Beyond the Cherry Trees: The Cook Brothers Series Read Online Free Page B

forward, but she held up her hand to stop me. “Mia, what about us? What about me?” I sucked back the tears as my throat tightened.
    “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Her eyes welled up and tears slowly spilled over as she opened the door to our apartment and stepped outside into the cold blustery fall day. “I didn’t want it to happen like this,” she cried as I stood there and watched her race down the steps to the street level.
    “Wait!” I called when my feet finally caught up with my brain, and I began to chase after her. “Wait!” When I skidded to a stop I saw the yellow cab pulling away from the curb taking my heart with it. I knew I’d never be the same. I knew no one could ever fill the void that Mia would leave behind. I knew I could try, but she’d always be there. I’d compare every woman I met for the rest of my life to her.
     
    “Please?” She reached out and touched my forearm. “Can we go outside?”
    “Won’t your date be upset?” I snickered. Mia was always so worried about what other people thought. It took me the longest time to get her to let me kiss her in public. We’d been each other’s firsts and learned as we grew up. I’d never kissed or touched another woman until after she left me.
    “He’s just a friend,” she whispered as she glanced around, quickly making sure we hadn’t garnered an audience. “Please?”
    I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes willing my body not to react to her. She still looked so innocent. Her copper hair was in long flowing waves down her back. Her creamy white skin the perfect contrast to the deep green dress she was wearing. She still had her tiny ballerina figure, and she carried herself with such poise. I couldn’t believe she was drinking wine tonight, but the glass in her hand said otherwise. When we’d been together, all she ever talked about was dancing. She’d always put it first, and I gave up a lot of the college experience because of it. “Fine,” I huffed as I turned and strode toward the glass double doors that led out to the balcony. I was being a dick, but I just didn’t care. I didn’t feel like I owed her anything, and after the way she just walked out of my life, I was not going to go easy on her. “So talk,” I waved my arm in the air as I leaned back on the railing to the balcony and sipped my drink.
    “I’m sorry,” she sighed as she shook her head.
    “So you’ve said…many times. What’s changed?” I rolled my eyes at her.
    “Why do you have to be such an asshole?” She began pacing in front of me.
    “You walked away Mia!” I bellowed. “What did you expect?” I tipped my head back and stared at the night sky. “Fuck!” I hissed.
    “I didn’t have a choice.” Her voice was timid, and I noticed that she’d moved to stand right beside me. “I had to go. They needed me the next day. Do you have any idea how hard it is to make it in this industry? There are tons of dancers. We all want the same thing, to be the principal in a big company. Most of us don’t get out of the chorus. It was my dream. I had to jump when they asked me to.” Her voice was rising with each sentence, and when I opened my eyes to stare at her, I could tell she was fighting to hold back tears.
    “So what now? Why are you here?” I lifted my arms out to the side and shrugged.
    “I’m in the NYC Ballet now. I live here.” She glanced away and the words were barely audible.
    “So what? You just thought you’d come find me, and I’d what? Take you back? Did you really think after all this time that you could just waltz in here and things would be like they used to?” I growled as I watched my words hit their mark.
    “I hoped we could at least be friends,” she murmured.
    “I don’t have female friends,” I smirked. “I don’t even have girlfriends,” I chuckled as I crossed my arms over my chest. I watched Mia’s face redden as she began putting the pieces together. “Did you really come here