Read Online Ripped by Lisa Edward - Free Book Online Page B

“I waited the two years for you to graduate, Jaz, and I waited another year after that just to be sure. But after that when I realized that you weren’t coming, I”—I shrugged—“I kinda thought I was on my own, you know?”
    “I understand.” A forced smile pulled at her strawberry lips. “I always knew you wouldn’t have waited for me for eight years.” Her pitch rose. “That would be ridiculous!” Her eyes softened. “To be so in love with someone that you would forgo all others even if you thought you may never see them again. To be so in love that the time you’d spent with that person would be enough to keep your heart fulfilled for the rest of your days.”
    My eyes misted over with the realization that Jaz had felt that way for me. “I have only ever loved one woman, and that’s you, Jaz. I never wanted to meet anyone else and have a relationship with them. How I felt about you, how I still feel about you—no one could ever take your place in my heart. No one could even come close.”
    The sweetest smile lit up Jaz’s face. “I love you, Baxter Sampson. I always have and I always will.”
    “And I love you, Jasmine Wilkinson, with all my heart.”
    We sat in silence snuggled together, the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves and movement of the carriage lulling us into a sense of calm.
    Finally, Jaz spoke, her voice gentle and dreamy. “This is nice. I think it’s the first time I’ve felt truly relaxed since I came here.”
    I stroked her silken gold hair. “This is our first real date.”
    “No, surely we …” She sat up and turned to face me. “I think you’re right. We met while dancing. Got to know each other while rehearsing and grabbing a slice after a long day.” She giggled. “Wow, I’m a cheap lay. A slice of pizza and I’m yours.”
    My laughter carried on the night air. “You are anything but cheap, Jaz. We had so much in common from the start that we slotted into each other’s lives without any effort.”
    We had somehow fitted in from the very start, as if we had known each other all our lives. That worried me, because we had connected over dance but I wasn’t dancing anymore. So far I’d been attending rehearsals so I could talk to Jaz about her day and the role and the other dancers, but that couldn’t go on indefinitely. If dance was no longer our common ground, we needed to connect on a different level.
    The carriage came to a stop, and I looked around to see that we were back at the starting point. I’d wanted to point out interesting sights to Jaz, like the Central Park Zoo and the carousel, but this had been better. In the space of one hour we had talked, cried, cleared the air, and confirmed our love for each other. It was the best hour of my life because from here we were both ready to move forward with absolute certainty that we wanted to be together.



 
    “H EY , J AZ , a few of us are going out for a drink after rehearsals. Do you wanna come?” Tiffany asked in between gulps from her water bottle.
    “Yeah, sure. Sounds great.” I tried to sound casual but I was doing backflips inside. This was the first step toward making friends with the other cast members and making friends in New York. Some of them had worked together on other shows so had been involved in a tight clique from the start. I’d tried in my awkward, dorky way for three weeks to infiltrate the group, but had always received a lukewarm response. So why now?
    Who cared? I’d been invited for drinks with some of the girls, and seeing as Bax was working, there was no reason why I shouldn’t accept.
    The end of the day couldn’t come quickly enough. Not that I was a big drinker, far from it actually, but going for drinks didn’t mean I had to get smashed. It was the perfect chance to get to know these girls away from the stage and spotlights.
    “Where are we going?” I asked Tiffany, catching her as she shoved her dance shoes in her bag.
    “There’s a bar around the corner called