she bumped into me for the fifth time in the pass minute or so.
I nodded my head as I stretched my neck trying to clear my head of the picture of Jamie in that gray shirt, but the more I tried not to think about it, the more I actually thought about it. The way the sleeves cut off just above his biceps and the way the shirt clung to his chest.
“Beth,” I slightly jumped as Karen’s voice broke thought my thoughts.
“What,” the words rolled off my tongue a little more forcefully then intended.
“You’re not okay,” Karen sighed as she grabbed my arm just about my elbow and dragged me to the dressing room. “I called your name three times before you even acknowledged me, what’s wrong.” She sat me down in one of the bean bag chairs we had in there for the kids.
I leaned against the wall my hands over my face, “I ran in to Jamie at the coffee shop,” I confessed.
“And…” Karen pressed like an eager child.
“And we talked…” I admitted, not sure how much to tell her, but I knew if I didn’t talk about this I was bond to explode some time or another, “and ugh, he looks amazing in gray.”
Karen shook her head with a laugh, “really?”
“Really.” I sighed as I uncovered my face.
“So?”
“So what?”
“So are you going to see him tonight then?”
“I don’t know why you keep pushing this Karen, it’s never going to happen,” I leaned forward, my elbows resting on my knees knowing exactly what Karen was getting at.
“Why not?”
“Because Karen, I don’t do that.”
Karen shook her head, I knew she didn’t understand and she never would. “So do you want to get some ice cream?”
“What,” my ears perking up at the questions, because Karen was normally the one to end are time early, “we’re done?”
“Yea, it’s not like we were getting much done anyway.” Karen joked as she stood up and received a playful smack from me.

---

After Karen and I went for ice cream we ended up just going back to her place, which is how we know ended up at this conversation again.
I took a deep breath as I turned back to the television, and apparently that was all the answer that she needed.
“If you want to see him why don’t you just call him, I don’t think he’ll mind.” She relaxed back into the couch as she watched me.
“Because that is not how this works Karen,” I rolled my eyes at Karen’s innocence’s.
“Then how does it work?” She crossed her arms over her chest as my phone buzzed on the coffee table in front of us. A slay smile spread across my face as I snatched my phone off the table and Jamie’s name flashed across the screen.
“Just like this,” I wiggled my eyebrows at Karen before I pushed myself off the couch.

Notes