Dancing Dreams

Sam's Pov

As I walked into the studio, I was greeted by the familiar faces of the staff and dance crew. Tee and Jim were already there, waiting for me, but Kate, as usual, was running late. I had made sure to grab an extra strong coffee on my way in, knowing that we had a tour coming up in the next six months and we needed to be ready with our choreography before then. The pressure was on, and I needed all the energy I could get to push through the day's rehearsals. As i sat down and took a sip of my coffee, I reminded myself to stay focused and give it my all, as we had a lot of work to do in a very limited time.

As I scanned the room, my gaze met with Mon's. We didn't exchange any words or gestures, but there was a sense of acknowledgement in our eyes. I couldn't help but think back to the previous day, when I had offered her a ride home and the palpable awkwardness that ensued. I wondered if she was feeling the same way, or if it was just my imagination. I shook my head, trying to focus on the task at hand. We had a tour coming up in the next six months and we needed to get the choreography ready before then. I asked Tee when Kate would be arriving, as we needed to begin work soon. Tee informed me that she was on her way and would be there any minute. I nodded, taking a sip of my extra strong coffee, determined to put any lingering thoughts of Mon out of my mind and focus on the task at hand.

Tee and Jim noticed the lingering stares between Sam and Mon.

Tee turned to Sam and said, "I like her." Sam was taken aback by this and asked Tee in surprise, "What do you mean you like her?". Tee explained that she meant that Mon is a talented dancer and would be an asset to the team. "What do you think I meant by liking her?" Tee asked Sam teasingly.

I didn't respond, but Tee didn't drop the topic. She continued to talk about how she found Mon attractive and that she was her type. This made me uncomfortable. Although I had never felt uneasy before when Tee had spoken about her past relationships or crushes, the idea of Tee pursuing Mon didn't sit well with me.

I tried to convince myself that it shouldn't matter to me who Tee or Mon chooses to pursue. My focus should be solely on the task at hand.

Suddenly Kate arrived and asked," hi guys, What did I miss?". To which Jim responded, "looks like someone is interested in Mon", pointing towards Sam with her eyes while patting Tee's back. Kate joined in on the banter and said,"I knew she was your type, Tee".

This annoyed Sam. Can we please talk about something else?" I said, trying to steer the conversation away from Mon. "I understand that you think she's a good dancer and could be an asset to the team, but can we focus on that instead of discussing her physical appearance or your potential interest in her?" I didn't want to dwell on the topic any longer, and I could tell that my discomfort was palpable.

I decided to focus on the task at hand and put any previous discomfort aside. As we began practice, the choreographer assigned me to work with Mon. As we met each other's gaze, I could sense an awkwardness between us, but we quickly put it aside and began working together. The choreography was challenging, but to my surprise, Mon and I were in perfect sync. We moved effortlessly together on the dance floor, and I couldn't help but feel impressed by her abilities as a dancer. Every time we perform the dance moves and have to make eye contact or physically touch one another, those lingering feelings from the previous night begin to resurface, and her close proximity serves as a constant reminder of them.

After taking a short break to hydrate, I sat down at a bench and began drinking my water. Mon soon approached me, standing awkwardly in front of me. I looked up at her and asked, "Don't you want to drink some water?" She replied, "Actually, you're sitting on my stuff so you need to-" Realizing my mistake, I apologized and moved out of the way to let her grab her things. As we stood there, drinking our water and trying to relax, the silence between us was awkward. Eventually, Mon broke the silence by thanking me again for the previous night. I told her that she didn't need to thank me repeatedly.

In order to continue the conversation, I said, "You didn't answer me last night".

Mon-"What did I fail to answer?".

I replied, "What made you feel awkward?".

A shy smile spread across her face as she told me, "because of you".

"Huh?" I thought.

Mon said "you are a huge star and have always been my idol".

"Are you a fan, Mon?" I asked teasingly.

Mon looked at me with an amused expression and tried to avoid making eye contact. All she could manage to say was "ummm." I moved closer to her and whispered in her ear, "You can tell me, I promise I will keep it between us." She looked at me with wide eyes and an open mouth, and I smirked and gently closed her mouth with my finger on her chin.

I heard the sound of a clap behind us, signaling that the staff was calling for us to return and continue our practice. I turned to look at Mon, but she had already made her way to the center of the room. We all resumed our practice as before, and I could see that the group was performing better than they had the previous day. I was pleased with our progress.

Finally, as the day came to a close, Tee, Jim, and Kate surrounded me and Mon. Jim exclaimed, "Mon, you are an incredibly talented dancer. I truly believe you will be a valuable addition to our team." Mon gratefully responded, "Thank you so much." Tee chimed in, "Yes, Mon, those hand moves were particularly impressive. It's a shame you didn't get to practice with me, I could have helped you refine them even further." I quickly interjected, feeling annoyed with Tee, "Mon is perfect just as she is. If she needs any assistance, I will take care of it." Kate added, "Hey Mon, none of us have your number, can you give it to me so I can add you to the official group and keep you updated about our activities?" Mon replied, "I already have Sam's number." Tee, Jim, and Kate were all surprised to hear this. Jim asked, "Really? When did you two exchange numbers?"

I quickly came up with a lie, "Oh, we exchanged numbers earlier today when we were practicing together. It was just for easy communication during practice." I didn't want to reveal the truth about how I had Mon's number from last night, I didn't want to make things awkward for her or myself. Mon seemed to have picked up on my lie but went along with it. We all said our goodbyes and headed home for the day. I couldn't help if my friends hadn't interfered I could have spoken more with Mon.