Chapter 8
The Dance Studio’s Secret.
“Okay, that’s it!” I cheer as the dancers dance through the routine once more. “Bring it home, y’all! Dah-dah dah-dah-dahhh! Yesss!”
I clap my hands in excitement as they hit the last pose.
The choreography was coming together amazingly, and we were looking like a dance group that’d been together for years.
I was grateful to work with such amazing dancers and told them so every time we practiced together.
This tour was gonna be exceptional, if I do say so myself.
“Okay, everybody, let’s take a quick break,” I say as I turn off the music.
I smile at the room of dancers. “Everything is coming along so beautifully, and I just want to thank y’all for trusting me to lead.
It means more than I can find words to describe.
I know I may not have as many years in the industry as the rest of y’all, but I promise always to give y’all better than my best.”
“Aye, Raine, you gotta give yourself more credit than that,” one of the dancers, Justine, chuckles.
A few others nod. “You were picked because you’re talented as hell, and it shows in the way you guide us.
Anyone could see how much you love what you do, and I think I speak for us all when I say that we couldn’t have asked for a better leader. ”
A wave of applause ripples through the room, and I thank them softly as my cheeks warm. As I looked around at all of the smiling faces, I did my best to ignore the annoyed look on Trelyn’s face. She wasn’t about to ruin my good mood, and I wasn’t gonna let her think she had.
“Okay, y’all, let’s meet back in ten and then we can do one last run through of the fifth song before we go home,” I say, and they agree before dispersing.
As the room emptied, I felt my nerves slowly calm.
I busied myself with restocking the mini fridge with water as a chill ran down my spine.
Turning to look behind me, I was shocked to see Trelyn still in the room.
Well, I shouldn’t say shocked, because of course, she’d stay behind to try to rile me up.
Just don’t let her see you sweat, Raine.
“Yes?” I ask, turning back to finish the task at hand. “Can I help you?”
“It must feel nice to have a group of second-rate dancers to stroke your ego, huh?” She chuckles, and I sigh deeply before standing. I turn to face her, and she’s wearing a smug look on her face. “What? Did I say something wrong?”
“First of all, if anyone is a second-rate dancer, it’s you, not them,” I defend. “None of them cheated to get here, unlike you.”
“Well, I should say the same about you, right?” She questions, her head cocked to the side. “You didn’t audition for this role and were only given it because Dawn wants to go down on you. If it weren’t for that simple fact, you wouldn’t even be in this position.”
“Fuck you, Trelyn,” I scoff. “I got this job because she saw the potential and talent I possessed, and I refuse to let you stand there and gaslight me into thinking otherwise.” I roll my eyes, about to turn away, but I stop and look her in the eyes once more.
I smirk. “Oh yeah, and if the woman I’m dating wants to go down on me, she can.
Just know that the feeling is always mutual. ”
“Hm,” she shrugs. “I mean, it’s not like it’s much anyway, if I remember correctly.”
“Yet you kept coming back for more despite how you felt about me.”
“That says more about you as a person than it does me,” she smirked.
“Does it, though?” I ask. “I actually liked you back then. I didn’t sleep with you because I was desperate to have you, and you know it!
” I was fuming. “You played with my heart and in my face, so don’t stand there and try to make me out to be someone I wasn’t just to make yourself feel better! You know what, get out.”
“Excuse you?” She says, taken aback. “What do you mean get o-”
“You heard what the hell I said,” I cut her off. “I’ve been letting your slick comments go up until now, but I refuse to let it slide any longer. You are evil reincarnated, and I don’t want or need you on my team.”
“Tuh,” she scoffs. “You think you’re big and bad and have the authority to tell me where I can and can’t go?”
Before I can answer, the door opens, and both our heads turn just in time to see Dawn walk in with a woman about her height and complexion. The closer they got, the more I realized how much they looked alike. Maybe she was a cousin? She told me she had one she was really close with.
Dawn’s smile brightened as she stopped in front of me, and I was pulled into her embrace as she wrapped her arms around my waist. I felt myself relax as I accepted the warmth of being in her arms. Every time we hugged, I always felt comforted and at peace.
She was like melatonin after a stressful day, and I longed for the day when she’d show me the other ways she could put me to sleep.
Raine, be so for real right now…
“Hey, gorgeous,” she finally greets me. “How’s practice going?”
“Really good,” I nod with a smile. “Everyone is so damn talented, and we’ve mastered almost the whole set. Just two more dances to perfect and we’re tour-ready.”
“Oh, bet,” she nods before glancing over at Trelyn. “I hope this one isn’t giving you too much of a hard time.”
“Now, you know I’d never do that,” she giggles, and I roll my eyes. I catch the other woman looking at me with a smirk as she munches on a bag of chips. Trelyn turns to me. “I’m one of your star pupils, aren’t I, bestie?”
I don’t reply as I stare at her with an unamused expression. She knew damn well that I didn’t fuck with her like that, but I was not in the mood to get into it again. So, I put on the best smile I could and faced her fully.
“Oh, yeah, you’re doing great! Just a bit more practice and you’ll be able to hit that 8-count you keep messing up on,” I reply innocently, and her mouth falls open. The woman with Dawn snickers as Dawn looks between the two of us.
I still hadn’t told her exactly what kind of history Trelyn and I shared because it’s so damn embarrassing, but I wasn’t about to let her stand here and think that I’d play along with her fakeness. We were not about to repeat history. I refused.
“Anyway,” she replies, a smile back on her face as she glances at Dawn again. “I'd better go enjoy my break while I can. You wanna join me for coffee, Dawnie? My treat.”
“Uh, nah, you go ahead,” she says. “I’m doing a caffeine detox at the moment. I’ll catch you later, though.”
Trelyn looks between us for a few seconds before huffing and making her way out of the room.
Once she was gone, I felt as if I could breathe again.
Having to be around her against my wishes was not something I’d ever get used to.
As excited as I was about going on tour with Dawn, I couldn’t help but wish that it would be over quickly so that I wouldn’t have to see her anymore.
“Finally,” the other woman says before plopping down on a nearby bench. “Dawn, I know she’s your friend and all, but that woman is annoying. Every time she talks, it’s like nails on chalkboards.”
“Dawg, chill out,” Dawn laughs, taking a seat beside her. She reaches out to pull me onto her lap, nuzzling her nose against my neck. She inhales, and I squirm against her. Every time she did this, I was instantly turned on. “You smell good, love.”
“I don’t see how,” I roll my eyes playfully. “I’ve been going hard for the last few hours with these dances. I feel sticky and can’t wait until I get to take a shower.”
“Am I invited?” She flirts, and I smirk, cupping her cheek in my hand. I leaned closer, placing a soft kiss on her lips. “Mmm, I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Damn, at least introduce us first before forcing me to watch y’all get freaky,” the other woman jokes, and we break apart.
“You’re so annoying,” Dawn laughs. “Baby, this is my big-headed cousin, Yariah, but we all call her Yari. She’s a pro-women’s football player.” Yari pops her collar, and I giggle. “And Yari, this is Raine. My girlfriend.”
“Oh, really now?” I tease, and she nods, a gorgeous smile on her face. “Funny. I don’t remember you asking me.”
She opens her mouth to speak, but before she can get a word out, the room begins to fill with dancers again.
I quickly climb off her lap and put some distance between us.
She pulls out her phone and shows Yari something, who looks confused.
I watch as they whisper and she nods, understandably.
I guess that she told her what kind of arrangement we had.
No, Dawn and I weren’t hiding our relationship…
situationship? Whatever it was, we weren’t hiding it per se.
We were just being cautious when we were around other people.
Why? Well, it was no secret that her aunt had a thing about dating people she worked with.
Everyone knew that she didn’t want Dawn to get caught up and possibly ruin her career, so she always kept a close eye on the pretty woman with whom Dawn worked.
Yes, Dawn was an adult and didn’t have to answer to anyone, but I wasn’t trying to get on anyone’s bad side, especially because this was my first job in this industry.
So, if I had to pretend like she and I were just friendly co-workers in public and kiss her in the comfort of one of our homes, then that’s just how it was going to be for the time being.
Besides, there was no label on what we were anyway, so what did it matter, right?
“Oh, shit! Hey, Dawn!” a few of the dancers greeted as they made their way over to where she was. “What are you doing here?”
“I just came to see how everything was coming along,” she smiled. “I was also wondering if I could stick around to see one of the dances. Y’all mind?”
“No! Not at all!” was the standard answer among the group of dancers. Dawn looked over at me, head tilted.
“What do you say, lead dancer?” she asks. “Mind if my cousin and I sit in for a bit?”