Page 41 of Lights, Camera, Love

Kye brushes a hand down his jaw as he wanders over to me. He’s dressed completely differently for salsa than he does for hip-hop, and my gaze burns a trail over his gunmetal-grey T-shirt, distressed blue jeans and worn leather ankle boots.He looks too good.

‘Hey,’ I say, my cheeks warming as I get up to face him.

‘Hey.’

A single word repeated, yet it feels like we just had an entire conversation.

It’s good to see you.

You, too.

‘Are you sticking around for the practice?’ I ask as he plays with the messed-up tendrils of his hair.Say yes.

‘Of course. I’m running it.’

My chin jerks back. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Rafael asked if I could teach Austin the routine. I think he must’ve found the old YouTube clip of Austin dancing in his first film and figured out how excruciatingly painful it’s going to be.’

A laugh escapes me. The celebrity in question appears in the doorway, looking like he just left the beach in pink pineapple boardies and a scruffy singlet top. Rafael dashes over to greet Austin and pins his arm up against the door like James Dean on a fifties film set as they chat.Down, boy.

I set my gaze back on Kye. ‘How do you even know how to dance salsa anyway, let alone teach the steps?’

He smirks, his long-lashed eyes cutting away. ‘I have many unsung talents, Evie.’

‘Yeah?’ I can’t fight my blush. ‘Like what?’Having the perfect voice for a phone-sex hotline?

‘Making people want to know more about me,’ he replies without missing a beat. ‘How am I doing?’

I chuckle. ‘Well,Ihave a talent that you might be interested in knowing more about,’ I tease, speaking under my breath.My goodness, where did this burst of bravery come from?Kye can be so shut off that, when he starts to play with me a little, I can’t help but want to play back.

His pupils darken; his eyes flick over my face. ‘Yeah? What talent is that?’

I draw closer to him. My mouth almost grazes his jaw, and I notice a tiny patch of stubble he must havemissed when he was shaving. The urge I feel to press my lips to the cute spot leaves me light-headed.

‘I can dance like no one’s watching, and I guarantee it’s a show you won’t want to miss,’ I whisper, directly quoting one of Jakob’s cheesy lines. Kye tips his forehead and laughs silently.

I bathe in the warm rush it gives me. Getting this guy to smile makes me feel like I’m mainlining dopamine.

Rafael’s departure steals our focus, and I regain my composure as Austin strides over to me and Kye. He sweeps an arm around me and tugs me towards him. ‘Hey there, girlfriend.’

‘Oh. Hey,’ I say, pulling back with a tentative smile. He’s kidding, right?

‘We should get started,’ Kye mumbles. His throat rises and falls as he swipes his thumb over his phone.

‘La Bomba’ by Ricky Martin—the classic Latin-pop track that Austin and I will dance to for the showcase—kicks in through the overhead speakers. Austin wiggles his elbows and hips to the catchy intro, looking not unlike a fish having a spasm.

‘Oh, this is gonna be interesting,’ Kye mutters, lining up to face the mirror. ‘Evie, let’s show Austin the basic step first. Ready, man? We’ll go super slow.’

‘Si, signore,’ Austin replies, evidently unaware he’s speaking Italian rather than Spanish. ‘This stuff isn’t rocket surgery, right?’

With a shake of his head, Kye begins to explain the basic step with impressive clarity. I slowly shiftback and forth on my feet, helping demonstrate to Austin.

‘Bend your knees, and keep your steps small,’ Kye instructs. ‘Hold slightly on the four count and the eight count. So, it’s one, two, three—hold—five, six, seven—hold.’

‘Huh?’ Austin says.

‘Just keep going; copy what we’re doing, and you’ll get it,’ I encourage, still performing the steps at half-speed.

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