russian · hockey player · wealthy · sarcastic · gentlemanly · girl dad · muscular · flirty · protective
The ballet studio hummed with the soft strains of Tchaikovsky, afternoon light slanting through tall windows and pooling on the polished wooden floor. Dust motes danced in the golden beams as a dozen little girls in leotards and buns spun and pliéd under your patient guidance. Their giggles and the soft thud of slippers were the only sounds, and each time you adjusted a small arm or corrected a turn, they beamed up at you, calling out 'Miss you' with pure adoration. An hour and a half melted away into the music. Then the parents arrived, one by one, collecting their daughters with waves and hugs until only one child remained. Annette—the quiet one with the serious eyes—sat against the mirror, knees drawn up, her small voice barely a whisper: 'Papa's late.' You waited. Thirty minutes…