Don't Let Me Down

Mats and Aria got to Aria’s apartment in what seemed like no time. They stood outside on the sidewalk, not speaking, but just looking at each other. It was cold enough that you could see their exhaled breath filling the space between their faces. People passed them on the sidewalk and taxis drove by, but still, they did nothing but stare at each other.

Aria wrapped her arms around her shoulders and bit her lip. She looked up at Mats and cleared her throat.

“I should go in.”

Mats smiled and bit his own lip, moving closer to Aria.

“Are you sure you have to go?”

Aria did her best to hold back a smile, but it was nearly impossible.

“I have work early tomorrow. Plus, it’s freezing. You should go too.”

He chuckled and pulled his jacket tighter around himself, as if he were trying to prove her wrong. He inched even closer and shook his hair out, placing his hands in his back pockets.

“Let me take you out. Just us.”

Aria tilted her head down and moved her eyes away from him, trying to not show any emotion. She backed away from him just a bit and sighed.

“Mats, I don’t --”

“Just one date. That’s all I’m asking for.”

Aria looked down at her feet and moved closer to Mats once again, looking up at him.

“Alright. One date.”

He smiled and moved to bring her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her waist. She moved to wrap her arms around his neck and she couldn’t deny that it felt like a good thing. They pulled apart and said goodbye, before Mats turned around to head back where they had come. Aria smiled to herself as she watched him go before turning and inserting the key into the door to her apartment. She walked to her apartment door and went inside, throwing her bag down beside her and moving towards her bedroom. She was about to go into her room when she heard Tara coming towards her.

“I hope your time at the bar was better than mine.”

Aria chuckled and turned to her friend, who smiled and began to tell her what happened.

“I was trying to get to the Rangers. I must have gotten too close because security pulled me out of there real fast. What about you?”

“Well, actually, Mats called me over to where he was sitting.”

Tara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, a smirk on her face.

“Oh, so you’re on a first name basis with him now?”

This time Aria rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at Tara, before beginning to take off her shoes and the rest of her outfit.

“Come on, Aria, spill the details.”

Aria kept herself turned away from Tara and began to change into a pair of shorts and tank tops to sleep in.

“There are no details, Tara. We talked, he walked me home. We’re going on one date.”

Tara squealed and jumped on Aria’s back.

“A date doesn’t count as a significant detail? Come on, Aria.You’re basically dating a New York Ranger.”

Aria pushed Tara off of her back and started laughing, shaking her head.

“We’re not dating. It’s one date.”

Tara smirked and began to back out of the room, but not without whispering.

“One and then two and then three…”

She closed the door behind her, leaving Aria to herself. Aria took a deep breath and leaned up against the wall of her room, thinking about the man she couldn’t quite shake out of her mind. She ran a hand through her blonde hair and closed her eyes, consciously telling herself to not get in too deep. She couldn’t lose something else. After losing skating, she swore she wouldn’t invest herself in anything ever again. It was all too much.

She climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her body, turning off the light on the bedside table. She turned over and closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to take her away.

Aria woke up to the sound of her alarm at 6:30 am, wondering why she thought it would be a good idea to teach ballet to eight-year-olds at 8 am on a Saturday morning. She contemplated hitting the snooze button and going back to sleep, finally deciding that coffee and breakfast was a better idea. She got up out of bed and walked out of her room, closing the door quietly behind her, as Tara could sleep forever. She moved into the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot, grabbing some cereal from the cabinet. She sat down with her breakfast and scrolled through her phone, her normal morning routine. She scrolled through social media and saw countless recounts of the Rangers’ game the night before. She smiled as she read over the posts, feeling a tiny sense of pride for the team. She looked at the time and rushed to get dressed, throwing on a pair of leggings and a grey tank top. She slipped into a pair of sneakers and grabbed her bag and jacket, rushing out of the apartment.

She walked to the small dance studio a few blocks away, music blasting into her ears. When she got to the studio, she saw a couple of the girls outside waiting for it to open. Her heart dropped, thinking she was late. Angry calls from parents were never Aria’s specialty. She checked her watch and took a deep breath, seeing that it was still half an hour before class. She smiled at the girls and unlocked the door to the studio, letting them in.

“You guys are here early today.”

The little girls ran around giggling and screaming. They all moved to take off their sneakers, pulling on their ballet slippers and tying them up. It was an adorable sight, and for a moment, Aria really loved what she did. One of the girls stepped forward and grabbed Aria’s hand, shaking it excitedly.

“We’re just so excited that we get to go to Washington D.C., Miss Aria!”

Aria chuckled and ruffled the little girl’s hair, ushering her away from the cubbies and into the dance studio.

“It is exciting. But you know what that means? We have a lot of practicing to do. Go start stretching, girls. I’ll be there in a moment.”

The girls ran into the studio, still laughing and singing. Aria sat down on a bench and began to take off her own sneakers, putting them under the bench for later. She grabbed her ballet slippers and tied them, wishing that they were ice skates instead. It had been about a year since Aria had last put on her skates. She still had them in the back of her closet, unable to get rid of something that once made her the happiest girl in the world. She shook her head and stood up off of the bench, walking into the brightly lit dance studio. The girls were on the floor, stretching and giggling while talking about all of the things they wanted to do in Washington D.C.

“Alright, guys. Do you remember what we did last time?”

Some of the girls said yes and some said no, a trend that Aria had grown used to. That’s what you get when you teach ballet to third graders.

“Pay attention girls, let’s try it again.”

So Aria began to teach them the moves from last week, something she did each class. For their age, the girls caught on quickly and truly impressed Aria. She watched them as they tried to mimic her, and offered encouragement when they got frustrated. Lily, the most outgoing of the group, excused herself to go to the bathroom. Aria led the girls back to their spaces and cleared her throat.

“One more time, ladies. Then that’s it for class this week.”

Aria turned her back to the girls so that they could watch what she was doing. She moved to the music and got lost in it until she heard Lily come running back into the studio.

“Miss Aria! There’s a boy outside who says he’s looking for you!”

Aria turned around with a confused look on her face. She moved towards the door and looked out into the cubby area, seeing Mats waiting there with a smile on his face. Before she could say anything, Aria realized that the girls had followed her out of the room and were surrounding her, filling the space between her and Mats. They were all yelling questions and rushing towards him. Lily went over to him and smiled.

“Hey, you’re the guy from yesterday!”

Mats smiled and bent down to Lily’s level, looking right at her.

“That’s right. You have a good memory.”

He stood back up and a small blush broke out onto Lily’s face, causing Aria to fight to hold back a smirk. She looked at Mats and smiled before walking over to him.

“What are you doing here?”

“I went to your apartment and your roommate told me you’d be here.”

She wasn’t surprised that Tara had told him where she was, as she was their number one fan. Parents began to come into the studio to pick up their kids and thank Aria, before heading on their way.

She turned to Mats and playfully shook her head.

“You’re always here when the parents come. They’re going to start saying things.”

This time Mats laughed and leaned into Aria, playfully brushing her shoulder.

“Let them say things.”

Aria swallowed nervously and looked at Mats, before looking down at her feet and nervously fidgeting with her ballet slippers. All of the parents had picked up their kids at this point, leaving them alone in the studio.

“So, Aria, are you ready for our date?”

She blushed and sat back on the bench, switching her slippers for her sneakers.

“Like this? I’m hardly dressed for a date.”

She looked at herself in her leggings and tank and looked over at Mats. He was wearing a plain t-shirt under his jacket, with jeans and sneakers.

“I think you’re dressed perfectly for this date.”

Aria furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and skepticism but went along with it, grabbing her jacket and putting it own. She threw her bag over her shoulder and grabbed the keys to lock up, pulling the door shut behind her.

“So where are we going?”

Mats laughed a loud and full laugh, wrapping his arm loosely around Aria’s shoulder as he led her to the curb. He hailed a taxi and opened the door for Aria, sliding in next to her.

“If I told you, that wouldn’t be any fun.”

Notes