Lessons in Sin: A Student/Teacher Romance (Forbidden Love)

Chapter 25

Sweat drips from my temples as I spin, my face frozen into a face of heartbreak, channelling the emotions from two days prior.

A tremble threatens to break my pose and send my perfect routine sprawling but I push it away, dancing through the pain.

And then death is dragging me to the ground, ribbons of blood sprawling around me.

My breath is loud in my ears for a second, and then it’s gone, the hoots and cries and claps of the audience drowning it out.

The curtain falls and that’s when I unfold, gulping down breaths. Andre runs over to help me up, his eyes shining in pride.

That in itself almost buckles me.

It may not be a parent’s love but it sure as hell is close.

‘Scarlett, you did fantastically.’ He clasps my hand in his but then I’m lifted into the air, scooped up by my brute of a boyfriend.

He kisses my lips, licking away the droplets of sweat that linger. ‘You were breath taking.’

‘You think.’ I giggle.

Andre rolls his eyes from beside us, but I can see that he’s happy for me - and anyway if I have to deal with him tiptoeing around his crush on Noah, he can sure as hell deal with this.

As if the devil heard my thoughts, Noah and Lily walk around the corner, the latter holding a bouquet of roses while Ruby skips behind them heading straight towards me.

‘You were amazing!’ They all shout in unison, Noah and Lily handing me the flowers. Tristan puts me down so I can hug my friends but pulls me under his arm the minute I part from them.

‘Let’s just hope that Katherine Myers thinks so.’

Katherine Myers, the biggest ballet scouter in the industry was here tonight and hopefully, I’ll be on his radar for when he has spaces in his dance school.

‘Well, I can assure you I agree with all your friends.’ A light feminine laugh sounds from behind me.

A woman in her fifties stands gracefully behind me, her lips tilted in a smile.

‘May we speak?’ She says, looking pointedly at my crowd of friends.

I nod following her a few feet away.

‘Your performance was effortless. Every move performed perfectly; I cannot fault the technique but there are many dancers who can do the same.’ My heart sinks, waiting for the maybe someday speech.

But it never comes.

‘Something many dancers fail to execute is the emotion, the passion, the hungry need. Tonight, everyone in that theatre was either shocked into silence or sitting with tears running down their face and a dancer who can do that? They’re the sort of dancers I need.’

Tears start to fall.

Katherine continues, a smile on her face. ‘We have a spot for next year at Umbria School of Dance and we would love to invite you to attend - it’s a full scholarship - board included.’

I go to speak but she raises her hand. ’Take time to think about it. I’ll send you all the details in an email.’ She dusts off invisible lint and nods to me. ‘It was great meeting you.’

And then she walks away leaving me speechless.

Tristan hovers behind me, a hand on my shoulder. ‘What’s the verdict?’

I turn and jump into his arms, laughing, knowing he’ll catch me.

‘Guess you won’t be my professor for much longer.’ I grin, nipping his ear.

‘I’ll always be a PILF to you.’ He whispers before his lips crash down onto mine, sealing our forever like a brand burning through me.

My professor, my love, my future.

It’s all for the taking now.

The End