The Dance We Remember (Love and Other Dreams #4)

Chapter 13

Aurora

Next to Sky on the bench in the dressing room, I examine the heel protectors of my dance shoes. Then I slip on the high heels. The straps immediately rub against my blisters. I suppress the hiss rising within me.

"Here, try this." Sky hands me a thin piece that I've never seen before.

I turn it in my hands. "What is this?"

"My secret tip," she answers with a wink, demonstrating how to peel off the foil so I can stick the piece onto the blister.

It's so thin that my shoes still fit perfectly. I take a few steps. "Wow."

Sky smiles satisfactorily. "Now nothing can go wrong during the class."

If she only knew...

I focus on the bustle in the dressing room, but memories keep flickering in my mind.

How my legs almost gave way when Maxime suddenly appeared in the park.

His lips on mine.

His hand on my heart.

His gaze that captured me with its passion.

The unity we achieved when we kissed.

And his revelation, which felt like an icy downpour.

My shoulders droop, and my head feels heavy.

Is he right? Is it really the right thing to pretend as if nothing happened? To never find out where our feelings could lead?

No. We can't give up so quickly. We should find a way to have both—the dance and the chance to explore what's between us. There must be a solution, we just need to...

"Aurora?" Sky shakes my upper arm. "Only two minutes left, we should hurry."

"Sure." My voice sounds hoarse.

We head to the dance studio. Along the way, Sky chatters cheerfully, but I'm not really listening. Because a resolution for this training is slowly forming in my mind. Until I find a solution, I will act neutral when Maxime and I meet. I will look him in the eyes like any other person. And if we have to touch, I will stay focused.

I can do this, I'm sure. Yet my heart skips a beat when Sky opens the door to the dance studio, and I spot Maxime, who is focused on the music system.

In his black training outfit, he looks absolutely delicious. The tight shirt leaves no doubt about what lies beneath the fabric. Heat rises within me even though he hasn't even glanced at me.

Together with Sky, I enter the studio. Three other couples, along with Sky's dance partner, Liam, are already there. He greets my friend, leaving me alone. Enzo not being accepted has put me in a difficult situation. I earnestly hope I'll get a fixed dance partner soon.

The others start warming up, so I do the same. I loosen my legs and arms, stretch my sides, and perform some dance steps to get ready. I focus entirely on the movements, and despite the distraction of Maxime's presence, it goes quite well.

Just as I'm about to start a quick turn, he claps his hands. "Welcome to the training. This semester, we'll be working on the Latin dances together." He smiles so brightly that I can't help but smile back. He doesn't even glance my way as he looks at the others in turn. "We'll start with the rumba," he continues with a firm voice. "Show me your basic steps." With those words, he confidently heads toward the music system.

Cuban rhythms fill the room. The couples around me take their dance positions. Rumba is the hottest of all Latin dances. A flirt on the dance floor. Dancing it alone feels strange, but I let myself be carried away by the music and take the first steps.

In the corner of my eye, I see Maxime observing the others. "Maintain your posture, Sky," he says attentively, then he turns around. "Show me your passion for the dance, Thomas."

I give it my all, but it's difficult without a dance partner.

"Beautiful, Anabelle," Maxime calls out. "Activate your core muscles better, and then it'll be perfect."

After what feels like an eternity, the music stops. Gasping for breath, I lean on my knees, trying not to let my disappointment show. I gave it my all, yet Maxime ignored me the entire time. I glance forward, where he's currently explaining how body tension affects posture.

"Now, I want to see each of you individually. Thomas and Nadine, you go first," he says afterward. "The others will observe and learn."

I walk over to the mirrored wall, giving them enough space for their rumba. The first notes of the music sound again. The task is to analyze the two of them, but I can't bring myself to look at them. Because I know everyone else is doing that.

There are only a few seconds when I have the opportunity to sneak a glance at Maxime. I lift my lids, our gazes meet, and immediately, it feels like the dance studio is on fire. No matter how invisible I felt before, that's over now. He shakes his head with a stern expression, and I bite my lip.

Suddenly, it's quiet.

What happened?

Maxime flinches, and I inhale sharply.

Hesitant applause follows. I hurriedly focus on the dance couple, who hint at a bow in the center of the studio.

"Very good," Maxime says absentmindedly as the applause subsides.

Sky nudges me from the side. "Very good?" she whispers. "Did he even look? Did he see anything?"

Um... I awkwardly shrug, not daring to breathe.

"And what about our analysis? He doesn't want to hear that now?" Sky shakes her head. "They were offbeat most of the time. I don't know, it's weird that he didn't notice, right?"

"Yeah, definitely. Weird," I manage to say, relieved that the music starts again. It's so loud that we can't talk.

Slowly, I release the pent-up air from my lungs and keep my gaze fixed on Anabelle and Leon.

All the couples dance their version of the rumba one by one, and Maxime even has some suggestions for improvement for the other students. Gradually, I learn how this can work until I come up with something better.

No eye contact.

Full focus on the dance.

In my mind, I perform the steps with the couples until everyone has shown their skills.

"Alright, that leaves Aurora. Who will dance with her as a substitute today?" he asks, looking around the room with a challenging gaze. There's a strangely controlled undertone in his voice.

I press the nail of my little finger into the tip of my thumb and look at the potential dance partners. Thomas would be my preference; he would match me well in terms of proportions and is an excellent dancer.

"You should dance with her," Sky says. Is she crazy? "You two seem like a great match, from what I've heard," she adds with a meaningful tone.

Of course, news about our dance during the audition has spread, not only among the beginners. After all, couple number forty-four was already waiting in the hall and saw us. But why does Sky have to bring it up now... We are friends!

I give her a warning glare and nudge her. She shrugs as if she’s not aware of any wrongdoing. She probably even thinks she did me a favor with her suggestion. I can't oppose that without making it too obvious. My breath catches for a moment.

Now, it all depends on Maxime.

How will he react?

He raises his hands defensively. "Out of the question," he says without further explanation. Then he looks around again. "Don't be shy, gentlemen."

No one volunteers. On the contrary, I see women pulling their dance partners closer to them. Only Sky keeps nudging Liam, but he pretends not to notice.

An uneasy silence fills the room. Tension grips my body.

What now?

Maxime raises an eyebrow. "If no one volunteers, I'll appoint someone."

A very good idea. I nod gratefully to him when our eyes meet.

Too long. Way too long.

Oh God... the next few months will be hell.

Then he clears his throat. "Liam, you'll dance with Aurora."

Okay. That's good. I think.

On shaky legs, I step forward. In the center of the dance studio, I meet Liam, who seems less than enthusiastic but at least offers me his hand with gallantry. My eyes instinctively want to search for Maxime, but I hold back just in time.

The music starts. I focus on Liam's narrow face and try to establish a connection with him.

From up close, I notice how Liam subtly counts the beats. We take the first steps, and he leads me across the floor, but our movements don't harmonize particularly well. His steps are a few inches longer than what I'm used to with Enzo. I struggle to find my balance at times, but at least I don't stumble. Still, I'm relieved when the music ends, and we assume the final position.

"Aurora, you need to control your shoulders better. And the turns were sloppy," Maxime's voice sounds unusually thin.

I look only at his chest to avoid any danger and nod vigorously. "Got it," I mumble quickly, making sure to position myself as far back on the dance floor as possible, keeping as much distance between Maxime and me as I can.

Sky catches my gaze from a distance and furrows her brow. She must be wondering why I didn't go back to her. Hopefully, she won't jump to any wrong conclusions.

"That's it for today." Maxime paces back and forth with his hands in his pockets. He seems nervous, or am I just imagining it? "I've seen what I need to put together for your individual training plans for the rumba."

The couples applaud lightly before making their way to the exit. I drape my towel around my neck and catch up with Sky.

"Sorry that Maxime stole Liam from you," I apologize, looking at her apologetically.

She waves it off. "No worries. But why—"

"Aurora." Maxime's voice interrupts our conversation. Thank goodness. Who knows what she was going to ask.

I signal to Sky not to wait for me, then turn around. "Yes?" Did I sound innocent enough? Or can everyone hear my heart pounding?

"Can you come here again, please?"

This is not a good idea. With a warning look, I slowly approach him, stopping several yards away and crossing my arms over my chest to keep them from betraying me.

"Is something wrong?" I ask loudly enough for the others to hear.

He looks toward the exit, where the last students are leaving the room, chatting lively. The door remains slightly ajar, and we listen to the fading footsteps in the corridor.

Now we're alone, and he continues to avoid any eye contact. "Madame Durand wants to speak to us." He walks to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the dance studio, hands in his pockets.

The headmistress? Oh no.

I tug at the seam of my towel. "Why?"

"No idea." He glances at the door. "She should be here any minute."

Oh God, what if someone saw us yesterday? "She knows, right?" I ask frantically.

He shrugs.

I feel dizzy. With an unpleasant feeling in my stomach, I lean against the wall. "Okay," I mumble, and no sooner do the energetic clacks of high heels echo in the hallway.