25. Chapter 20
High Stakes
Evin
E vin stepped into the ballet studio, the familiar creak of the floorboards under her feet and the light streaming through the tall windows instantly soothing her.
Today, she felt lighter than usual.
After a long day filled with classes and endless exam prep, the studio felt like a sanctuary—a place where she could finally clear her mind.
The knot in her stomach, which had accompanied her for months, was gone.
She knew it was because all the gossip about her had finally died down, and she’d had a good day at school for a change.
Most of the girls were already warming up.
Nele was standing in the front row, and Evin noticed her watching her through the mirror.
But it didn’t faze Evin. She confidently made her way to the barre and began stretching.
She had almost three hours of practice ahead today, including rehearsals for the performance after the regular session.
“ You’re cutting it close today,” Nele remarked casually as she tightened her pointe shoe ribbons.
Evin, who was stretching her leg on the barre, remained calm. “Practice hasn’t started yet,” she replied evenly, her gaze fixed on her reflection in the mirror.
Nele raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly toward Evin. “You sure you’re taking this seriously enough?” Her tone was light, almost nonchalant, but the barb was unmistakable.
Evin met Nele’s gaze in the mirror. “More than ever,” she retorted without blinking.
Practice began, and Evin stayed focused.
When the music started, she felt every note as if it resonated in her very core.
It was as though she glided through the choreography with a grace that surprised even herself.
Nele noticed too. Her glances darted toward Evin repeatedly, as if searching for a flaw, but today, there were none.
Just 15 more pounds.
The thought whispered in the back of her mind as she danced through the routine. She saw the excess weight in the mirror, even as her body performed magic today. It’s fine, you’re on the right track. Everything was going as it should—at least for today.
When Evin left the building, the cool air brushed against her skin. The parking lot was already cloaked in darkness, and for a moment, she felt free and safe—until her eyes landed on Sergej.
He was leaning casually against a dark car, the headlights casting a veil of light over his dark brown clothing.
Despite the chilly weather, he wasn’t wearing a jacket—just a simple, loose-fitting T-shirt that revealed glimpses of tattoos on his arms. His striking jewelry glinted faintly in the dim light, and the details immediately drew Evin’s attention.
He looked effortless, so grounded. His eyes met hers long before she approached him.
With a crooked smile, Sergej pushed himself off the car and walked toward her, the muscles under his tattooed skin subtly visible.
He looked ... fucking hot.
“You look... energized,” he said with amusement, his gaze sweeping over her as if he were searching for something only he could see.
His voice sounded rougher than last time they met, almost as if the quiet of the night had rubbed off on him.
Evin felt her heartbeat quicken, and for a moment, despite the cool evening air, she felt warm. His presence was so strong, so captivating, that she momentarily forgot to breathe.
So she quickly climbed into Sergej’s car without asking where they were going.
The thought of not knowing his destination caused a flicker of unease, but she kept quiet.
The streets blurred past them, Sergej driving in silence, his eyes fixed on the road with a focus that suggested he had a clear plan.
After a while, he stopped in front of an unassuming building. It was an older house, with nothing remarkable about it at first glance.
“We’re here,” he said calmly, opening the door and leading the way without explanation. Evin hesitated briefly before following him.
Sergej led her up the cold, dimly lit stairwell to the top floor. When they reached the last door in the attic, he unlocked it and stepped inside without much ceremony.
As Evin crossed the threshold behind him, she wasn’t sure what she had expected—but the apartment surprised her.
The room she entered felt empty and cold. A large bed was tucked against one wall, a sofa sat in the center with an overflowing coffee table in front of it.
The space was bare except for a massive TV on a stand, a half-wilted plant beside it. The heavy scent of weed lingered in the air, and Evin suddenly felt out of place. Her eyes landed on the overflowing ashtray, and the uneasy sensation in her stomach grew stronger.
“Come on, let me show you something,” Sergej said, as though the room was entirely ordinary. He led her through the apartment to a terrace door.
And then it was like stepping into a completely different world. As Evin walked through the narrow door onto the rooftop terrace, the sight before her stole her breath. The stark contrast to the bleak, impersonal apartment was st aggering.
The terrace’s atmosphere was breathtaking.
Sprawled out before her was a stunning view of the city.
The night sky stretched infinitely above, and the glittering city lights below spread like a vast ocean of stars.
Sergej had placed white candles of various sizes all around, their flickering light casting a warm, golden glow over everything. On the table in front of her were bowls of fresh fruit, snacks, and a bottle of wine.
It was meticulously arranged—almost too perfect. It was as though Sergej had poured effort into this rooftop escape to make up for the cold sterility of the apartment.
Evin inhaled deeply, letting the cool night air fill her lungs, and for a moment, she forgot the earlier unease.
She stepped cautiously onto the terrace, feeling the cool tiles beneath her feet and the subtle flutter of nerves in her stomach. Her gaze shifted to Sergej, who leaned casually against the railing, radiating an ease that somehow filled the air with a tension she couldn’t quite grasp.
“Wow,” Evin said softly, her voice almost swallowed by the vastness of the city before her.
“This is... stunning.” Sergej’s lips curved into a crooked smile as he crossed his arms, leaning further into the railing.
“Glad you like it. I thought we could use something... quieter.” His tone carried his signature confidence, but there was a faint intensity in his gaze that Evin felt, even though he wasn’t looking directly at her.
The flickering candlelight danced across his tattoos, accentuating the sharp line of his jaw, taut and tense, like the air before a storm. He didn’t look up as she moved closer, but Evin could feel it—his awareness of her every detail, her every movement.
It was as if he was silently commanding her to come closer without a single word.
“Breathtaking...“, she said, breaking the silence, "The city looks... smaller from here!”
Sergej paused, his gaze fixed on the glittering skyline before he slowly turned to face her.
“From up here, everything is clearer. No distractions, no noise. Just reality.” His voice was low, calm, yet there was an edge to it that sent a shiver through her.
“Life down there... most people don’t realize how it consumes them. But up here—up here, you get to decide how far you go.”
Evin’s heartbeat quickened. There was something raw and almost menacing in his words, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.
“You... seem so sure of yourself,” she murmured, struggling to steady her thoughts.
Sergej took a step closer, his gaze piercing hers, as if she were the only thing that mattered to him in that moment. “That’s because I am, Evin. No games. And neither should you.”
His voice was soft, but it carried a weight that hit her like a punch to the stomach. She felt both captivated and unnerved—and as Sergej held her gaze, she knew he was fully aware of it.
“Tell me, Evin...” His sentence trailed off into the air, and he stepped back slightly, as if deliberately leaving her breathless.
The click of his lighter punctuated the silence as he extinguished the flame one last time.
“Are you ready to play for real?”
__________
Sebastian
C at’s room smelled like warm vanilla mixed with something sharper—expensive perfume and leftover cigarette smoke clinging to the fabric of her clothes.
The heavy scent of lip gloss lingered in the air, fruity and synthetic, like s he had just reapplied it.
The space was both chaotic and curated, a mess designed to look effortless.
Clothes lay strewn over a velvet chair in the corner, designer labels peeking out between crumpled denim and lace.
Open bottles of perfume lined her dresser, their glass surfaces smudged with fingerprints.
Her bed was unmade, silk sheets tangled from either restless sleep or something else. A dim, warm light cast shadows over the walls, reflecting off an oversized mirror propped against one side of the room.
Above her headboard, old concert tickets were taped to the wall—faded memories of nights that had never really been about the music.
Bas hadn’t planned on coming here. But after seeing Evin and Sergej all over social media, side by side, laughing like nothing he never existed—he needed to clear his head. Or lose it entirely.
Cat was sprawled out on her bed, phone in one hand, the other lazily tracing circles over the sheets. She looked up as Bas stepped inside, her dark eyes flashing with something unreadable.
“Wow. You look miserable.”
Bas exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. “Nice to see you too.”
Cat smirked, rolling onto her side. “Long week?” She tapped a manicured nail against her phone screen. “Or did she finally kill you?”
His jaw tightened. “You always do this.”
“What?” She stretched, her crop top riding up just enough to remind him that this was supposed to be easy. “State the obvious?”
He didn’t answer.
“Sebastian,” she sing-songed, sitting up, crossing her legs.