Bella Notte Read Online Free Page B

piece of paper with my cell phone number written in crimson
ink. I wasn't normally this forward, but he brought it out in me. I
gave him a quick hug and headed off toward History.
    “ Bye, Em. See
ya!” he called from his direction.

    The rest of the day
passed without incident. History was really boring, just as I told
Mike it would be, and my Art class was more of independent study for
me.
    Miss Forrest taught
an art class at this time, but we'd already discussed the fact that
I'd taken art classes since I was a little girl, so I was a little
too advanced for her intro class. We decided I could take the class
period and carry on with my own art work and she would occasionally
check on my progress.
    Today wasn't a work
day so I helped her pass out her materials and sat in the back of the
class until fifteen minutes before the class ended, then I snuck out
the back door.

    I raced over to my
car and threw my stuff in the backseat. I opened the door and found a
single red rose sitting on the seat. There was a little note attached
to it that said; “Thank you for a beautiful first day. See ya
tomorrow.” It was signed with just the letter 'M'.
    I brought the rose
up to my nose and smelled- it was heavenly. My face flushed red and
my eyes watered up as I climbed into my little monster. That
is so nice. I can't believe he got me a rose. When did he have time
to get me a rose? Oh!
    I set the rose down
gently on the seat next to me and drove home. I left the stereo off
and enjoyed the silence and feel of the wind on my face.

    When I got home, I
parked inside the garage and went through the side door again. I met
my instructor in our 'living room' that was more like a ball room.
    He started the same
way he did every Monday, with me trying not to fall on my head while
he told me how to stretch. Come to think of it, the entire session
was me more or less concentrating on not falling, tripping, or
injuring myself in some odd manner.
    By the time the hour
had ended, I still couldn't waltz and I am sure that his feet hurt
from me dancing on them. I was tired, and I thanked him for his hard
work. I knew I had another session on Saturday.
    Perhaps if I
brought Michael with me, then the instructor could stand back and not
have to ice his feet every time he left here. I
sighed and went upstairs.
    I ate dinner in my
room, which was all right with my grandparents as they knew how I
generally felt after my sessions. After dinner, I got into my pajamas
and went to sleep. The dream didn't come until halfway through the
night, but it was the same dream and I woke up crying more fiercely
than ever- probably because I really knew him now- all I had to do
was wait for the next day to start.

Chapter
Two

    The days fell into
routine and my dreams continued. The more time I spent with Mike, the
worse the reactions to the dream got.
    It was the last
Monday in September and my birthday was approaching fast. My dancing
sessions had become two hours and I was miserable. Between the waltz
and foxtrot, my feet hurt and I felt unimaginably clumsy. I finally
decided that if I was going to suffer that I should do it with
company- I was going to ask Mike to join me in my torture. I needed
something to make the experience more bearable. Now that I had the
idea in my head, I needed to figure out how to approach the subject
with him. I didn't want to seem like I was suffering and he must save
me from this, I wanted it to be more enjoyable. Not
that listening to my instructor yelp every time I stepped on him
wasn't enjoyable .

    During lunch at the
deli- we never ate at school anymore- I decided that it was now or
never. What's the
worst that could happen? He could say no – no big deal.
    I grabbed a salad
and green fizzy soda and went to sit down, it was Mike's turn to pay
and Mr. Stevenson saw what I got.
    When Mike sat down
at the table he looked at me like he knew there was something on my
mind. It was frightening how close we'd gotten over the last