Page 97 of Tell Me Everything
“The show was beautiful, wasn't it?”
“Yes, it was breathtaking.”
His Russian accent was barely perceptible.
“I was disappointed not to see you on stage tonight. I looked forward to your performance.”
That wasn't possible. My name had been removed from the program after my accident. I turned back to Marya. She, too, was surprised by this revelation.
“Let's have a drink,” Dimitri suggested.
We followed him to the bar. Marya and Dimitri were having wine. As I was underage, I stuck to a flat white. Dimitri kept his focus on me.
“You've had a very interesting dance career despite your young age. You've skipped a class and won a lot of competitions. We've been following your progress for a few years now. What do you plan to do next?”
“I'm going to continue dancing. My doctor told me that I can resume my sporting activities full-time.”
I plastered a smile that I wanted serene on my face—quite the opposite of the shock his words had given me. Marya congratulated me and raised her glass in my honour. Dimitri played with the rim of his wine glass. His gaze was inscrutable.
“Several months off are not very promising in a dancing career. Do you think you can catch up?”
He was testing me.Just you wait. I was a good dancer. No, I was a great dancer, and nothing could hold me back this time. I was ready to take my life back. I looked up at him and held hisgaze.
“I have no doubts.”
Dimitri nodded and turned back to my teacher.
“I'm curious. All right, Marya, what do you think?”
“Elena is my best student; she always has been. She'll amaze you. I just know it.”
I stared at Marya, mouth agape. They weren't saying what I thought they were saying, were they? Dimitri smiled at me at last and raised his glass in my direction.
“I'll be watching your performance at the Vaganova Academy entrance exam. Dazzle me.”
Vaganova, the academy of my dreams.
“Pinch me. I think I'm dreaming.”
Marya pinched me, but nothing changed. Dimitri was still there.
“You'll still have to retake your final year at the conservatory,” Dimitri added, taking a sip of wine, “but I have faith in you.”
***
I held my bouquet of flowers to my chest as I watched the sun set over the horizon. The light bathed the basketball court in a soft, orangey glow. I still felt like I was dreaming; everything felt so surreal. Life was smiling at me at last.
Footsteps caught my attention. Alex was standing a few steps away from me. The sunlight made him seem to glow from within, like an angel. Maybe he'd been right all along and was an angel placed on my path. I stood up and handed him the bouquet. Alex took the roses with a smile.
“You really like giving me flowers, don't you?”
“They were given to me at the dance show,” I confessed.
My nervousness fuelled his.
“Then why are you giving them to me?”
“I don't deserve them, but you do.”
