25. Topher
Stubborn women and temperamental men were my weakness. I could never go there with Harlowe Lopez because I couldn’t keep her. I needed to go check in with the three I wanted to keep, but couldn’t.
They hated me now. They thought all of this was my fault, but I didn’t make them do anything. I didn’t even seek them out, something they liked to forget. Everything that happened to them wasn’t my fault. In fact, none of it was.
But this could all be over soon if everyone could get their heads out their arses and we could convince one beautifully stubborn woman to just do what she was good at.
They didn’t notice when I entered their dorm room. They never did. They’d know when I wanted them to know. Azriel was agitated about something. He usually was, but it was generally safer when it was him instead of Misha.
They were going to be pissed when I made myself known. They always were. Best to figure out what else they were pissed at before I walked into it because it was always something.
“Tell me about Leif,” Azriel demanded. “What does he want with Harlowe?”
Azriel was stupid possessive. He was like that about me once, but it all went arse up like it always did.
After Misha, I decided not to get attached to them anymore.
Then I met Harlowe. I was also interested in what Leif wanted with Harlowe.
I was pretty sure I knew since I knew all the students, but I wanted to hear Misha say it.
“Leif wants to be a choreographer, even though he’s an amazing dancer. Every ballerina wants to dance Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, but there’s no dual role like that for men. Matthew Bourne has already done Swan Lake with all male swans, so Leif can’t do that.
“Jekyll and Hyde is already a ballet, but it uses two dancers for the main role and it’s presented as a fever dream of the author. It also uses classics as the score. Leif wants to do it with one dancer playing both parts with original music for his thesis.
“He’s already asked me to dance the lead, and I was super excited to accept, but he hasn’t found anyone to write the score.
He won’t ask Orion and won’t let me ask him because he’s terrified of you two and he thinks you’re too famous to say yes.
He saw Harlowe’s video first and wanted to find her to see if she would compose the score.
Then, she walked through the front door a few days later.
He’s been showing the video to people who think she cheated or did something gross to get in. He’s helping, so be nice to him.”
That wasn’t anything I didn’t know. Leif was a good guy with a ton of talent.
He didn’t deserve Azriel getting feral all over him.
Especially since, as far as I knew, he’d never even spoken to Harlowe, and she was resistant to working with them.
Misha was just about the only one who could call the rabid dogs off, so Leif should be safe.
“And that girl, Arabelle?”
Who? I knew everyone here. There was no one named Arabelle. Of course, Azriel called people by the wrong name all the time, usually to their face, because he cared about his people and that was it. I wasn’t the only person who was confused because Orion and Misha both asked.
“Arabelle, you know? The one who can’t tune her violin.”
“Isobel? You know her name is Isobel because I complain about her all the time. You’ve only been hearing Klaus’s tantrums because of her since we started rehearsing together, but I’ve been dealing with it all semester.
The only reason she’s here is because her daddy’s loaded and the only reason she’s in orchestra is that there weren’t a lot of violin players who auditioned.
When one left, Klaus didn’t have a choice.
Why? And what does that have to do with Leif? Because you generally have a point.”
Azriel did, and he usually got there, eventually. He’d just never explain it or whatever wild plot he was about to unleash until he had all the facts. Azriel was wild and chaotic, but he was also very calculating.
“I think I know some of it,” Misha said.
“Leif is sexy, hilarious, and talented. He’s generally a good guy all around.
He’s also asexual and aromantic. I think he’s more excited about getting to eat a giant bowl of cheesy Alfredo with garlic bread at the end of the season than he is about dating.
Most of the dancers get that. They just want to be his friend and dance in his ballets. ”
Now that I knew we were dealing with Isobel, I got why Azriel asked about her after Leif, but still not why he was asking in general. Leif had let Isobel down gently at first and then basically explained there was zero chance of him ever being with her like that a little more firmly.
Leif was going to be famous whether he signed a contract or not. He’d been marketing himself since undergrad. He had dozens of videos of his choreography across multiple social media channels. He was already getting freelance work and honestly didn’t need this place.
He had dancers lining up to dance for him and plenty of musicians willing to play. Being in one of his videos got you in front of important people. I wasn’t lying when I told Harlowe that making it was part talent, part marketing, but it was also luck and the right person seeing you.
Isobel had never been invited to collaborate with him. She not only thought she should be, she was convinced he was going to take her with him when he got famous and they would be the next Immortal Nightmare. It was completely delusional.
“That Arabelle girl is obsessed with him, but she thinks Harlowe is going to steal her spot in orchestra and a guy who isn’t into her. She’s planning some sabotage,” Azriel said.
I had to contain my growl because I didn’t want them to know I was here just yet.
I was still watching. These guys were in it deep.
I didn’t question my orders, but all three of these men had some serious trust issues after their relationship with me.
They didn’t fall easily. I was shocked they even got together, but glad anyway.
They didn’t get protective over anyone but Misha until she showed up.
It had to mean something that I was being told to push them together.
“Harlowe is going to take her spot if she wants it,” Orion said.
“I’ve never heard her play live, but she’s better than her just based on the recording.
I was watching her when Klaus singled her out.
She knew exactly who was out of tune, so she probably has perfect pitch.
It’s not a matter of stealing it. It’s who has more talent, and that’s Harlowe.
Isobel also doesn’t write, so she doesn’t have a chance of going anywhere with Leif. ”
“What does she have planned?” Misha growled.
Oh, great. Misha was getting riled up now too, and that was never a good thing.
“She hasn’t formalized anything, but basically everything from drugging her before rehearsal so she looks bad to Klaus and destroying her violin.”
I knew a little more about that violin than the rest of them did and I absolutely wasn’t going to let that happen. I stepped out of the shadows. They were eating, so Azriel told me to fuck off and threw his fork at me like a knife. I just bat it away.
“How long have you been creeping?” Orion demanded.
“Long enough to know we need a plan.”
“We don’t need to do anything. Not with you.”
“Look, I was mostly just coming over to tell you I tried to guide her towards a collaboration with you. She’s very stubborn.”
“I didn’t get that at all. She’s nice,” Misha said.
Yeah, she was multi layered. I had a feeling she was very nice to Misha. I gave her my best lines, and she looked me dead in the eye and told me she’d never fuck me. Honestly, it was a huge turn on.
“No, she’s stubborn,” Orion said. “She wants to do this herself. She doesn’t want anyone to be able to say she made it and didn’t deserve it. She was hesitant about the scholarship and even being here. Which means we owe Leif a thanks for showing people that video.”
Azriel started laughing, and I knew that laugh. He was up to something.
“I know how we can thank Leif and get Harlowe to perform with us. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I really want to work with her.
I also think it would be amazing to design sets for a Jekyll and Hyde ballet.
We know he wants Harlowe and Misha. What if we gave him Harlowe and Immortal Nightmare? ”
“I actually think it would be neat to write that score with her,” Orion admitted.
If they all came together to do that ballet, it was going to be a sight. It could work, but there was just one small problem.
“What about Isobel?”
“You leave her to me,” Azriel purred.
“And me,” Orion said. “We mess with people all the time, but you don’t mess with instruments and food. That’s sacred.”
I wasn’t going to say it because they didn’t want me to, but I’d be handling her too.