Page 69 of Forbidden Dance
He belongs there. The role has become him again.
I want to switch back to his thread, feel some reassurance, see if he did call Dreamcatcher. We didn’t have class this week due to the holiday. But I know what the texts will say. That he misses me. That he wants to see me.
But it’s become clear that he wants it all. The show. The fame. The talented dancers. And me too, the quiet reminder of his private life. That piece of him that he is afraid to let go of.
The thing is, I want more for myself than he is going to be able to give. And just knowing him, sneaking around when he’s so popular again, with Blitz sightings all over, puts my privacy in danger. If I got caught with him, and my family overreacted, then I would lose my ability to see my daughter.
So instead of responding to anything, I pull the power cord from the phone and bury it in the drawer once more.
Chapter 24
After church on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Mindy immediately pulls me away from my family, saying we’re needed to organize the avalanche of holiday decorations Irma has pulled from storage. Her mother has packed a lunch for us to eat in the office, and I’m surprised to see how well she planned to get me away from home.
My parents, who have seen me cooped up in my room for an entire week, actually think it’s good for once for me to get out. So soon I’m left in the church sanctuary with Mindy and a dozen boxes of Christmas decor.
Irma pops in to say she has her weekly ladies’ lunch, but that Father Stephen will be in and out.
As soon as we’re alone and have enough garlands and white Chrismons around us to be respectable, Mindy pulls out her phone.
I hold up my hand. “I’m not sure I want to see anything,” I say. “Those clips you sent before were plenty.”
She sets it down. “But he got his show back.”
I open a new box and start untangling a string of lights. “During the contract meeting on Monday?” I ask.
“So he has been writing you!” She shoves at me. “Why haven’t you written me back?”
“I took the phone out one time to check on him. Once I saw the clips, I had to stop.”
Mindy frowns. “Well, the live finale is scheduled for December. He is choosing the winner during it.”
I shrug. I figured that would be the case. “He didn’t think he would propose,” I say. “Just be a dance partner.”
“So there’s still a chance for you two?”
I shake my head. “He’s in LA now. I am here. It’s done.”
Mindy sets her phone down. “Are you okay, Livia? This is tough stuff.”
“We didn’t get anywhere,” I tell her. When she looks crushed, I manage a smile. “I’ll never be able to find out if they sleep with him because of who he is or if he’s any good.”
Mindy opens a box and pulls out a plastic Baby Jesus. She holds him up and shakes him as if he is talking when she says, “Good thing, since I was watching the whole time!”
I pull out the Virgin Mary. “Go to sleep, Baby Jesus! It’s past your bedtime.”
We dissolve into laughter.
And just like that, we’re back to who we used to be. Two sheltered girls being silly, trying to make the best of our situation.
Blitz is in the past.
~*´`*~
I head up to the academy early on Tuesday so I can get in some ballet practice before Gabriella’s class. Danika said my assessment would be sometime this week. I’ve done stretches and strengthening at home, but now I need to be at the barre.
It’s a little surreal walking into Dreamcatcher, almost as if Blitz could be here somewhere. He became such a fixture in the weeks he was here. I can’t help myself, but instead of going directly to dance, I pass the empty studios and head into the storage room.
The ghostly racks and supply shelves are no different. I pick up the top hat he wore and place it on my head. I run my hand down the wall where he kissed me. This is hard. As hard as anything I’ve done other than letting go of Gabriella.
