Dance into my Heart

Dance into my Heart - Chapter 15

Lena spent the whole week working on her new routine. Every flick and spin she added to the piece helped her forget her personal drama. Well, that would have been the case, had it not been for the fact that the story of the dance was the story of her and James.

Lena knew it was cliché, the whole 'childhood best friends falling in love thing', but to her their relationship was so incredibly special. Every significant moment in her life had been shared with James and this routine was going to reflect that long history. 

If she was going to do an emotional piece, Lena knew she would have to try and compose a contemporary number - it was the only style that could do justice to the highly developed plot. The two dancers were going to mirror each others movements, spinning in-sync and performing the same combinations to show their unity. However, the tricks and lifts were the least important part of the routine. Lena spent much longer choreographing the sequences that conveyed the emotion and story-telling; it was the most vital element for a successful routine. The dancers would be touching throughout, intertwining hands and using each other's frames for support, hopefully portraying the innocence of the relationship whilst hinting at building romantic tension.

Developing this routine had been much harder than the first, as she didn't have James to use as a human dance guinea pig. Plus, he had always been so great at giving advice and helping her tweak each little move. Lena couldn't help but laugh bitterly at the irony. This dance was about all the moments they had shared together, yet currently James was entirely absent from her life. If things carried on in their current state, they would still be estranged for her choreographing debut.

Sighing for what felt like the hundreth time in just a few days, Lena stretched out her muscles and practiced another potential move. Instead of the spacious park, she was now practicing in her back garden. The setting wasn't glamourous, but she simply couldn't face the thought of bumping into anyone unexpectedly. College had been awful all week. James was making a determined effort to spend as much time with Emily as possible in a deliberate attempt to vex her and she had to admit it was working. Although Lena was initially planning to be the mature one, James' reaction rankled her immensely and she was no longer making a concerted effort to avoid her own love interest Charlie.

Choreographing the new routine was giving her some much needed personal time, allowing her some private reflection away from the scrutiny of others. Taking a well earned breather, Lena sat on the back porch and took a sip of water. Hanging her head between her knees, she gave a loud groan. The simple times felt so distant at the moment. 

"Lena?" Glancing at her watch, she realised it was gone six and her Dad was home from work. She'd been out there for three hours.

"Hi Dad," she rose and went to meet him in the kitchen.

"What are you up to out there?" he asked with pretend suspicion.

"Just dance stuff. How was work?" She loved their little end-of-day round-up.

"Same as always, although there was one new development."

"Really? Do tell," she leant forward to show her 'keen' interest.

"The company are having a party next week to celebrate the merger of the two branches."

"Ah."

"Lena what is, 'ah', supposed to mean?" 

"Nothing Dad." 

James. James is what it meant. Their father's worked for the same company (it's what brought their families together) and that meant they would both be at the party.

She couldn't think of a more awkward situation if she possibly tried.

***

Pushing his body to the limits, James sprinted past the last block of houses. For two hours straight he had been running through the streets, attempting to distract from his personal woes with overwhelming physical pain.

So far, it hadn't worked.

Sighing, he sat on the nearby wall. Why did he tell Lena he loved her? He wasn't going to and he certainly hadn't planned on it, but seeing her kissing Charlie just sent him crazy! 

The worst thing was Lena's reaction to the news. In his head, James thought she'd be ecstatic and enthusiastically inform him of her requited love and they'd be blissfully happy. Now he knew that dream scenario was simply a product of his own egotism. Instead, he had to watch Lena become tearful and upset whilst knowing it was all his fault. He had been reckless with his emotions and Lena, ever the sensible one, was forced to highlight the impact his impulsive decision would have on their lives.

Still, that didn't change the way James felt about her. He knew it looked as if he was simply reacting in a jealous fit, but seeing her with Charlie was the catalyst to prompt him into confronting his very real feelings. In turn, it hurt to know that Lena thought so little of him that she would dismiss the seriousness of his speech altogether. It was his wounded pride that made him want to act out, spending more time with Emily than he could stomach in a pathetic attempt to make Lena jealous. Seeing her act so intimately with Charlie only days after the party just helped to incense him further. As a result, James hadn't spoken to her since that rather fateful night.  

Well things had to change. He had just found out from his father that there was a corporate event that would bring him and Lena together for the first time in over a week. Now that some of the rawest emotions had past, it was time to end this silent feud and begin to rebuild bridges between them. That meant stopping all this Emily nonesense and making a concerted effort to win his little Lee over.   Lena clearly cared about him, her incredibly emotional reaction to his revelation more than demonstrated that. The challenge was going to be convincing her that his feelings were sincere and that they would work long-term. That their romantic relationship was worth fighting for. Worth risking their friendship for...  

The party was his chance to prove that and boy would he die trying.    

**  

HIYA !! Well this chapter is setting up some big scenes to come - very excited to write those ;D Please VOTE and COMMENT, I'd love to hear what you guys are predicting for future chapters as well as your opinions on this chapter !!   BY THE WAY I'm going on holiday for a week so the next upload is going to be delayed (as I have no internet at all!). Really sorry about that, but I'd love to come back to see your lovely comments and votes :D Also, please check out my poetry if you have time - 'Were I to die tomorrow...' is entered in the Attys so I'd really appreciate all the support you can give !! 

Hope you enjoyed this chapter !! You're the best fans ever - love you all and see you soon! <3   Lauren xx