29. July 2024
29
July 2024
T he days spent in the studio with Harrison following the disastrous dinner were some of the most uncomfortable of Willow’s life. But she tried not to let the lack of eye contact and absence of words distract her from what she was there to do—dance. To the contrary, she uncovered a fresh enthusiasm for it. Dance really was the ultimate escape from all of life’s problems. It could get her through anything.
‘You have a weird energy about you this week,’ Lili told Willow on Thursday after a studio session.
‘I do?’ She decided not to tell Lili about the Harrison incident for two reasons. The first was that she didn’t want their working relationship impacted. Second, she didn’t ever want Lili to think that her upcoming role in Giselle was given for any reason other than she absolutely deserved it. That kind of disappointment was all too familiar. Besides, it was likely something he’d said in the heat of the moment. Willow had to trust he would do the right thing.
‘It’s a strong energy,’ Lili continued, ‘maybe even masculine—and I’m here for it.’
Willow laughed as she towelled off. ‘Masculine? Okay, I’ll take that.’
‘I’m taking it as a sign that you’re over a certain mafioso,’ Lili added.
Willow dropped her towel onto her bag, saying nothing. As promised, Vaughn had called the day after her dinner with Harrison. It was a brief call with no plans to see each other again, and yet she felt… hopeful. How was she supposed to move on from loyalty like that? If anything, she was in deeper than ever.
The studio door opened, and Harrison walked in, eyes fixed on Lili. ‘I’ve got good news and bad news.’
Lili turned to him. ‘Okay. Let’s start with the bad.’
Willow busied herself with her bag. Fleeing would be a dead giveaway that something was wrong between her and Harrison.
‘Matilda has come down with some sort of stomach bug,’ Harrison said. ‘I noticed her struggling earlier and sent her home. The last thing we want is illness tearing through the place.’
‘Poor thing,’ Lili said, resting a hand on the barre. ‘What’s the good news?’
Harrison clapped his hands together. ‘The good news is you’re going to replace her closing weekend.’
The drink bottle Willow was holding slipped from her fingers, bouncing hard on the ground and drawing the attention of the other dancers around the room. ‘Sorry,’ she said quietly.
She had replaced Matilda opening weekend. She knew that solo backwards and had performed it to the highest standard.
Lili appeared genuinely confused. ‘You want me to do it?’
‘Yes,’ Harrison said. ‘It’ll be good preparation for you.’
Lili was rarely speechless, but she stood with her mouth open and no words coming out.
‘What’s the matter?’ Harrison asked, crossing his arms.
‘She’s clearly in shock,’ Willow said, getting to her feet. ‘It’s an amazing opportunity, and she’ll absolutely smash it. Won’t you, Lil?’
Lili looked between them. ‘I…’
‘I’d like to do a run through first thing in the morning,’ Harrison told her. ‘Try to be here by eight.’
Lili drew a long breath. ‘I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but why isn’t Willow replacing Matilda? She’s done the solo before and did an amazing job.’
Curious as to what explanation he would give, Willow waited for his answer.
He was visibly annoyed at being questioned. ‘I don’t appreciate you second-guessing my creative decisions. If you don’t want the role, then I’ll give it to someone else.’
‘Like Willow?’ Lili asked casually.
Harrison’s nostrils flared as he attempted to rein in his temper. Then, without saying another word, he walked away.
Lili stared after him. ‘Have I missed something?’
It seemed Willow was going to have to share some dinner details after all. But first, she needed to talk to Harrison. ‘I need to speak with him. I’ll be back in a minute.’
She jogged after him, catching him in the hallway. ‘Harrison, wait.’
He stopped and turned to her with a tired look. ‘What is it?’
The audacity . Willow normally avoided confrontation like carbs, but she refused to let him get away with any more bad behaviour.
Bringing herself to her full height, which was still a head shorter than him, she asked, ‘What are you doing?’
‘My job.’
‘Really? Because it feels a lot like you’re punishing me for what happened on the weekend.’
He rubbed his forehead. ‘It’s not always about you, Willow. Can’t you just be happy for your friend?’
‘Of course I can. You know I’m Lili’s biggest cheerleader.’
His hand fell to his side, and he brought his face closer to hers. ‘So cheer .’
He was unbelievable. ‘I’d never take anything away from Lili, but I was the most logical choice for that solo and you know it.’
Harrison looked up at the ceiling. ‘Willow?—’
‘I did nothing wrong, and you’re punishing me. I was prepared to let the entire thing blow over. What I’m not prepared to do is let you play these games with my career.’ She lowered her voice. ‘With my life .’
A throat cleared behind Willow. She looked back and saw Lili standing by the door. It was clear from the expression on her face that she’d heard some of the exchange.
‘Everything all right here?’ Lili asked.
‘Yes, fine,’ Harrison replied. ‘We were just discussing casting.’
‘And you realised in hindsight that Willow would be a better choice?’ Lili replied, giving him an out.
He brought his hands to his hips, his cheeks flushed. ‘She did do a great job opening weekend.’
Lili smiled and crossed her arms. ‘I agree wholeheartedly.’
Harrison’s guilty eyes returned to Willow. ‘I’ll see you here at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. Don’t be late.’
She nodded. ‘I’ll be here.’
He turned and walked off down the hallway towards his office. Only once his door closed did Lili walk over to join Willow.
‘Um, would you like to get some dinner with me and perhaps explain what the hell is going on between the two of you?’ Lili asked.
‘Sure.’ Willow released a sigh she’d been holding in. ‘Anything but Turkish.’
They ate at a pub in the heart of South Melbourne. It was reasonably busy for a Thursday, with groups gathered around tall tables by the bar and couples cozied up in the corners. Old photographs decorated one wall, and a fire burned on the other side. It was a casual venue, which was exactly what they needed after a hard day in the studio. They sat picking through their salads and casting envious glances at the people seated at the next table eating chicken parmigiana as wide as the plates they were perched on. The intoxicating smell of thick-cut chips had taken over the air.
‘I’m coming and ordering that exact meal on Monday,’ Lili said between mouthfuls of lettuce.
‘With a giant glass of red to wash it down,’ Willow added.
‘Two glasses, at least.’ Lili set her fork down and looked at Willow. ‘Harrison’s a real prick for putting you in that position. He brought you here to Melbourne like a pet he couldn’t leave behind.’ She took a drink of water before continuing. ‘Hate to admit it, but Vaughn was right about him. I sensed some jealousy, but now I see it was a lot more than that.’
The corners of Willow’s mouth lifted. ‘Vaughn has good instincts about people. I know this because he really likes you —despite the hard time you give him.’
‘I wouldn’t be doing my job if I just accepted every thug you brought home, would I?’
Willow laughed, drawing the attention of a man drinking alone at the bar. He looked familiar. ‘I swear that guy was at the Star when we left.’
Lili glanced discreetly over her shoulder. ‘Oh yeah. I saw him talking to one of the contractors this morning. He must work for DeLuca.’ She leaned in. ‘Did you see the new stage going in today?’
‘I didn’t, but I heard others talking about it.’
Lili picked up her glass. ‘And we get to dance on it tomorrow.’
‘It’s going to be amazing for Giselle .’
‘Yes! We’ll get to use the trapdoor.’ Lili’s expression fell a little. ‘Hopefully he’s still considering me for the role of Myrtha after all the weirdness today.’
Willow had told Lili everything except for the comment Harrison had made about why he was considering her for the role. ‘His tantrum is with me, not you. Plus, he’ll be well and truly over it by the time casting comes around.’ She plucked a piece of tomato off her plate and ate it. ‘You were born to play Myrtha, and you’ll be the talk of the city once the audience sees you.’
Lili forced down another mouthful of lettuce. ‘I’m going to struggle to show Harrison the same level of respect now, knowing what I know.’
That was exactly what Willow had been trying to avoid. ‘My issues with Harrison are exactly that— my issues.’
A text message pinged on Lili’s phone. She read it, smiled, then set the phone facedown on the table again.
‘I know that message wasn’t from your mum,’ Willow said, leaning forwards. ‘Pilot Guy?’
Lili fluttered her lashes playfully. ‘Pilot Guy.’
Her joy was contagious. ‘Two dates and you’re smitten.’
‘Two good dates.’
Willow reached across the table and took Lili’s hand. ‘I’m happy for you. You deserve good dates.’
Lili’s expression softened. ‘Stop.’ Then she picked up her phone again. ‘I might just quickly reply.’ She tried to keep her tone casual. ‘He was going to swing past my apartment, but I’ll just tell him I’m?—’
‘Going to walk the two blocks home and see him?’ Willow shooed her away. ‘We’ve eaten our bland food and whined about Harrison. We’re done. Go see Pilot Guy.’
Lili pressed her lips together. ‘His name’s Qian, by the way.’
‘Oh, I’m getting a real name? Normally, all I get is “Neat Freak” or “Lizard Man.”’
‘You saw the picture of Lizard Man. Did he not look like a blue-tongued lizard?’
Willow laughed. ‘A little. Go see Qian . Finish the day on a high.’
Lili grabbed her bag off the floor as she rose. ‘Are you going to stay here for a bit?’
She shrugged. ‘I don’t want my tap water to go to waste.’
‘Just think of that wine on Monday.’ She checked her phone again. ‘Call you later?’
‘Sure, but it’s fine if you’re too busy.’
Lili snorted. ‘Things aren’t going that well.’ She blew Willow a kiss, then left.
Willow spent a few minutes on her phone checking emails and texting her mother and brother back. It was too short a notice for them to fly down for the solo, but she had shared the news with them anyway, knowing they would be excited for her.
When she finally rose, her gaze wandered to the man she’d recognised earlier, who was still seated comfortably with a beer. Their eyes met briefly before he looked away. Collecting her bag off the ground, Willow left the pub.
The streets were busy and the air freezing as she began the fifteen-minute walk to her apartment, feeling oddly relaxed despite the earlier drama. Standing up for herself felt even better than she’d expected.
As she turned the corner, she felt the presence of someone behind her and glanced back. There was the man from the pub, following at a distance. Normally, her first reaction would be to panic. Instead, she pulled out her phone and dialled Vaughn’s number.
‘Hey, everything all right?’ he asked.
It was tragic how happy the sound of his voice made her. She glanced over her shoulder at the man again. ‘You tell me, Mr Gallo. There’s a rather large man following me home, and I have a sneaking suspicion that you already know about it.’
She heard him light a cigarette and pictured him leaned against his car in a cloud of smoke.
‘I did tell him to be discreet,’ he said eventually.
‘Oh, he has been discreet.’ She laughed. ‘You can call off your watchdogs. I promise you, I’m fine.’
‘Is Harrison behaving himself?’
She looked up at the bleak sky. ‘Most of the time.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘He’s a little sulky, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.’ She brushed hair back from her face. ‘I stood up to him today. I wish you could have witnessed it. You might have been impressed.’
‘I’m impressed just hearing about it second-hand.’ There was a pause. ‘Did you punch him?’
She laughed. ‘That’s exactly what I did. He stood no chance against my recent Pilates gains.’
A deep chuckle reached her through the phone.
‘But seriously,’ she said. ‘Please don’t waste your friend’s time by having him follow me.’
‘My friend ?’
‘You’re not friends?’
‘I suppose we are.’
She smiled into the phone. ‘I promise if I need help of any kind, I’ll ask for it.’
He was quiet a moment. ‘All right.’
Neither of them ended the call.
‘You were right about him,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you sooner.’
She heard him exhale smoke again. ‘Don’t you dare apologise.’
Still, she couldn’t bring herself to end the call. ‘I miss you.’
Silence.
‘All of the reasons it ended are valid, but I miss you.’
She wasn’t sure what to make of his lack of response, so she changed the subject. ‘Matilda’s sick. I’m going to be the Fairy of Joy again.’
‘That’s great news.’
She could hear the smile in his voice. ‘Funny how I ended up with opening weekend and closing weekend.’
‘You deserved all the weekends in between. That’s why you punched him, right?’
She suppressed a smile. ‘He was laid out on the floor with a ballet slipper pointed at his neck.’
‘I really was a bad influence on you.’
‘The worst,’ she said, her smile evaporating. ‘Would you… would you like to come watch on closing night?’
‘Sunday?’
‘Yeah. Closing night Sunday. Eating myself to death Monday.’
‘Monday could be just as entertaining to watch.’
‘Could be.’ The conversation with him was always so easy. ‘Don’t feel pressured to come. It was probably a weird thing to ask given?—’
‘I’d love to see you dance,’ he said, cutting her off. ‘It was an honour then, and it’s an honour now.’
She squinted to ease the burning in her eyes. ‘Oh. Okay.’
A truck passed by, making it impossible to talk for a few seconds.
‘Block everything and everyone out this weekend,’ Vaughn told her. ‘All the critical voices, every opinion, every correction. Just dance , and you’ll be perfect.’
She cradled the phone in both hands, his words running through her like an electric current. ‘Okay. And you’ll tell your friend to stop following me?’
‘I already told him.’
She stopped and turned, searching for the man, but he was nowhere to be seen.
‘I’ll see you Sunday,’ Vaughn said.
Willow looked up at the changing sky and resumed walking. ‘See you Sunday.’