Page 27 of Off Balance

Maybe I should step into the light, or make a sound to let him know I’m here? I don’t want to startle him or make him feel uncomfortable. He seems so peaceful. But seeing me hiding in the shadows is absolutely going to creep him out, so what else can I do?

Before I can make up my mind how to get myself out of this mess, Cameron walks right past me and out of the studio. He pulls the door shut behind him, and I hear the slide of the lock. Luckily, it unlocks from the inside, and Dwayne gave me a spare key so I can come back to lock up. No one ever needs to know about my moment of voyeurism. It would be stupid to risk it again.

The next morning, Cameron bangs on my door.

“Get your ass out of bed and into the studio in ten minutes, or I’ll make you wear tights and a tutu!” he shouts.

I chuckle as I answer the door. “Try me, tiny dancer.”

Cameron frowns. “Oh, you’re already dressed.”

“I’ve already been for a run. You’re the one who’s late,” I say, lifting an eyebrow at him.

I’m not surprised he slept in, considering he was here working up a sweat in the studio until close to three in the morning. I couldn’t sleep after he left, only tossed and turned until I dragged myself out of bed and greeted the sunrise with a long, leisurely jog.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come today,” I tell him, following him down the wide hallway to the studio door.

“It’s been a week from hell,” he admits, unlocking the door. “I heard the fight went well.”

“Too well.”

“What does that mean?”

“Hoyt won’t go down easy like that. I need more of a challenge.”

Nichols is a good fighter and should have put up more of a challenge than that. I don’t know if he was having an off night, or I just got a lucky shot in. Either way, it was too easy. I need togo up against someone that’s faster, tougher, harder than a local amateur, no matter how many fights they’ve got under their belt.

“What does Dwayne have to say about it?”

“He doesn’t want me in the ring too much, thinks it’s too risky.”

“Why is that exactly? It seems like the two of you disagree about this a lot.”

“It’s…complicated,” I say, not wanting to get into it. “What about you, though? New production giving you hell?”

“More like the producer,” he mutters.

I’m not sure I heard him right, or even if I was supposed to hear him at all. “What’s that?”

“Nothing. Let’s get warmed up, shall we?”

“Already one step ahead of you,” I remind him, taking my place at the low barre in front of the mirror.

The mirror isn’t my favorite. It reflects everything about myself that I want to change, and everything that I know I can’t have. I have to force myself to watch my movements in the reflection, only stealing furtive glances towards Cameron as we go through stretching and our basic positions routine.

I didn’t miss that Cameron left the studio door wide open. Both of us maintain a professional distance from each other unless absolutely necessary. And I hold my breath when he has to get close to correct or support my movements.

My foot positions are stronger already. Now when Cameron tries to push me over, he only succeeds in making me stumble back half the time. And I have to admit that the workouts are far more grueling than I could have ever expected. Muscles I didn’tknow I had are screaming before we’re even half an hour into the routines.

After forty-five minutes, my limbs are trembling. Cameron suggests we take a break to do some yoga, and I scoff. I’ve done yoga with him multiple times now and it’s no break.

“Relax, just some light stuff to help you stretch out the soreness. Then you can hang the bag I asked Dwayne to bring up here.”

I glance to the corner where I hid last night, and my face flushes. “I, uh, didn’t notice it there,” I lie.

Cameron nods, passing me a mat and laying one out for himself. “I thought it would be useful having it up here. We can still go downstairs for a change of scenery, though.”

I manage to keep my lips shut and not tell him he’s all the scenery I need. The first time he bends himself in half and walks his feet out into the downward dog position is enough to remind me just how much a change of scenery might be necessary. I look pointedly away from him, only glancing up to check his movements in the mirror when I don’t remember how to do certain positions.

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