_KIMBERLY_
I watched the class stand in front of the mirrors with their hands on the barres, as they practiced leg movements and arabesques.
"Relax your bodies, children. Take calm breaths and remember the tips we went through earlier. Please don't strain yourselves," I instructed as I went around supervising and helping the children that needed extra attention.
Mozart's Don Giovanni, took hold of the background and some of the students were making their own moves as they practiced. This song's soft tune and sharp tones made it one of my favourites and I couldn't help but hum along with a small smile.
After my rounds were done, I looked out the window at the beautiful clear sky. The entire wall on the right was glass and the view beyond it was a paved path with a few trees beyond it. The view wasn't anything unique or breathtaking but it was peaceful. People rarely walked there and after a few minutes of staring, my mind wandered.
_OLIVER_ Kimberly sat across from me as she took brief sips from her coffee. We had been quiet for the past twenty minutes and I was starting to get a little uneasy. I would casually sneak a few glances at her and noticing that she also felt awkward made me feel a little better. She spent most of her time stirring her coffee or she would look up every once in a while. The sun shone through the large windows and fell over Kimberly softly, causing her skin to look warmer than it was that it almost looked like she was glowing. Regardless of the number of times that I saw her, I could not get over how attractive she was. "How's the ballet school coming up?" I asked after the awkwardness became strained and our eyes met. "It's okay. So many people like the art, I guess," she answered and I nodded, glad that my question gave us a ground safe for conversation. "How is work?" "Stressful. I've got more than plenty of papers to sign
_OLIVER_ "And you go down like this," Lora explained as she gracefully brought her hands to the sides of her waist. "And do a cute, little jump." "Bravo!" I exclaimed as I clapped my hands at the demonstration that she gave me. "You're getting even better at this." "Of course, I am!" She said and I could see her swell with pride. "I am a Woodling after all." "Yes, you are." I spread my arms and she smiled before running into them although she had a mini struggle climbing onto the couch. We were currently in the living room and since I was on vacation, Lora skipped school to hang out with me. Despite my protests, she refused and insisted to stay just for today. I knew that I was a little too soft on her but I hated seeing my daughter in tears. "If you misbehave tomorrow, I'll be strict on you," I said and she pulled away from me with a pout. "Why are you bringing that up now?" She asked with folded arms.
_KIMBERLY_It was an almost perfect day. The sun was bright and fresh air blew into my apartment through the open windows. I didn't have any classes today since it was Monday and I didn't have any friends to visit. Despite it being lonely, it was best to be known by a few people.The only people that I talked to were Jeff and the other dance teachers at the ballet school. Although I rarely interacted with the staff in a more personal level, I needed to interact with them because I owned the place and it would be rude to ignore them completely.Another person who I got closer to was Oliver. Regardless of my need to avoid close relationships, it was difficult to distance myself from him. We went out for two more meals after our first date and I couldn't help but look forward to another.I loved his company and I could never get over how much of a gentleman he was. Was it possible for a man to be that charming and irresistible?Unf
_KIMBERLY_I stood in front of the Woodling mansion and gave the address that Oliver had sent me this morning one last glance, confirming if I was at the right place. Before I knew it, Lora's birthday had arrived and as promised, I came an hour early to help with preparations.The house was huge and gorgeous. It had two high pillers holding up a patio cover that put a nice shade on the chairs that were set around a dark wooden table and there was a water fountain in the middle of the front yard. Flowerbeds were neatly placed on either side of the house and I stared in awe while internally giving whoever planned this house a round of applause.Snapping out of my trance, I walked to the door and rang the doorbell. Ater a few minutes of waiting, a young blonde woman opened the door and smiled at me. She wore a maid's outfit so it wasn't difficult to guess what her role in the house was."Good morning. You must be Kimberly," she said
_KIMBERLY_ "I wondered what he meant by that. I mean, who becomes that emotional in the middle of a meeting?" Oliver said as he walked me to my apartment. I laughed. "He was probably the one who leaked the documents and felt under pressure when you suddenly questioned him about it in the middle of a meeting." "I thought so too. We had to do more investigating before we could point fingers though." "And how did that turn out?" I asked as we stopped in front my door. "We found out that he did it, so I fired him immediately and made sure that other businesses knew about it." "You are one scary businessman, aren't you?" "I don't want him to continue deceiving people. It's either he remains unemployed for the rest of his life or starts his own business. Now that I think about it, I might have done him a favour." "Destroy him then let him build himself from scratch? You're too kind," I teased, making him
_OLIVER_"How's Kim?" I asked as I looked at Lora, who was seated across from me. We were in the middle of lunch at a restaurant that Francesca had made reservations. The food was great but my worries made it difficult to fully appreciate it.I have been trying to reach Kim all week with no progress. She was neither answering my calls nor texts and I wondered if something was wrong. It crossed my mind that she might have gotten uncomfortable with the way I talked to her on Lora's birthday but her response to my advances was anything but repulsed."I don't know," she replied after putting a forkful of pasta into her mouth.Now that was an answer that I wasn't expecting, especially from Lora. The girl who talked to me about Kim everyday after ballet classes; whether I wanted to hear it or not. "Why's that?""She hasn't been to class all week."I chocked on my pork rib and downed my glass of water to wash it down. Were thing
_KIMBERLY_"Yes, saute," I instructed. "Relax your bodies and bend at the knees slightly. If it's hard on the knees, do it slower and use the barres for support."I didn't expect the kids to have a hard time after having done arabesques pretty well the last time we met. Well, I should not put myself on a high horse because I also found sautes a bit difficult the first time I tried them.They are kids. They needed time and care and I had the patience; but most were straining themselves and it was worrisome. Sending children home with strained muscles and throbbing joints was not on my to-do list."Remember the fluid, relaxed movements talk we had earlier," I said reminded."But we are not flexible enough," Whitney whined."You don't have to be flexible in ballet. It's an advantage but not a need. With enough practice, you'll be able to master the positions even though some of them need some degree of flexibility." I smiled
_KIMBERLY_I stared at the bookshelf in front of me and hummed in thought. Despite me coming to the nearest bookstore to buy some books, I had no idea of what books to get. I was here in hopes of finding a new hobby. I wasn't much of a reader but the internet told me that reading was a good way to pass time.Not wanting the usual experience of looking at my phone screen or laptop, I decided to buy a real life, paperback book and I felt damn proud of that idea. But here I was, at a loss of what to book to pick.Another reason why I came was to relax and get used to the environment. I wasn't new to this place but my past made it difficult to feel safe outside. Being with Oliver made me realize how lacking my life was. I left home to start afresh but I too caught up in my fears to realize that I was barely living.Also, I didn't want to depend on him too much so, I had to find reasons to leave the house that were not Oliver or work relate