Reading Key: Italics indicate emphasis. Centered line breaks of multiple "x TDIY x"s equal a scene change. One "x TDIY x" left justified is a change of point of view.
Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. I've got a lot going on, very little of it good. Like most others, I really need the economy to turn back around, just for starters. Also have a new German Shepherd puppy. Literally every minute not at work or sleeping is spent watching him so he doesn't tear the house apart (also some of the time I am sleeping I have to watch him, lol). Anyway, hope you enjoy.
Thank you to all the reviewers of the previous chapter. Normally I take the time to answer each one (the signed ones anyway) to show my appreciation, but the gap between updates was so long this time that I didn't think anyone would remember what they said in their review. Never doubt that I cherish each and every one, though!
x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x
x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x
"What?" Blake felt lost.
A second later he nearly jumped when Andie squealed excitedly. She rushed to Nora, stopping her forward movement just shy of pouncing on the other woman, instead hugging her gently. Tyler got a full body tackle of an embrace seconds later.
"You guys are pregnant! This is great. Congratulations."
"Congratulations," Blake echoed when he caught up mentally.
"Thank you," the expectant couple replied.
They had both included him in their smiled thanks, but Nora immediately turned her focus back to Andie.
The older brunette wrung her hands. "This does mean that in six months, give or take, you're going to have to find someone to cover my classes for several months."
Andie laughed dismissively. "Don't worry about that, Nora. This is fantastic. You and Missy both having babies. You can start a dancing dynasty!"
Nora and Tyler joined in her laughter, and Blake smiled. It was nice to hear such happy news and lighthearted plans, even if it wasn't really connected to him. He felt a little left out, but he was still glad they had let him stay for the announcement.
Since leaving the Royal Ballet, he had acquaintances rather then friends. Even back then, the friendships he'd had were few and rather tainted by the competitive nature of their careers. He was a bit jealous of the true camaraderie evident between Andie and her friends.
She turned her head just then and smiled warmly at him, and Blake relaxed. Somehow he knew that she was going to be letting him in. Letting him be a part of this with her. And he was truly looking forward to being her friend in his own right rather than as a package deal with his brother. Blake pushed down the swell of excitement that rose when he considered the possibility of even more.
Nora reached out and clasped one of Andie's hands in hers, giving it a squeeze. "We're going to wait to tell Missy and everyone else until after the shower. You know the second she found out she would insist on sharing it with me, and she deserves for it to just be her day. Well, hers and Carlo's."
"That's really sweet of you, Nora," Andie answered. "But you realize when she does find out, she's going to insist on throwing you one anyway."
Nora laughed. "I know. Well, we're going to get going. We're going to take Camille out to dinner and tell her."
Andie looked slightly surprised, but nodded. "Have fun."
"See ya tomorrow, D," Tyler waved in farewell. "Nice meeting you again, Blake."
"You, too."
Blake waited until the other two were gone before turning to Andie. She was looking at him, but he could tell she wasn't really seeing him. She appeared lost in thought.
"Who's Camille?" he asked gently, not wanting to startle her.
Andie's face cleared, and she waved one hand vaguely. "Tyler's foster sister."
"Ah," he made a noise of discovery. "You were surprised they told you before her."
Andie nodded. "Ty and I have always been close, and I've become really good friends with Nora, but I'm not really family. Camille is, at least a lot more than I am."
Blake shrugged. "Maybe they don't see it that way. I have what most people would consider a normal family, but I'm not as close to them as you obviously are to your friends."
Andie bit her bottom lip, looking slightly worried. Realizing the concern was for him and his situation, Blake decided to change the subject.
"So your friend Missy is the co-worker who's pregnant? I assume Carlo is her husband."
Andie nodded again. "Yeah. She's only a little over six months along, but her doctor wants her to stay off her feet as much as possible so we're making due without her. Speaking of, would you like to come to the shower with me? It's not a women-only thing. It's going to be a big barbecue gathering at her parents' house the Saturday before the showcase. You don't have to, of course, I know it's not a typical first…"
She trailed off, looking embarrassed, and Blake grinned crookedly.
"Date?" he finished her sentence as a question and watched as she flushed but nodded. Blake couldn't resist the urge to tease her. "Are you asking me out, Andie?"
Andie huffed and turned away from him. "So, that was the tour. I have to get back to work, I have my last class of the day to teach in twenty minutes."
Blake caught her arm gently and spun her back toward him. Andie put up less resistance than he had expected her to, and he ended up pulling her into his chest. They stared at each other, she up and he down, mere inches apart. Tension snapped to life between them immediately. It wasn't uncomfortable; rather, it felt welcome and anticipatory. Blake let his lips pull into a soft smile as he pondered briefly where things were headed.
"I'd love to," he told Andie before the silence could go on too long.
She bit her lip again and pulled back a couple feet, lessening the blow of losing physical contact with her by grinning at him. "Great. You can pick me up after my last lesson on Saturday if it's convenient, that way you won't have to worry about directions."
"Sounds good," he agreed. "But, Andie, why wait until then? We could have a more conventional date first."
Andie smiled and shook her head. "Are you forgetting the Open House at MSA this weekend? You'll be too busy with your duties."
"Chase?" Blake asked, realizing that must be where she got her knowledge of his upcoming schedule… which had unfortunately slipped his mind until she'd brought it up.
"Yeah." She blushed and peered up at him through her eyelashes. "I'll already be nervous enough without worrying about taking your time and attention away from where it needs to be. The barbecue will be after things have calmed down, and we'll both be able to relax and enjoy ourselves."
Blake moved a step closer and tilted her chin up so she was looking at him fully. He smiled warmly at her. "That sounds very nice. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to be able to call and text you until then. We can get to know each other again a little more before the party, since we probably won't be able to while we're there."
"I'd like that," Andie agreed. "Give me your phone and I'll program my number in for you."
"Put your email address in there, too," he said as he watched her. "That way if one or the other of us is busy, we can still connect."
She nodded at the suggestion. Blake smiled slightly as he observed her. The delicate features of her face were completely concentrated on her task. He wondered what it would take for her full attention to be focused on him.
Andie handed his phone back and glanced at a round clock on the wall above the door. "I really do have to get ready for my class."
Blake smiled. "Alright. I'll see myself out. I look forward to seeing you next Saturday, and talking to you soon."
"Me, too."
x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x TDIY x
That evening Andie was at Missy's house… just two down the street from Missy's childhood home and with the same large backyard for gatherings… helping her friend make pink and blue flowers out of tissue paper. They would be used as decorations for the shower. Missy and Carlo wanted to be surprised when it came to the sex of their firstborn, so they were using both traditional colors instead of one or the other. Missy's mother was in the kitchen cooking dinner for when Carlo would be home from his shift in less than an hour. Since the doctor's suggestion to take it easy, the older woman came over every day to help out her daughter.
"So," Andie said in a lull in the conversation, "it's okay if I bring a date to the shower, right?"
"Sure, D," Missy replied as she tied a 'stem' to the flower she had just finished. "You know it's always the more the merrier around here."
Andie was watching and saw when the other young woman blinked and sat up just a bit straighter.
"Hold up. A date date?"
Andie smiled slyly and waited for Missy to react further. Sure enough, a second later, the other girl shrieked before slapping a hand over her own mouth.
She called out quickly, "I'm fine, Ma. Andie just told me something exciting."
Despite the disclaimer, the older woman came to the doorway, waving a spatula at them threateningly. "Don't scare me like that, mi niña."
Missy put on a contrite face until her mother retreated back into the kitchen. She turned to Andie with a wide grin. "Spill."
"I don't know," Andie shrugged. "Blake came by to see the studio and… we just hit it off even better than usual. We were flirting and then I asked if he wanted to go. It just came out."
She left out the Nora and Tyler angle, keeping in mind Nora's plea to keep the secret for the time being.
"Blake?" Missy echoed. "You mean Chase's brother? Your former teacher?" Andie nodded, and Missy smiled. "I knew it!"
"You knew what?" Andie asked in disbelief. "It only happened a couple hours ago. What, are you psychic now?"
"No, D. I meant I knew you had a thing for him. He was the only one you ever complained about by name, and I saw you hug him at The Streets. You weren't one for spontaneous hugging back then, and you rarely let anyone in enough to let them bother you as much as he did."
"You're making this up," Andie scoffed. "If you had thought that back then, you would have mentioned it."
Missy gave Andie a serious look. "No, I wouldn't. If I had pointed out that you liked him, you would have denied it and started avoiding him. Maybe even gotten back into cutting class and all that. You had a good thing going at MSA, and I didn't want to mess that up just to tease you. It wouldn't have been the right time for the two of you then, anyway, even without the whole teacher-student thing."
"You're right," Andie admitted after a silent minute contemplating her friend's words. "Thanks, Miss."
Her friend smiled gently, and they went back to working on the shower decorations. Andie ended up staying for dinner; a home cooked meal was always preferable to takeout leftovers or a microwave meal. At first she was surprised that Missy didn't say anything further about Blake or their date, but she realized that her pregnant friend was trying not to push. Once she and Blake were on more solid footing… if their one date turned into more… Andie was sure she'd get more than an earful about it.
To be continued…