Shawn

My alarm started to go off after snoozing it again. I covered my face with a pillow and grunted. Today was not a day I was looking forward to. Foot steps approached my bedroom and I smiled seeing her face.

"That would be snooze number 5. You can't avoid her forever Shawnette, she is your boss after all." Amelia said holding a bowl of fresh fruit. She put it on the end table next to me and sat down on the bed. She leaned in to kiss me and squealed as I pulled her down on top of me.

She laid down and just gazed at me.

"Can I just have you for breakfast?" I asked.

Amelia smiled. "You'd ruin that appetite of yours trying to eat something this sweet." She said sending chills through me. I rolled her over and showered her with kisses all over. "You're stalling." She said. "There is nothing to worry about. You're gonna go in there and you're gonna kill it today."

"I know." I said. "I don't know why I'm tripping so hard about this."

"Exactly, now get up! You shouldn't be late to your first day back."

She was right but nothing could soothe my nerves about seeing Janet for the first time in weeks. In fact I had shut everyone out. Gil had been cursing me faithfully through text and voicemails for weeks. Even Preston came by a few times but I pretended to not be home.

I was in a really bad place. Janet called and texted me everyday. I wouldn't respond and she just stopped trying. I'm so angry and hurt. I just needed some time to think.

As for Amelia, we just ran into each other accidentally. A few weeks ago I decided to finally get out of the house and go for a cup of coffee. I was at the counter placing my order when she tapped me on the shoulder from behind. It was really good to see her. We talked until the coffee shop closed that day. Everyday since then, we have been spending time together. It's been pretty amazing having her around.

We finished getting dressed and Amelia caught my attention as she walked past me to retrieve her purse. I pulled her to me.

"When can I see you again?"

"I should be asking you that." She said and smiled.

"We have lunch about 3 hours into rehearsals. Can I FaceTime you? We can talk later plans ?"

"I would love that."

I walked her to her car, and then headed for my own. Pending traffic, I still had get there on time.I took a deep breath and pulled out onto the street.

The Studio

I managed to make it to the studio first. Hitting the lights, I walked around turning the fans and the a/c to assure the room stayed cool. After that I headed for the kitchen to grab cases of water and Gatorade. With the drinks stacked in my arms, I realized that I wasn't going to have a easy time opened the door. To my surprise and with little struggle, I managed to twist the handle and walked backwards through it. I smiled proudly at myself and turned around to see Janet standing behind me.

"Fuck!" I said, startled as I dropped both cases. The bottles rolled in every direction across the floor.

"I'm so sorry I didn't mean to scare you." She said. I couldn't look at her. I walked away and started gathering the runaway drinks. Janet helped. We stacked them in the coolers on each side of the room and then filled them with ice. We finished in no time. She looked at me and smiled.

"Team work makes the dream work." She said.

"I need to get changed, the rest of the kids will be here soon." I grabbed my bag and turned to walk away.

"Please don't be this way with me. This is not us Shawn." She said. I could hear the pain in her voice.

I looked at her. "What do you want from me?" I asked. She began to walk towards me and I took a step back.

"Please don't." I said, threw the bag over my shoulder and headed for the restroom.

Rehearsals

Practice was brutal, but so much fun. Everyone was smiling and having a great time, including Janet and myself. For a second, I forgot about everything and danced until my feet were sore.

It was absolutely freeing in every way possible.

After a few a hours we got the chance to take our first break. I took a seat in the corner away from everyone else. They had all crowded Janet, trying to convince her to come out with them later. I glanced up at the clock.

"Shit!" I said quietly to myself. I'd forgotten to call her. I stood up and my phone buzzed.

Amelia: Late 😔

Amelia: You're so lucky I like you... a lot. Picnic in the parking lot?"

I smiled and headed for the door unnoticed. As I walked outside, there she was standing next to her truck. Her curls were pulled back in a loose pony tail. She was wearing jean shorts and a cut off tank top with the words YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE written in cursive across her chest.

The cheesiest grin lined my face as I approached her. "Amelia this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." I wrapped my arms around her, embracing her. "Thank you."

"I thought you might be hungry. I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries by coming here today."

"Awe babe not at all. This is such a beautiful surprise. I appreciate it so much." I smiled and she kissed me. "But you know Tina would kick my ass if I even went near that soda."

"I brought waters too and I can't wait to show you what's for dessert later." She bit my bottom lip and we fell into a long sensual kiss.

Janet

There was nothing like the sound of my friends working hard and having a great time while doing it. I stood back for a moment and looked around the room, trying to take it all in. It was so wonderful to be back. Other than the stage, this is where I'm most comfortable.

The kids were already making plans to go out afterwards. As mush as I hated to disappoint them, I had to raincheck.

Shawn came to my mind. A quick glance around the room, I didn't see her anywhere. Gil noticed my wandering eyes. He knows me better than anyone and nodded his head towards the door. He kept the attention on himself until I could sneak away.

Thanks babe. I mouthed and slipped right out. I walked through the lobby and peeked outside from behind one of the blackout curtains in the front window. A quiet gasp slipped from my lips.

There they were, sitting casually outside having a date. Amelia was sitting on the bed of the truck. Shawn stood between her legs as they took turns feeding each other fruit.

No matter how many times I told myself that I couldn't be upset, it didn't make it hurt any less. She looked so happy, the way she smiled and played in Amelia's hair... looking at her the way she used to look at me. I stood there in silence, making myself sick but I couldn't stop watching them.

"Bitch who are you spying on?" Gil whispered from behind me, breaking the silence and scaring the shit out of me. I screamed. Both women looked towards the building. I grabbed Gil by the shirt and pulled him behind the curtains with me.

"Damn it Gil!" I said slapping his butt as he dragged me to the kitchen.

"Was that Amelia I saw?" He whispered.

I nodded, doing my best to avoid his eyes as I blinked away tears. I wiped a stray with my sleeve.

"Dunk, look at me. Don't do this to yourself girl. It's not healthy. I'm not gonna sit here and say that I think you did the right thing..." He pointed at his head and shook it. "Cause bitch I'm not too happy with you fa this one, but honey you made your choice. Don't do this to her again." I shifted against the wall, sighed becoming defensive and folded my arms. "Dunk it's not fair to Shawnette. Not unless she is your final choice. If it's so "complicated" then you should leave her out of it until you figure your shit out first." He took my hand and kissed it. "Please don't be mad at me for putting on these reading glasses on ya ass today."

I rolled my eyes and kissed his head. "Tell everyone we're back at it in forty five minutes."

"Are you going to come eat?"

"I'm not really hungry anymore babe." I said.

He walked back towards me, grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the room. Everyone cheered and whistled as we walked in, instantly putting a smile on my face. I joined their circle and tried to forget everything I'd just seen and soak in my talk with Gil.

Rehearsal lasted about ten and a half hours. Everyone was exhausted and decided to just head home for the night. I said goodbye to those who were walking out before I went into the restrooms to change.

As I walked in Shawn was standing in the mirror wiping the sweat from her face. She glanced over at me.

"I'm not here to crowd you." I said. "I just need to change." I walked past her, she grabbed my wrist and our eyes met. She stepped in close to me and rested her head against mine. I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breath.

"I don't know how to do this J." She whispered. Her voice was shaky. I could tel her emotions where all over the place. Just as I opened my mouth to say something, she let me go and walked out of the restroom.

I chased her through the studio and out to her car, all the while begging for her to stop. But she got in her car and quickly drove away.

"Damn it Shawnette!" I yelled in frustration and turned to walk back inside. I picked up my phone.

Me: Girl's night at my place?

Gil: Yaaaaassss! I thought you'd never ask! Turning around to come get you.