6. Sunday

SIX

Yawning, I open my eyes and groan when I see the clock on my phone blinking the god-awful time of six o'clock. Last night's sleep was laughable. After my seizure and once Ash left, I went to bed, only to toss and turn and have extremely inappropriate dreams about the man. Can I really be blamed, though? Sure, we had the crappy one-night stand, but it was only crappy because he ran out. Our date, our kisses, all of it was amazing. And last night, him over here shirtless with those low-slung pajama pants.

"Goddamn it," I whine while rolling over and reaching into my nightstand, pulling out my vibrator. Turning the small device on, I slip my pajamas down before touching it to my sensitive clit. "Fuck," I moan softly, applying a little more pressure to the bud.

"Fuck," I whine, trying to be as quiet as I can. Not that Wade will hear me. He would sleep through earthquakes, thunderstorms, and probably the invasion of aliens.

Rocking slightly, I gasp, rolling my head back and smacking my wall as my legs begin to shake.

"Fuck sunshine."My eyes shoot open as I try to rid myself of thoughts of Ash. It's no use though. "You're so fucking wet."

"Ash," I pant, moving my vibrator inside me. "Oh god," I shiver as my core begins to tighten. "Oh god, Ash!" I slap my hand over my mouth as I come around my vibrator. Once I come down, I begin cleaning up when I hear what sounds like a cough. Panic fills me as I walk out of my room, down the hall, and peek into Wade's room. Nope, he"s still out.

Hmm... I must be imagining things.

"I still don't understandwhy you don't live with me," Luca, my sweet friend, huffs.

"Babe, pouty doesn't work on you," I chuckle while lazily spinning around my pole in my studio.

"Uh! I'll have you know I paid... Well, someone paid a lot of money for me to have this pout." He continues to lean his large, tan body against a pole while staring at me in annoyance.

"Luca," I whine while hanging upside down. "I love you, and I love that you"re willing, but how's it going to look if you"re living with a woman, her kid, and a chicken?"

"I say let them talk," he shrugs nonchalantly. "This is California, babe; if you can't have a pet chicken here, you can't have one anywhere." I laugh at his comment before letting out a tired sigh.

"Do you think I'm making a mistake?"

"Yes," he says without hesitation. It's one of the things I love about Luca; he"s unapologetically himself and is one hundred percent honest. "Going back there after more than a decade, to the place where you were hurt, why would you do that when you have a support system here?" Looking at my hands gripping the pole, I feel my gut twisting again.

"Cost of living is cheaper there. I could work on rebuilding my life,"

"Cost of living is cheaper at my place too!"

"Luca, I can"t live with you. I don't want charity." I snap out, and he groans in frustration.

"Your damn hardheadedness will be your downfall. Mark my words." He pushes himself off the pole, walking across the dance floor to grab his bag. Pausing at the door, he stares back at me, his dark brows burning into mine. "Tell me, what happens when Wade's father finds out your back?" I nearly lose my grip on the pole at his question. "Or the first time your parents call him the mistake that destroyed your life? How are you going to handle that?" I don't answer, instead I continue to glare at him before he hikes his bag over his broad shoulder.

"I love you, babe," he says before walking out, leaving me with my stomach twisting in knots.

"Fucking asshole,"I hiss as the shank tack in my new set of pointe shoes scratches my finger. "Never fails," I mutter, standing from my spot on the empty dance floor and walking over to grab a paper towel and bandage it. The sensor for the front door chimes, alerting me someone is coming in. I know it's not Wade; he's still at school, and I don't have another class today, thus me sitting here breaking in these shoes so I can practice.

Walking out of the dance room, I see a petite, raven-haired woman. "Indy." I smile softly as she beams at me.

"Hey, Sunday!" Wow, she really does have that naturally sweet, soft voice. It's endearing. "I wanted to come check in on you."

"You did?" I question skeptically while turning to head back to the dance floor.

"Well, I mean, I wanted to know too, but Ash might've asked." She twists her fingers as I sit back on the floor.

"Well, you can tell Ash I'm just fine. Believe it or not, this wasn't my first seizure." Indy laughs, but I can tell it's more out of nervousness and discomfort than anything else. "Sorry," I apologize while going back to pulling the shank tack from my shoe. "I'm just not one that enjoys the possessive man thing."

"Oh, Ash isn't that," she laughs as she slowly lowers herself, with a bit of trouble, to the floor. "He's a worrier, that's all. It's our fault, mine and our mom. The poor guy has cared for us since he was younger than Wade. I think seeing you like that yesterday just triggered his anxiety. Trust me, he'll calm down."

"Anxiety?" I ask while cutting the shank.

"Uh huh, he has a panic disor– Oh, you didn't know that." She winces, and I wave my hand.

"Secret's safe with me. It does explain how he was acting last night." I state as I slip my shoes on. Standing up, I hop to my toes and test the bend and support of the shoes.

"Wow," Indy marvels. "That's amazing! I would kill to be able to do that." I laugh lightly.

"It's just practice. I could show you if you'd like?" Indy's pale cheeks turn pink and though her smile never leaves, it morphs into one of sadness.

"Yeah, I'm not really the strongest, so I might just have to watch and cheer you on." I'm about to ask her what she means when I hear the chime for the door, and Wade walks in.

"Hey Mom, oh—uh h-hey Indy." I try with everything in me not to chuckle as my boy tries to sound older and more manly than his preteen voice allows. Indy looks over her shoulder and beams brightly at him, and Wade nearly swoons.

"Hey, Wade! So, are we gonna get together for Rockband one of these nights?" Wade's eyes widen, and his cheeks redden. Lord, I am not ready to have my son chasing after girls.

"Y-yeah! That would be awesome! Maybe tonight?" Wade looks at me hopefully, and I give him a small smile.

"If Indy is up for it, sure."