I Don't Love You (And I Always Will)

Chapter Ten

Hey guys. Sorry I disappeared for a sec. Happy New Year!! 

Disclaimer: This is a work of FICTION not meant to imply anything about anyone or any organization mentioned in the work.

Harry

Harry's date with Adam had gone well. The pair went to dinner at a swanky sushi place uptown and went on a nice walk in Central Park together. Very much a first date. Adam was a real gentleman, kind, and also very attractive. He had a head of shaggy blonde hair (a bit long, but that's how Harry liked it), gentle brown eyes, and he was tall. Adam had a few inches on Harry, which made him about six three. He was exactly Harry's type. How did Eleanor know?

Conversation flowed between the two easily, and they discussed movies, favorite TV shows (they both agreed Friends couldn't be topped), and their families. Harry loved any excuse to talk about his mom and sister, who both lived in Ohio. Adam had three siblings, two brothers and a sister who were all older than him. Harry and Adam talked about being the youngest child, all the pains and privileges that came with the role. They finally got around to talking about their jobs as they walked around Central Park late that night, the autumn wind ruffling Harry's perfectly prepped hair. Adam asked about Harry's opening night, which he must have heard about from Eleanor. Harry was all too willing to talk about it.

Harry's opening night had gone perfectly. Spectacularly, actually. He didn't miss a beat onstage, didn't trip once. The girls played the muses with grace and elegance, to counterbalance the strength that Harry's character brought to the stage. The audience gave them a standing ovation, and Harry hadn't felt that alive in a long time. He also didn't have any weird sash-tying moments with Louis again. So that was good.

Adam walked Harry home from their date late that night, the perfect gentleman that he was. He noticed Harry's fingers were a bit red and gave him his pair of gloves to warm them up. The gloves were a soft leather, very high quality. Harry hoped Adam let him keep them for the night. When the pair had approached Harry's apartment building, Adam gave him a warm hug. They both pulled back a little bit, before falling into a chaste goodnight kiss. The kiss was nice. Like Adam.

Harry and Adam had a date set for next week, an art show Adam was invited to. Harry would give him back his gloves then. It was nice, to know that Adam liked him. It felt stable.

*******************************************

On Tuesday morning, two days after Harry's date, the dancers came back to the NYCB after a two-day break following the October Program. It was the last week of October, which meant one thing. It was time to start Nutcracker.

The New York City Ballet was known around the globe for its annual production of The Nutcracker. It was choreographed by George Balanchine for the company in 1954, and the choreography had stayed mostly the same ever since. It was the most popular version of Nutcracker in the ballet world, and the ballet meant a great deal to everyone in the company. The production uses about sixty kids from the School of American Ballet, so dancers like Louis and Gigi had been in the ballet since they were nine years old. It was the greatest ballet tradition Harry could think of.

Harry would be lying if he said he didn't come to the NYCB partially for their Nutcracker. The Royal Ballet had a good Nutcracker, sure, but it wasn't an institution like the NYCB Nutcracker was. Harry was beyond excited to get casting that day and was hoping to get cast as something like First Spanish. It was his first Nut with the City Ballet, and he didn't want to expect much. And First Spanish wasn't bad, it was lively and fun.