Walk Me Home: A Friends To Lovers Dance Romance Read online

  Walk Me Home

  Alison Mello

  WALK ME HOME

  Copyright 2020 © Alison Mello

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to, or downloaded from file sharing sites or distributed in any other way via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of Alison Mello.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  More Books by Alison Mello

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Play List

  Prologue

  Jade

  “Fuck you, Jackson.” I storm off toward our room. “How could you do this to me?”

  “To you? Do you think this was easy?” He looks at me like I’m insane.

  He and I have danced together for three years, and we’ve been dating for the last two. We did everything together, and until now, he was my dance partner and my lover. I honestly thought we would be together forever, and now my life has been turned upside down.

  “We’ve been together for two fucking years, and now all of a sudden, you think it’s okay to stick your dick in someone else?” I race around the house in search of my phone. I need to find a place to stay for the night because I’m sure as hell not staying here.

  “What are you doing?” He narrows his eyes at me as I wander the apartment.

  “I’m looking for my phone. I’ll call my girl and go crash at her place.” He rolls his eyes at me. “Did you really think I would jump in bed with you tonight?”

  “I honestly didn’t know what I thought you would do, but I didn’t expect you to just leave.”

  I shake my head. “You’re out of your mind if you think I’m staying here.”

  I finally find my phone in my dance bag. “See, that is the problem right there.” He points to my bag.

  “How is my bag the problem?” I throw my hands up in the air.

  “Dance. It’s all you want to do. Our lives revolve around work and dance. We never do anything else. If we’re not at work and we’re not at the studio, we’re at a club. I’m tired of people being up in our mix on social media to see where we’re dancing and what club we’re at.” He shakes his head.

  I roll my shoulders and expel a slow, calming breath because I feel like I’m about to blow a gasket. “First, we haven’t been to a club in forever. Second, when have you ever mentioned dance to be a problem?” He shrugs. “That’s the point. Did you ever think maybe you should talk to me about it? I thought you were happy with where our lives were going.”

  He glances down at the floor. “I was... at first.” He can’t even look me in the eye.

  I take a step closer, trying to look him in the eye. “What changed?” I ask with a softer tone.

  “It’s getting old.” His eyes meet mine. “I needed time with you. Not you and the world.”

  “Yet, you never told me.” I scroll through my phone to find Katia’s number.

  He’s about to speak, but I hold my finger up to stop him. Honestly, I’m angry and hurt right now, and I’m not sure I even care to hear what he has to say. Katia answers on the first ring and is on board with me coming over, so I tell her I’ll be there soon and cut the call.

  “I don’t buy it. If dance was truly getting old, then you should have said something.” I shove some clothes and other necessities into an overnight bag, slamming drawers along the way. It’s all a bit childish and dramatic, but I can’t help it, I’m angry and hurt.

  “All the social media. Constantly posting what we’re doing. Every class, we’re sharing a dance with our followers.”

  I stop dead in my tracks and spin to face him. “So… you dip your dick into another dancer? How did that help you?” His jaw drops because he’s got nothing to say. It’s a lame-ass excuse for cheating. At least the chick he fucked wasn’t from our dance company. I may have throat punched her, and that would have gotten me kicked out. Thinking about it, I’m not sure if it’s better or worse. She’s our competition.

  Brittany glares at me with an evil grin. “Girl, I can’t believe he hasn’t told you yet.” She says in her best valley girl voice. “He’s been sneaking out to fuck me for months now.” She laughs. “Guess you just weren’t enough for him.” She turns away. “Looks like I’ll be in the spotlight now.”

  The vision of her bragging only makes me angrier. “Never mind, you have no idea what you’re saying.” I sling my bag over my shoulder and walk out of the room.

  “You’re going to leave just like that?” He throws his hands up in the air.

  I turn, narrowing my eyes on him. “What did you think I would do?” I ask in frustration. “Beg you to give me another chance.” I burst into laughter. “Please think about this. A mutual friend of ours approaches me and fills me in that she sees you kissing another woman. Then, I find out you have been meeting up with her on the side for a few months now, and to make it better when I approach her; she tells me you two have been fucking for about four months.” I look at him as if he is insane. “Did I get that all down, right?”

  He nods with a sigh. “You did.”

  “So, after all that, what did you think I would do?” I ask as if he’s insane. “You have been dancing with me like I’m the love of your life but fucking some other chick,” I scream in his face. It’s taking all my might not to throat punch him. I’m beyond angry.

  His body trembles. “Hear me out.” He expels a deep, shaky breath. “I love you.”

  “You fucking piece of shit. You don’t love me, you bastard.” I step so close our noses are almost touching. I grit my teeth. “You don’t know what love is. I hope you’re happy with her because I’m out. There’s no coming back from this.” I walk away, making sure I slam the door good and hard on my way. I don’t need him or any other man for that matter.

  Chapter One

  Jade

  I look in the mirror of my salon station and shake my head at my tired eyes. I’ve struggled to sleep over the last few nights. I’m about to start another dance season tonight. It’s been a long few months of trying to pull my life together after walking out on Jackson, and now I have to dance without him. This is something I really had to weigh. I’ve danced with him by my side for the last few years. He was my dance partner and lover.

  When Micah called me to confirm if I would be back in training, I hesitated, but I told him I would as long as we were clear there would be no more couples dances for me. He chuckled and said, ‘Yeah, okay.’ I felt no comf
ort in his response. It sounded like he was just telling me what I wanted to hear, so I’ll return. Well, I have news for him if he thinks I’m going to cave easily, he is mistaken.

  I’ve had quite a few dance partners in my life, but no one was on point like Jackson and me. We made a fantastic team. My brows furrow at my thoughts. If we were so damned amazing how come he went looking for a new partner. What did I miss? And how long had it been going on? I narrow my eyes on my own reflection.

  “Jade, your next client is here.” Cindy, the receptionist, informs me.

  "Sweet, thanks." One more client and I am finished for the day—what a bittersweet thought. “Hey, girl.” I walk to the entryway of the salon to grab my next client. I have been a hairdresser and makeup artist for the past five years. I chose this profession because it goes perfectly with my dance world, and I’ve always been just as obsessed with hair and makeup as I have been with dance.

  “Hey, Jade.” Bernice tosses the magazine down, gives me a brief hug, and follows me back to my station. “How are you doing?” There’s sympathy in her eyes.

  I shrug. “I’m good. Thanksgiving sucked. We were supposed to get together with his parents this year.”

  She smiles. “I’m sure it was. What did you end up doing?”

  “I went to visit my mom and dad.” My family lives in the central part of the state. My parents had me late in life, and when my dad retired from the military, Florida is where they wanted to be. They chose central Florida so we would be close to the parks. They’ve contemplated moving closer to the coast, but now they have tons of friends there, and as much as they love the beach, it is safer during hurricane season, so they stayed put.

  “That’s nice. How are they doing?” She asks with a smile.

  There are some clients I share more information with than others. Bernice has been with me from the beginning, so I don’t mind sharing my personal life with her.

  “Both my parents are well. They’re always busy either playing cards, going to the shuffleboard club, or on the golf course.” I smile. “They are busier than I am.” She laughs. “We spent a lot of time talking about my ex and what my next steps will be. It made me feel a bit better to share a glass of wine with her and just chat mom to daughter.”

  “Aww, it sounds like you really enjoyed your time there. I’m glad you’re doing better.” I love how much she genuinely cares about me.

  “I’m getting there, anyway. It’s difficult discovering your man cheated on you. I went from thinking we would plan a wedding to walking out of his life, but I’ve slowly discovered that I don’t need him, and when I really had time to process it all, I realized he had been quite distant from me. I was just too blind to see it in the moment.” I run my fingers through her hair. “What are we doing today?” I need to change the subject, or we’ll never get her hair done.

  She grins. “My normal cut, but I want to throw some new caramel highlights in there.”

  “I got you, girl. I’ll be right back.” I grab my rolling cart and load it up with everything I need to start her highlights. When I get back, she shifts the conversation to dance. I can’t help but smile. I’ve always loved talking about dance. There is something so freeing about being up on that stage with nothing but the music and your emotions. To me, dancing has always been about pouring my soul out no matter what the routine's mood is. I guess that’s why it hurt so bad when I found out Jackson cheated. I poured so much love into us and our dance, and he gave his love to someone else.

  “My dance company has a competition coming up in a couple of months, so we’ll be working hard to learn new routines. I have a class tonight for the company-wide piece we’re competing with.”

  “I’m so glad you aren’t going to stop dancing. I imagine it must be hard to make a career out of it, never mind what you went through.” She watches me in the mirror as I get to work, putting some foils in her hair.

  This is what I love about my job. I get to chat with people and get to know them as much as they get to know me. Bernice’s daughter loves to sing and is now getting into dance a bit as well. They go hand in hand, but still a long shot for a career.

  “It is, but I love that I have found some balance, and my dance company is great. I’ve made some amazing friends.” Jackson and I met at this dance company. We quickly started dating. Not too long after that, we were dance partners and a big hit. People were constantly recording us in the clubs and posting it to social media, tagging us.

  Thankfully, Jackson hasn’t been back since I walked out. At first, it was hard going to class and not seeing him. I even considered not returning. It’s a constant reminder of what I once had and lost, but I’ve heard that he’s dancing with his new girlfriend. That’s just helped me to move on. It shows me that he was full of shit when he told me he was tired of the dancer’s life. The guy didn’t even have the balls to be honest with me, so fuck him.

  “How is your daughter doing?” I need to change the subject.

  Her smile grows. She is always so proud of her daughter and loves to boast about her, which is really good for me right now. I not only enjoy getting caught up with my clients, but by talking about Genice, I don’t have to talk too much about me, my shitty ex, or dancing, all of which are a bit difficult to discuss right now.

  “She did outstanding on her state testing and has been working hard on school. She’s trying to figure out her path, though. It’s hard when you’re in high school, and you want to sing after you graduate. It’s not like there are a ton of colleges that offer singing as a major.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know how that works. Maybe she can be a theatre major. There’s a lot of singing done there. That may land her something.”

  She agrees. “Yeah, we’ve talked about that.”

  I continue working on her hair while we get caught up, but I need to pay attention to the time, or I’ll end up late to class.

  I’m actually somewhat excited for tonight. We’re working on our big production number, and from what I’ve heard, Micah has some big plans. It’s going to be epic. Drake is playing in the background as I trim her hair, but I get lost in the music, something I’m known for doing.

  “Earth to Jade.”

  “Oh, sorry, I got lost in the music again. What did you say?” It’s my downfall in making sure I stay on target with timing for my clients. I’m known to break out into a move or two in the middle of cutting someone’s hair because the music moves me. Most of my clients love it and think it’s funny, but there are a few that aren’t so amused. I try hard to stay on task with those specific people.

  “I know you did. Your birthday is coming up, are you making any big plans?” She glances at me through the mirror.

  I grin. “I don’t know, probably the same thing we always do, hit a club with my peeps.” I continue my work.

  As soon as I finish up with Bernice, I schedule her next appointment and then run to grab my bag from the back. I race out the door, knowing if I don’t get a move on, I may be late. I’m about to turn the corner when I hear my name. I turn to see Bentley jogging up the street.

  “Hey, girl. How’s it going?” He asks with a huge smile.

  “I’m good. Definitely ready to get my dance on.” I bust a move in the street.

  He laughs and puts his arm around me. “That’s my girl.” Bentley and I have been friends since he joined the dance company shortly after I started dating Jackson. He is a great guy with some seriously good moves. There are several women in our dance company that would love the opportunity to be his partner, and I have a feeling one of them will get their wish this time around. Now that I’m not doing the partner dance, there is an opening. Bentley has shown his skills and has certainly earned the spot.

  We continue on our way, so we won’t be late. This area is always super busy with people roaming the streets. It reminds me of New York, but on a smaller scale. People walk unless they have to travel or need the highway to get where they need to go. That’s the struggle with Florida.
There are areas where things are close, and other areas where things are spread out. That’s why I like Miami. Our city is not so spread out, so you can walk if you want to.

  “How’s business at the salon?” He asks.

  I smile. “It’s good. Some of my clients are still trying to baby me over the breakup. I’m sort of bored with everyone constantly walking on eggshells around me. I appreciate everyone trying to help me, but I’m honestly over it. I’ve moved on.”

  “Okay, no more mention of the dickhead, but it hasn’t been that long, so if you need anything, we will expect you to come to us.”

  “Deal.” I smile up at him. “Now, let’s talk partners. I heard that Janelle is secretly hoping she gets to partner with you.”

  He laughs. “It’s no secret. She’s made it quite obvious.” He shakes his head. “I don’t personally think we’re a good fit, but she’s all up in my mix.”

  This is why I adore Bentley. A lot of the guys in our dance company thrive off of women throwing themselves at them, but not him. He’s aware that chemistry is a thing, and without it, the dance will not be good. I laugh at his dramatic eye roll.

  “Yeah, well, you’re not in any better shape.” He shoves me playfully. “Tyrone was quite happy when you and Jackson broke up. He is drooling for a chance to dance with you.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ve made it quite clear to Micah that I wasn’t doing any more couples routines. That’s what got me into that whole mess with Jackson.” We continue walking down the street.

  “I’m pretty sure the partner routine isn’t what got you where you’re at. Him dipping his dick where it didn’t belong did. That fucker is lucky he didn’t come back to the studio because I would have dick punched him.”