Page 28 of The Dance Deception
When I fail to respond – my mind is reeling – he tells me he’s leaving.
‘I’ll be here tomorrow, because that’s when we have to film our segment for the show,’ he says. ‘And don’t worry – I’ll pretend I don’t hate you for a couple of hours. But apart from that I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want to be around you, I’ll just tolerate you until this is all over.’
I can feel tears pooling in the corners of my eyes as I watch him stalk out of the studio. I don’t think anyonehas ever despised me so much. I can hardly blame him, either.
I just can’t get my head round that fact that Merle’s wife is his sister. And Merle obviously knew this when he suggested the partner swap, so he was well aware of what a horrendous position he was putting us in. Did he do it deliberately, knowing it would likely ruin any possibility of us being any competition for him on the show? Does he want to win that desperately? Or did he just want to be partnered with Emilia so much that he didn’t care where that left me and Aleksis?
And on top of that, to learn the audience vote is going to be fixed. It makes me wonder if that’s why I came out on top last week instead of Emilia, when she’s clearly the better dancer. Is Aleksis right – is it worth us even trying to do well?
I can’t believe what a nightmare this week has turned into. The thrill of being in the studio with Merle and our surprise Saturday night win are both distant memories. I’m not sure I even want to carry on with the show if this is how it’s going to be from now on.
With nothing else to do I head back home, typing an email to Shane on the way to tell him I want to withdraw fromFire on the Dance Floor, and suggesting they could reinstate Liam in my place. But I don’t send it. A part of me doesn’t want to give up, no matter how uncomfortable it is with Aleksis and how bogus the scores might be.
I can’t help wishing my experience could be more like Tammy’s and Beth’s. Why couldn’t I just have been a regular contestant on the show, enjoyed my five minutes of fame,not had sex with my married dance partner, stayed in the competition for a couple of weeks, graciously lost out to Emilia just before the final and left with my head held high? Instead of this mess.
I don’t know how I’m going to handle a day in front of the cameras with Aleksis tomorrow. He might be able to brazen it out, but I’m not sure I can. I don’t even know if Lucy’s words of encouragement can get me through this time, although she does her best to lift my spirits when I tell her what’s happened. I get a pep talk from Mum and Dee over Skype too when I confess how badly the rehearsals have been going. And Mum offers to fly back yet again, so I backtrack and tell her it’s not as awful as I’ve made out. There’s no point both our weeks being ruined.
Ten more days of this, though – the thought doesn’t exactly fill me with joy. With our free pass on this week’s show, the earliest I’ll be eliminated from the competition is the following Saturday. Can I tolerate Aleksis’s hostility until then?
Chapter 16
Igo to the studio early the next morning, because I don’t know what time the camera crew is coming. Aleksis didn’t tell me. But the lights are still out, so he clearly hasn’t rushed in to meet them.
While I’m waiting for everyone, I scroll idly through all the news sites on my phone to see if anything else has been printed about Merle or me. There are a few new comments under the “Kiz Kiz Bang Bang” story – one or two that are sympathetic to me, but the majority firmly Team Merle. Which hardly seems fair – it wasn’t me who was married.
Hearing someone arriving, I glance up to see a strikingly beautiful woman walking into the room. I leap to my feet as I clock her pale blonde hair and realise it’s Aleksis’s sister – Merle’s wife. What the hell is she doing here? I thought my week had already hit rock bottom, but now this?
My skin starts prickling as Aleksis follows her into the room. I can’t believe he’s brought her here – or actually, Ican. He’s probably loving this. My eyes dart between the two of them as I wait for a barrage of abuse to begin. But Sofiya holds her hands up in a conciliatory gesture. ‘I’m not here to fight. I just want to say my piece then I’ll be gone.’
Heart pounding, I glance over at Aleksis, who’s now leaning against the mirror and observing me coolly, his expression unreadable.
‘I had a visit from Aleksis yesterday,’ Sofiya says, ‘and he told me how things are going here.’
She pauses to look round the studio. ‘Not too well, by the sound of things. I know how stubborn my brother can be.’
Another pause, then she turns back to me and says, ‘But I don’t want him to waste the opportunity he’s been given with his first TV show. This could lead to a lot more work for him, so he needs to take advantage of it. I’m not going to let him throw away his chances because he’s trying to be loyal to me.’
I swallow loudly, but I can’t find any words.
‘So I’ve come here today to show him I’m not angry with you. I know what Merle’s like. I’ve known for a long time what Merle is like, but I’ve always hidden it from Aleksis, because it was Aleksis who introduced us and I knew how it would make him feel.’
‘I’m really sorry,’ I finally manage. ‘I genuinely didn’t …’
Another raised hand tells me she doesn’t want to hear my side of the story.
‘Let me finish.’
‘Of course,’ I whisper, unable to take my eyes off her. I wonder if she can tell my heart’s racing.
‘I was twenty years old when I fell in love with Merle. He was charming and gorgeous and made me feel like the most important person in the world. We were married within six months.’
She says this matter-of-factly, but it’s clear there was a time when she thought her relationship with him would turn out very differently. Which I, of course, can relate to.
‘But over time it became apparent I wasn’t the only one he was making feel that way. His dance partner was the first. I didn’t want to believe it – wouldn’t let myself believe it. Then, when I couldn’t lie to myself any longer, I confronted him and he broke down and told me what a mess he’d made of things. He promised to change, so I gave him a second chance and for a long time after that it went back to being perfect. Until it happened again.’
I glance over at Aleksis. This must be hard for him to hear. But he’s looking down at the floor so I can’t gauge what he’s thinking.
‘I still didn’t leave,’ Sofiya continues. ‘Or the time after that. I simply hoped things would run their course then we’d get back on track again – and we did. And I thought I was happy, because when it was good, it was really good with him.
