Always There

Chapter Ninety-Three

It's just so hard to live in the present when my dreams are so much better than reality.

"Up for what?" I ask Nathan as cheerfully as I can manage.

He gives me a small, kind smile despite the fact that I'm sure he's frustrated with me for making him repeat himself.

"Knox and I are renting a studio for an hour. Just to get some practice in. I know you two are choreographing something, so do you want to run back to your dorm and grab your dance stuff so that you can join us?" he asks kindly, his smile not faltering even for a second.

I find myself grinning at him despite the sad mood that I seem to be in today. "I'd love to! Thank you for inviting me! I promise that I'll be quick, but I just got to change and put my hair up. Then we can go to the studio."

Knox reappears directly beside me, and he wraps an arm around my shoulder. He hugs me against his side and plants another kiss on my head before saying, "Perfect. Let's head out then."

I hook my arm around Knox's waist, but just as I'm about to open my mouth to speak to him, I catch a glimpse of Kennedy's face.

And she looks . . . perturbed?

She's still holding on firmly to Nathan's hand with one of hers, but she lifts her free hand to cover her face in exasperation. She shakes her head to herself a few times before, with a sigh, lowering her hand from her face and glancing between Knox and Nathan in an aggravated manor.

"Guys!" Kennedy hisses. "Seriously? You're completely forgetting something. Something very. Important."

Knox and Nathan blink at her for several excruciatingly long moments, and it reassures me the slightest bit to know that they're just as confused as I am right now.

I watch, with my eyebrows furrowed, as Kennedy makes a bunch of bizarre hand gestures. She sort of appears as though she's trying to cast a spell or something, honestly, and she just looks generally sort of crazy right now.

Nonetheless, the weird witchcraft hand gestures seem to eventually mean something to Knox and Nathan because I watch as, simultaneously, their eyes widen in perfect unison.

Nathan looks down towards the floor nervously while Knox's eyes dart towards me. They both open their mouthes but no words come out, and then the two of them glance towards Kennedy anxiously with sheepish smiles on their faces.

"Right. Sorry, Kenz. It totally slipped my mind," Nathan eventually mutters under his breath, giving Kennedy's hand an apologetic squeeze.

She merely lets out another long breath, squeezes his hand back, and then sets her unwavering gaze on Knox.

He keeps one of his arms around me, but he lifts his other arm so that he can nervously run a hand through his hair. Kennedy rolls her eyes at him before pointedly looking away, occupying herself by watching the students around us hurry up and down the crammed Juilliard hallways.

Knox lets out a little huff before looking down at me and giving me the most charming, sincere smile. "Ignore her. I don't know why she's acting so bizarre. Let's head to your apartment so that you can get changed, all right? I know you usually go out one of the side entrances, but would you mind if we went through the main entrance? I have to grab something along the way."