Page 125 of Igniting Sparks

I flip through the comic one more time and grab my phone to type out a message.

I got the comic book. You have no idea how much I needed this. You have no idea how much I need YOU.

I stare at the last line and realize I can’t send him this message.

I don’t know if he’s moved on, and if he has, he doesn’t need lovesick sonnets from a woman who left but can’t let go.

Backspace.

Backspace.

Backspace.

I rewrite the text, a small but earnest smile stretching my features as I send it off.

Thank you, Braden. For the comic. For knowing exactly what I needed. Even from four thousand miles away.

Leo holds out a glass of champagne the moment I enter the restaurant. “For you. I don’t know where you’ve been hiding this version of Mina, but I want her around 24/7.”

I accept the glass with a sip and nod toward Ericka, earning a beaming smile in return. Seems the pop star is equally happy with the result of her music video.

After a bath and some tears, I spent the rest of the night listening to Ericka’s song and feeling my way into an adjusted dance routine. There was no way we could start from scratch with only one day to shoot, but we could tweak it.

I arrived on set an hour before everyone else, and as soon as the dancers arrived, I pitched my idea and then opened thefloor to hear theirs. Seems we were all on the same page, and suddenly, it worked.

The music, the flow, even the attitudes fell in line, and we damn near nailed it on the second try.

Trust me, that’s no small feat.

By the end of the shoot, I had earned the respect of the entire crew and received a personal request from Ericka that I choreograph all her videos going forward.

It was a good day… with one exception.

I still haven’t spoken to Braden. Oh, he responded to my text, happy that I enjoyed it, but neither of us had time to expand further on the dialogue.

Besides, I’m not sure what to say.Who is she? Is it serious? Please don’t fall in love with someone else.

All seem like ridiculous demands when I’m the one who moved across the country.

“Tell me, what the hell changed in you yesterday?” Leo asks, grabbing a few shrimp from the buffet table. “Can I buy a bottle of it somewhere?”

“Actually, it was Braden.”

Leo nods, a knowing look crossing his face. “Is he in town?”

I shake my head and finger the comic tucked in my bag. “No, but he sent me this.”

Leo takes the comic and flips through it, chuckling as he reads the story.Mystory. “The Dance Dynamo, huh? This is fantastic. Where did he find it?”

“He made it.”

My friend looks like you could have knocked him over with a feather. “Braden made this? I knew he was an artist, but I didn’t know he was this kind of artist.”

I bristle at his words. “That right there is so annoying.”

His brow furrows. “What?”

“The surprise laced with condescension that Braden could be this talented. He’s the closest thing to perfect that I know.He’s beautiful, inside and out. Wickedly smart, funny, kind, generous?—”