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54-Dalton
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FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 54.1
I used the hour that Rae was teaching her class to come up with an idea for our next video. Scrolling through the hundreds of comments on the one from this morning, everyone loved our interaction. Comments like “so cute together!” or “omg, I ship them” or “is it just me or would these two make the cutest couple?” were surprisingly invasive, yet positive. As a marketer, I wanted to give the crowd more of what they wanted.What was that line in marketing? Sex sells? We weren’t going to give them that—though if it came down to it, let it be known I wasn’t firmly opposed to that idea—but we could give them romance. Dancing and wine were easy to tie together. In fact, I thought our next few videos could be like an evolution of two people meeting and dating. The one this morning was like us meeting online. This next one at the winery could be our first date. Maybe tomorrow we could go to her studio and show us taking dancing lessons together. We’d wine and dance our audience into loving us.
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 55- Raeanne
I had a full schedule the day after our latest TikTok went live, and through my back to back classes, I forced myself to ignore my phone.Although that was actually impossible.I used it to play music for class, and every time I stepped over to the podium to stop a song or pull up the next, I saw the notifications on my screen. By the time my last class of the day was over, I’d missed six calls and TikTok had sent me more notifications than I would have thought was even possible.I also had a text from Dalton.Goofy Wine Guy: VIRAL, BABY!He’d sent the message an hour earlier, while I’d been deep in the turmoil that was adult ballet—a complicated class because the students came from a wide range of backgrounds and ability levels, and also brought a wide range of ego through the door in a way the younger students never did. Tonight there’d been two new women and my first-ever male adult student trying out the class, and I’d felt a ton of pressure to offer just the right mix of challeng
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 56- Dalton
I could think of fifty things I wanted to do now and not one of them was something I could say out loud. What I’d just witnessed had completely turned things on their head. Of course, I’d known Rae was beautiful, but now that I’d seen her dance—really dance, I was mesmerized. Maybe even a little intimidated. What a jerk I was for thinking I could swing in here with my amateur moves and share the screen with her in a meaningful way.My shirt collar felt too tight to take a decent breath. “I thought we could do another video, here at your studio, but maybe I should just record you dancing to that last song.”I may have imagined it, but her cheeks were a little redder than the exertion called for. “No way! We’re in this together, buddy.”My left eyelid twitched. Buddy. Everything in me rebelled at her tossing that word at me. It hit me like the beat dropping in that shuffle dance tutorial that had been viral for so long it was no longer a trend but a mainstay of TikTok...I liked this gir
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 57- Raeanne
I agreed to go out on a date with Dalton. And like everything else in my life, I began overanalyzing the decision the second the words were out.Did I really need to be distracting myself with this… whatever this was, when my business and my life in general were teeter-tottering on the edge of a cliff like that balloon house in Up?The high from the kiss lasted a while. Like a few days, actually. But lingering behind the tense and giddy infatuation I felt was worry. My time with Dalton at the studio had come so immediately after the devastating conversation with my father, and in some weird way they were mixing together in my head, in my heart.For so long I’d thought my daddy supported me totally. Hadn’t he been at every single performance I’d ever done? Hadn’t he been the father with the biggest bouquet and the matching smile? When had things changed? He had not been pleased when I’d gone to the local community college for my associate’s so I could keep the studio running while I st
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 57.1
Dalton’s words hung around us for a bit, his usually entertaining persona replaced by something darker for a few minutes. And then he grinned at me. “Where are my manners?” he asked. “I haven’t given you the tour!”I laughed. I could see the whole car from where I sat, though the front was quite a distance away.“Maybe we should record it?” he asked.“TikTok first date?” I asked.“Well, we did that, but the fans clearly want more.”The video we’d posted of our dancing date had gone insane. The studio phone had been ringing nonstop and I had actually added a class and was beginning to consider hiring someone to run the competition team I needed to build.“They do,” I agreed, getting more comfortable with being on camera this way.Dalton set up his phone in the corner of the car, and then we toured the back of the limo, scooting around on our knees and trying out all the seats. Dalton showed me all the buttons, let me play with the radio, offered me water in a fancy crystal glass, and f
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 58- Dalton
A loud whooping sound greeted us as I opened the door of the Cunning Ham winery. A chill went up my spine and I almost hauled Rae over my shoulder and sprinted back to the limo. The wild animal call could only mean one thing: Robin was here.I loved my soon-to-be-sister-in-law El to the point of agreeing to give a best man’s speech at their upcoming wedding to bring some levity to the inevitable cryfest, but her mother? That woman was on another level of crazy that made me want to tuck tail and hide. As it was, her voice stopped me in my tracks for a moment.“What is it?” Rae muttered out the side of her mouth as I put my hand on her back and stiffened my spine.“Good question. I sometimes wonder if she’s an it more than a who, myself,” I muttered back.“Huh?” Rae scrunched up her elegant nose and before I could explain the nuances of Robin’s crazy, Mom saw us.“Dalton!” she cried, hustling around the bar to come over. “It’s so nice to see you unexpectedly.” She ran straight into my c
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 59- Raeanne
The next week was a whirlwind. My head was a mess, but not a bad mess. Kind of a cozy little mess, like the kind you make on your couch over a rainy weekend when you just snuggle in with pillows and blankets and decide not to worry about the cracker crumbs or books strewn everywhere for a couple days.And my mess? It had Dalton Cunningham smack in the center of it. Well, him and also about thirty-five new students. I’d never gained thirty new students over the course of two weeks before, and I was willing to bet that even the illustrious Ned Eclair hadn’t seen numbers like that.It was kind of a miracle. A TikTok miracle. I lay in bed late at night and scrolled through our videos. Part of it was because I couldn’t quite believe these silly dancing videos had actually resulted in tangible business, but I could admit that a bigger part of it was to see Dalton, to watch him when he couldn’t see me watching him. To get the chance to really admire him. He was handsome in a ridiculously app
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 60- Dalton
“Everybody has to eat, especially overworked dance instructors.” I held up the brown paper-wrapped sandwich from the place in Solano Creek us boys frequented at least twice a week. They stacked homemade bread with so many layers of sandwich goodness, your mouth would water just thinking about the combination possibilities.Rae and I had been sneaking in moments here and there all week whenever she was free, which wasn’t often. I hadn’t considered the reality of growing her business when we started the TikToks together. I’d been so focused on winning my bet, I hadn't realized how overworked she might become when her business took off.She bit her lip and swiped at a lock of hair that had fallen out of her bun to get stuck in her eyelashes. “You’re lucky you brought pastrami. I’d do illegal things for pastrami.”I grinned. “My pride would be smarting over you not taking a break just for your boyfriend, but I’m too intrigued by the illegal things. Can you be more specific?”Rae held her
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FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 72- Dalton
Me: Guys, we need your help. Rae is leasing the Chest R. Cheeses next month and I’m going to need some muscles to get it into shape for her studio. Can I count on you to help?Lincoln: Dude. I’m almost finished with Hannah’s cottage. I’m practically a general contractor by now.Dillon: Well, I would, but I don’t live here. Maybe I can squeeze in a weekend?Boston: Of course we’ll help. But first, I need to get everyone together for an announcement before Dillon flies out. Can you make it to the winery at seven tonight?Everyone agreed to meet, but I was more focused on the fact that they agreed to help Rae and me. Now that we were back together and better than ever, I wanted to get her set up in her new space as soon as possible. Her business was exploding, especially after someone posted a snippet of the flash mob on TikTok yesterday. Fans were going berserk about us being together in real life.My phone rang and I picked it up, even though I didn’t recognize the number. Quite frankl
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 71- Raeanne
For two days after the flash mob, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Every time I closed my eyes, Dalton was there, dancing and singing with half of Solano Creek. It was the perfect gesture, and I’d heard there was stiff competition between the Cunningham boys when it came to romantic gestures. And every time I wondered if I’d imagined the whole thing, my hand found the little gold key around my neck.We’d gone to dinner after the flash mob, along with Dalton’s family and mine, and the little Italian place we’d chosen had given us all free appetizers when they learned we were the ones who’d been dancing and singing out on the promenade.And after dinner? I’d gone home with Dalton after picking a few things up at my place. And so far, I hadn’t exactly left. We agreed it was too early to make big decisions, so no one was giving up an apartment or anything. Not yet. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to spend every second I could with the man I knew I was meant to find.“You look ha
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 70- Dalton
I didn’t know how Rae did it. Stepping up on stage for dance performances every few months growing up. I thought for sure I’d puke just getting everything set up for my make-or-break moment at the Promenade. If I thought about actually having to dance in front of everyone at the end of this ill-thought-out shindig, I just might lose my breakfast.“Don’t jack it up now, brother,” Dillon clapped me on the shoulder and gave me a shake. “Dude, you look a little green.”I didn’t like the way he was peering at me, like I’d grown a second head. “You try throwing it all on the line for a girl with everyone you know—and people you don’t know—watching you. You’d be a little green around the gills too.”Dillon flinched back. “Yeah, no. No way would I do that for a girl. Nope. The trend stops with you three.”He had a valid reason for concern. Us Cunningham brothers were notorious for putting on quite the spectacle to get the girl. When I’d hatched the original plan with Lincoln, it had grown leg
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 69- Raeanne
The days felt like they were dragging by. Like the kind of dragging weighed down by heartbreak and disappointment, by uncertainty and a little bit of self-loathing thrown in for good measure. The glass on the front of the studio hadn’t been fixed. I’d spoken to three glass shops and the landlord of the building, and evidently there was some kind of glass shortage in Solano Creek.“All those wine bottles we make here,” the landlord surmised.“I doubt that’s it,” I told him, pacing my apartment again. I could see a faint track worn into the brown rug where I’d been pacing regularly for days. Soon I’d probably go right through the floor. I needed to dance. I needed my life back.And I didn’t know if I needed him, but I really wanted Dalton. But my pride was still up and every time I picked up the phone I ended up talking myself back into anger. He didn’t understand me. And if this had been bad, it would only get worse if we dragged this thing out.Or that’s what I’d been telling myself r
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 68- Dalton
Twinkle Toes: I think so.I shut the screen off and tossed the phone on my nightstand. I couldn’t look at it any longer. I’d stared at our last text exchange so many times over the last few days I had the whole conversation memorized. Staring at it didn’t make the pain go away, nor did it provide answers as to what had gone so epically wrong. I mean, that had to be some kind of relationship crash and burn record right there. From I love you’s to broken up in twenty-four hours. Maybe Rae was right. I should probably stick to the light and funny stuff. Leave the grown up, complicated adult things for everybody else who could clearly handle them better.I was late for work, but who would really care? Boston was still on his honeymoon and Leslie was probably organizing his tackle box for the inevitable fishing trip right after his retirement party. My phone vibrated and my heart decided to gallop out of my chest, thinking it was Rae. But it wasn’t. Probably would never be again.Dillon Th
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 67- Raeanne
Inside my apartment I sank heavily onto the little couch I’d inherited from my grandmother. The cheery floral pattern was completely at odds with my mood. I leaned back into the dusty embrace of the yellow roses, my spine releasing some of the indignant tension I’d been holding there.What had Dalton been thinking? Was my studio a complete joke to him? How could he expect me to just pick up the whole thing and drop it down into the center of a Chest R. Cheeses? The place had been a total circus. I could still hear the shrieks of kids screaming over the maniacal music they’d piped in to float above the roar of the arcade machines.I was a classically trained ballerina. And while I didn’t expect Dalton to understand all the various implications of that and what it meant to me—about me—I did think he had respect for what I did. For the fact that I was running an actual business, and doing it increasingly well.But maybe I’d been wrong. Both Dalton and my dad had decided I couldn’t contin
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 66- Dalton
The rollercoaster of emotions over the last twenty-four hours had me up at dawn, energy crackling in my veins when I should have been sleeping in and enjoying my weekend. After we got Rae’s studio cleaned up last night, she’d gone home to her place, stating she was incredibly tired and needed rest. She’d been so busy with teaching and hiring, and now the added stress of a break-in, I didn’t push her to stay at my place. Plus, her parents were standing right there and I didn’t think that would make the best first impression. But her parents were on my mind now.I’d had an epiphany somewhere around three in the morning as I lay in bed trying to sleep. I’d gotten Rae into this mess by choosing her videos to duet to win my bet. I needed to get her out of this mess. The guilt of being the impetus for all of this would eat me alive if I didn’t make things right. I couldn’t undo what had been done. I couldn’t make her suddenly less TikTok famous. The only thing I could do was protect her goi
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 65- Raeanne
I’d never been the sappy type, not really. Sure, I could get a little choked up listening to music or when the corner bakery got the devil’s food exactly right. But this was different. As the Cunningham brothers proceeded down the center aisle with El’s bridesmaids on their arms, a little knot of emotion formed in my throat.Lincoln and Hannah went first, then Dillon and El’s friend Ashley. Dalton appeared next at the end of that long aisle, and my heart expanded inside my chest. He walked El’s friend Gigi down the aisle, but his eyes found mine in the crowd, and held fast nearly the entire time. When he took his place at the front, near the arch of white flowers, I realized I’d been holding my breath, and I let it go just in time to turn back to see El stepping out from the back and to the head of the aisle, her mother Robin at her side. El looked gorgeous—glowing and bright, her hair curled and shiny, and her dress was a satin sheath clearly made just for her. She gazed around, but
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 64 - Dalton
I adjusted the fancy tie around my neck for maybe the hundredth time that morning, unsure if my nerves were for Boston and El, the best man’s speech I’d need to give at the reception, or because I intended to man up and tell Rae exactly how I felt about her today. So many times over the last week, it had been right there on the tip of my tongue. The three little words that seemed so inadequate for what was going on inside my chest whenever I was around her, or thought of her, or caught a sweet jasmine scent that reminded me of her body lotion I was obsessed with. I hadn’t been looking for her, but she’d danced her way into my heart nonetheless.Was it too early to tell her I loved her? I mean, we’d only been dating for just shy of a month, but it wasn’t so much the time, it was the depth of what we’d shared. We were working on a shared goal, each of us supporting the other. To her, I wasn’t just the funny guy. Everything about us together was just plain nice. Maybe the word nice wasn’
