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turned that charming, dimpled smile on all three of us. I too continued to smile, even as my stomach turned. “I take it the three of you are heading out for dinner. Be careful out there, there are a lot of vampires out tonight, and you three have the most delicious necks in town. I know this intimately.”
    “Garrett, go… fuck a mirror or something,” Kendra sighed out stepping around him. Leslie followed and I stared at him for a moment.
    “I missed you, Angel Face.” He purred as he took a step closer. Don’t hit him, you’re in public.
    “Autumn!” Leslie yelled.
    “It was nice to see you again, Garrett. Good night.” I stepped around him and went to join my friends. I could almost feel the little voice in my head doing a happy dance.
     
     
    “So who is pissed Garrett didn’t stay in fucking Europe?” Kendra raised her hand followed by Leslie as we made our way down the street. “Autumn?” Fuck yes.
    “I… don’t want to think about it,” I said shaking my head.
    “Really?” Leslie cocked her head to the side and made a bit of a face. “He essentially ripped your beating heart out and then served it as tartar to fuel an orgy…almost literally.” And you didn’t walk in on him in your bed in a tangle of limbs comprised of most of your fucking Ballet Company.
    “I’m actually surprised how close to literal that is,” Kendra added.
    “We just didn’t mesh. The past is the past.” I started buttoning up my coat against the late winter chill.
    “If you say so. I don’t know about Leslie, but I remember picking up those pieces.” Kendra grumbled out as we reached the diner where we had eaten dinner at every night for the last five years.
    We were quiet after that. We ordered our meals and fell back into comfortable silence until the plates arrived. I stared at what Kendra and Leslie had ordered for a moment. There is a myth that Ballerinas starve themselves. They didn’t, they did however eat a very strict diet. Everything organic, GMO and hormone free. The hole in the wall diner catered to the ballet dancers and even had a special menu just for them.
    “Oh! Before I forget, we’re celebrating this weekend,” Leslie managed to get out between bites of a thick tuna steak.
    “I got it!” Kendra interjected with a giggle, leaving me to look up from my salad with a rather confused look on my face.
    “It?”
    “The human part they wanted for the performance of Le Diable Amoureux. I danced for Aleksi and their director Tristan, and they were impressed. So impressed that they talked about taking me with them to tour as a guest Principal,” Kendra gushed. My mind went directly to Aleksi and the dance from last night. Smile, don’t be petty. I forced myself to smile.
    “I’m happy for you! Next thing we know you’ll be off in Britian dancing at Covent Garden.”
    “The Bolshoi if she plays her cards right. Aleksi has connections in Russia,” Leslie nodded out.
    “Speaking of Aleksi, I’m inviting the Vampires to the party.”
    “Isn’t that… dangerous?” Kendra shrugged at my question.

     
     
    The night of Kendra’s party I spent most of the evening in my apartment. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go. Garrett would be there, it was a given, he had a gift for just showing up. On top of the Garrett problem was my reaction and attraction to Aleksi.
    It was midnight by the time I decided to stop by the party, and one thirty by the time I left my apartment. I had a problem with perfection. I always wanted to look as perfect as possible. Which meant perfect hair, nails, and clothes. It was an unhealthy obsession, on some level I knew I did it to compete with my friends. They were ballerinas and I was on the road to becoming a college professor. They were perfectly petite with physiques like fashion models, and I was just short. Whereas I was fit, I wasn’t as tiny as they were. I bounced between a three and five while they were both a one to the famed size zero. Next to them and