Page 49 of The Dance Deception
“Merle appeared to be deep in conversation with Emilia, who looked stunning in a figure-hugging black dress and matching Louboutins as they enjoyed their Mediterranean feast. Aleksis and Kate, meanwhile, who were more casually dressed, laughed and joked with their companions and posed for photos with fans as they let their hair down for the night, proving just how popular they’ve become on the show.”
There are more photos of our respective evenings as well as some stills from the show before the story continues.
“Last week Merle and Emilia dominated the scoreboard in the Latin dance contest thanks to their sizzling bachata, while Kate and Aleksis narrowly avoided eviction. But it didn’t appear to have dampened their spirits as Aleksis tenderly kissed Kate in the hotel bar.
“The two couples left Fitzrovia within moments of eachother, but luckily did not cross paths. So who will survive when they come face to face on Fire on the Dance Floor on Saturday? Tune in atseven p.m. on Channel 6 to find out.”
I scroll back up and study the photos. Merle and Emilia look intense and serious. Aleksis and I look relaxed and laid-back, but still like a couple. And the piece feels like a win as we sound far more friendly and fun-loving than Merle and Emilia – which, it turns out, is exactly what Aleksis was hoping to portray when he invited Sarah, Steve and Andy to join us.
I flick to Instagram and see that my number of followers has risen to 6,403, which feels huge, until I check up on Emilia and see her account has passed 42,000. I put my phone away with a sigh, telling myself it doesn’t matter as long as Aleksis and I deliver a knockout performance on Saturday night.
Chapter 26
Our final day of rehearsals goes really well. By the end of the afternoon Aleksis thinks we’re ready to give Merle and Emilia a decent run for their money and I’m over the moon that it’s all come together so nicely. The fact that we’ve made the headlines three days in a row is a huge bonus – with Sofiya’s interview still to come out tomorrow.
‘It’s been a successful week.’ Aleksis grins, and I can’t help smiling back. ‘We just need our good fortune to continue for a little while longer and for the audience to back us tomorrow, and we’re more than halfway there.’
‘Should we go out again tonight, do you think?’ I ask as we pack up for the day. ‘See if we can make it four consecutive days in the news?’
‘We should rest tonight, so we’re fresh for tomorrow. Tonight, I’d suggest a healthy dinner, a hot bath and an early night with a good book.’
I know he’s right, but I find myself wishing we could spend one more evening together. Even with all the pressand all the practice sessions there are no guarantees the audience will keep us on the show, and I don’t want to even think about the possibility that last night really could have been our last. I’m not ready for myFire on the Dance Floorjourney to be over – not when I’ve just started feeling really good about it.
It seems like a lifetime ago that Lucy practically had to drag me kicking and screaming to my first meeting with Shane at Channel 6. Did I think I’d even make it past week one back then? I thought it was worth trying, but I didn’t think it was likely. But when I think about how much I’ve progressed since then, it starts feeling like anything could be possible – something I never expected to find myself thinking. So I want to stay in the competition now and … and yes, if I’m honest, around Aleksis, too.
The more I think about this, the more worried I become about the fast approaching live show. So much so that Aleksis receives a garbled text from me just before midnight, admitting I’ve started panicking that neither my dancing nor our fake romance will be enough to get us through. He replies straight away and offers to meet me an hour before we’re due at Channel 6 so he can help calm my nerves. It’s going to take a hell of a pep talk.
Over coffee the next morning he reminds me how positively Sarah reacted to what she saw of our routine and assures me my dancing is every bit as good as Emilia’s.
‘As for our relationship, we just need to do exactly what we’ve been doing for the last few nights and no one will question it, not that we’ll give them any reasonto. They’ll be far too busy worrying about their own agendas to be wondering about ours.’
I knew he’d be the voice of reason, and apologise to him for letting myself get so worked up about it.
‘It’s an unusual situation,’ he says, full of understanding. ‘But remember, we’re in a really good position this week. Our routine is strong and we’ve had all the media coverage over the last few days. I think we should be feeling confident about tonight, and Sofiya’s interview will be the icing on the cake.’
‘The interview!’ I can’t believe it slipped my mind. ‘I forgot to pick up a copy.’
‘Don’t worry, I grabbed one on the way here,’ he says, reaching into his bag.
But when we pull the supplement out from between the folds of the newspaper, it’s not Sofiya staring off the cover at us.
It’s Merle.
Chapter 27
‘What the …’ I start, as Aleksis hastily flicks to the feature inside.
He lays it flat on the table to reveal a sultry shot of Merle on theFire on the Dance Floorstage underneath a giant headline that says, “I’ve made mistakes, but I won’t let that hold me back.”
“Fire on the Dance Floor’s Merle Picard exclusively tells us about his marriage split, finding new love and keeping his eyes on the prize,” I read the words underneath aloud in disbelief.
Aleksis turns the page and there’s another full spread, the words wrapped around another smouldering image of Merle as well as a photo of him and Emilia dancing. There’s a smaller one of me doing the kizomba with him in week one, too.
I skim through the questions, which are mostly about his love life, and his answers all follow the theme that while he hasn’t always made the right choices, he’s determined tomove forward, find true happiness and show the world how talented he is.
He says he was as horrified as anyone else when the photos of me and him were printed and claims he regrets hurting his wife. He ends by saying he’s in a much better place now and that he hopes Sofiya and I are too. And at the bottom there’s a footnote saying, “To hear the other side of the story, don’t miss our exclusive chat with Sofiya in tomorrow’s paper” – and the byline is none other than Stella bloody Barkley.
‘I can’t believe she’s done that.’ I slump back in my chair. ‘I thought she was on our side.’
