Dancing Dreams

Sam's Pov

As Kate nudged my shoulder, I turned to her and she asked, "Who is that guy?" I followed her gaze and saw Mon talking to someone I didn't recognize. It was clear from their interaction that they knew each other well and seemed to be close. Jim and Tee also chimed in, Jim-"yeah, who is this guy? does she have a boyfriend?" Tee tried to shut down their assumptions, stating that maybe they are just friends, they are just talking. It doesn't matter and Mon's personal life is none of our business, I said dryly. Despite my words, I couldn't shake off the feeling of discomfort at the thought of Mon being with someone else but I was not ready to admit that either to myself or my friends. I tried to push it out of my mind and focus on other things, refusing to acknowledge any deeper feelings I may have had for her.

I couldn't shake off the thoughts of Mon and that mysterious guy as I packed up my things and headed towards my car. As I absentmindedly placed my belongings in the backseat, I nearly crushed my finger between the doors, a clear indication that my mind was preoccupied. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment at the thought of Mon possibly having a romantic partner.

I need to stop thinking about her, I thought as I started my car. Mon and I don't even know each other, so what she does in her life shouldn't affect me at all. I don't need to overthink it; maybe they're just friends, as Tee mentioned. Oh god, here I go again. Why am I trying to reassure myself with the idea that they're just friends? Why do I even care? Am I really attracted to her? No, I can't be. Dating girls is out of the question for me, especially at the peak of my career. Why am I even thinking about dating girls? It's not like Mon is interested in me or even available. As all these thoughts raced through my mind, I stopped at a traffic light and saw Mon and Nop talking intently. It felt serious and intimate, and then they hugged. I could see that they were sharing an intimate moment, and there was care and love for each other in their eyes. It was all the evidence I needed to know that they were more than friends. I didn't want to take my eyes off of them because I wanted this image to be burned in my brain so that the idea of being attracted to Mon would never surface again in my head. I was brought out of this by a honk from the car behind me, indicating that I needed to move now. That's what I did; I moved away from that place and from Mon. I told myself that it's a good thing that Mon is dating Nop, it simply makes my life easier, and I don't need to deal with my attraction towards Mon and the eventual consequences. But unfortunately, this neither reduced my pain nor gave me relief. A large part of me still wished the opposite was true.

Another day came quite slowly for me. I knew I couldn't let my feelings get in the way of my profession. I owe it to my team, and especially to myself. My attraction towards Mon will eventually fade away, since we never dated or anything significant happened. So, I cheered myself up and got ready for work. I met Tee, Jim, and Kate at the studio, as always. They were busy chitchatting among themselves. We greeted each other and began discussing plans for the day. Other members of the crew arrived one by one. Tee noticed Mon's arrival at the studio and decided to tease Sam. "Sam, I was wondering if we should exchange dance partners," Tee said, "you know, just to see which pair fits best." Sam replied, "Okay." Tee, Jim, and Kate were confused by Sam's response. "So, Sam, you're saying you're okay with Tee being Mon's partner?" Jim asked. "Yes," Sam replied, "and I think we should probably start practicing since we're adding new steps today. It's better to start early." Kate asked, "What's going on with her? Yesterday, she was acting kind of possessive and now she acts like she doesn't care."