Page 74 of Take the Lead
‘What’s wrong with my shirts?’ He sounds perplexed.
Dee appears on the screen before Mum has a chance to answer.
‘Sorry about that – Nathan’s being a right pain today. What’s this I hear about you coming to visit? Did you say you’re flying over on Tuesday?’
I explain the plan again and Dee goes straight into organising mode – what we’re going to eat, what she needs to buy, how she’s going to get the kids to behave while we’re there.
‘It’s only a flying visit,’ I remind her, but suddenly I can’t wait to be there. Hearing them all so eager to see me makes me wonder why I ever hesitated.
‘Then let’s make sure it’s a good one,’ Dee beams. ‘It’ll be great to meet you in person too, Aleksis. You can tell us how much of a pain my little sis is being during rehearsals. She’s never liked doing what she’s told.’
‘She’s the perfect student. We’re working really hard, but still managing to enjoy ourselves.’ He kisses me on the cheek, which doesn’t go unnoticed by my sister.
‘Onandoff the dance floor?’ she asks, smirking, and I can feel my cheeks flushing. It’s time to fess up.
‘You could put it like that,’ I nod.
‘Amazing. I bet that’s easier than pretending,’ she laughs. ‘You can tell us all about it when you get here.’
‘We will. But right now, we should probably get back to Olivia and let her know she can go ahead and book the flights. I’ll text you from the airport on Tuesday morning to confirm everything’s on time, okay? And all being well we’ll see you around midday.’
‘Can’t wait,’ Dee says.
Aleksis is smiling when I end the call. ‘They seem lovely,’ he says. ‘Maybe after this we should fly to Latvia and meet my parents too. After the competition’s finished, I mean.’
‘Really?’ My stomach flips with excitement that he wants this to happen.
‘They’d love to meet you. They’re pretty laid-back too. I think you’ll like them. And where they live is really beautiful. Do you fancy it?’ He looks hopeful.
I answer him with a kiss. Knowing this isn’t going to come crashing to a halt as soon as the show is over makes me happier than I think I’ve ever been.
Chapter 39
Monday flies by in a whirl. We get to the studio at eight, our earliest start yet, stay till it closes at six and are tucked up in bed by nine-thirty, because we have such an early start for our morning flight. Not that we go to sleep right away. Theory has it that people sleep a lot better after an orgasm – and we’re both more than willing to test that theory.
‘Ugh, make it stop,’ I groan, when my phone alarm starts ringing at four-thirty a.m.
‘Five-minute snooze?’ Aleksis suggests.
‘Can’t we make it fifty?’ I snuggle closer to him.
‘If you keep doing that we’ll miss the flight,’ he warns.
We reluctantly drag ourselves out from under the covers when the second alarm goes off.
‘Still think this is a good idea?’ I ask through a yawn.
‘Come on, cold shower and we’ll feel much more lively,’ he suggests.
I settle for lukewarm – I can’t face an icy blast this early.
It doesn’t take us long to get ready. Other than our dance shoes and our phone chargers we don’t have anything to pack, and neither of us wants breakfast at this hour.
‘I quite like having no luggage,’ Aleksis says as our taxi whisks us through the deserted streets of London to the airport. ‘I’m so used to having to cart a load of suitcases around with all my dance gear inside.’
‘It does feel liberating. I can totally see the appeal of having a little place abroad and having everything you need there so you don’t have to lug a bag back and forth.’
‘I’d better make sure you win that final then,’ he laughs. ‘We can practise on the plane if it’s not too busy. I can’t imagine anyone else is crazy enough to be travelling this early in the morning.’
