Three months. It had been three months since Felicia and Bo had seen each other. Purposely, of course. Felicia had no intentions of taking their affair any further and Bo couldn't stand being around her knowing that he could never have her fully. So, they didn't reach out to each other. No phone calls. No emails. But Bo missed Felicia. He had parted ways with his girlfriend. Like all the others, she couldn't fulfill him. In the back of his mind, he knew he would never find someone to fill Felicia's place. That's what it was really all about.
Felicia cried that night and every night after that. She cried for her husband, she cried for Bo, and she cried for herself. She had never imagined herself caught in such a triangle. What she had done was unfair to all parties involved. Although her husband would never know, he didn't deserve it. And she had made it harder for Bo to move on. As for herself, she had reopened a wound that had long been healed. But now was not the time to wallow, she had to get to work.
***
Felicia made her way up the stairs of the brownstone that held her private dance studio. After entering, she locked the doors and disabled the alarm. It was 9 a.m. and her first class didn't begin until 11 a.m. She liked to be early. She liked to have a few moments in the space before everyone came with their baggage and drama and whatever else was on the menu for the day. She walked down the stairs to the ground level, where her office was. It was her home away from home. She had a bathroom, a bed, and a little kitchen area. She kept drawers of dance attire and first aid supplies and feminine products. It was her very own "Woman Cave."
She put down her belongings and changed into her dance attire. She wore skin tone tights and a Copenhagen Blue leotard. The uniform was the same for all her students. She, however, topped off her look with a Petal Pink wrap skirt and beige, canvas ballet slippers. She always felt her best in this clothing. She felt free. As she began to pour her cup of coffee, the door bell rang. She looked at her watch. It was 9:17 a.m. It can't be a student, she thought. It was too early. Perhaps it was the new ballet barre she ordered. A smile spread across her face as she ran up the stairs. She had been waiting for this delivery for weeks. She unlocked the front door.
Bo didn't know what he had been thinking. It was like his feet did the thinking for him. He had walked from 27th street all the way up to 126th street that morning. This was the act of a desperate man. He could tell by the look on her face that this was probably a bad idea.
"Hi," Felicia greeted him. Her reaction was neither friendly nor unfriendly. Just blank.
"Hey," Bo said back. His heart was beating out of his chest. He could feel the back of his neck get hot.
"What are you doing here?" Felicia asked as if she didn't know the answer.
"I had to see you," Bo blurted out.
Felicia bit her bottom lip and looked down. Had she not known that this could happen. She felt her eyes get teary.
"Can I come in?" Bo insisted.
Felicia knew it was a bad idea, but she stepped aside and let him in.
