Page 18 of Dance With Me
He carried the tray, placed the drinks in front of his friends and took a seat at the table. He frowned as he tried to remember what was bothering him, but it wouldn’t come. He pushed the thought from his mind and concentrated on his friends.
“The music’s great in here,” Seb shouted, dancing in his chair. “I’m going back out there.”
Hayden and Dom nodded at him, and Seb made his way to the middle of the floor, losing himself in the music. A few minutes later, he felt a warm body behind him, hands on his hips. The steady pulse and throb of the beat resonated through his body. A hard cock pressed against his arse, and he tried to turn to see who it was, but the grip tightened, and Seb was forced to face front. A warm breath on his neck caused an involuntary shiver down his spine, and he managed to break away. The hands moved from his hips, and as he turned, he saw the back of a man moving through the crowd. He tried to follow, but the throng of people closed around him, blocking his exit. He felt uncomfortable, dirty even, but couldn’t explain why.
Seb shrugged off the sensation and carried on dancing. He tried to forget what had happened and, thankfully, the rest of the evening passed without further incident, with drinks flowing and lots more dancing with the guys. At around one, they decided to call it a night and called an Uber to take them home, each saying goodnight as they reached their respective homes.
Seb was happy to be home. He showered as soon as he got in and washed away the sweat and smell of the club. He’d needed tonight, a chance to decompress, forget about the stalker, forget about Joe. He got into bed and plugged his phone in to charge. A notification saying he’d received a message was waiting. Who’d be messaging him this time of night?
He reluctantly opened it, aware that his stalker hadn’t been in contact for some time and, sure enough, several photos of him in the club loaded. A couple with him and the guys and one of him dancing on his own, his eyes closed, lost in the music.
The accompanying message sent chills through him, and his stomach roiled as he read it.
It was so good dancing with you, feeling you in my arms. Your time is coming. Tick tock.
He threw the phone to the floor, backing against the headboard on the bed, his knees to his chest, the now-familiar feeling of fear hitting him again. He knew the silence had been too good to be true. Seb needed to contact the police again, and hopefully, this time, they’d take him seriously.
Chapter Eleven
Joe
The next few weeks sped by, and the date of the wedding drew closer. Clare became more and more stressed, and they started to argue nearly every day over the slightest thing, a cup not put in the dishwasher, the cap left off the toothpaste, even Joe breathing too loudly. It was ridiculous and more than a little annoying.
Joe had started to think he’d made a huge mistake proposing to Clare, and his mood reached an all-time low. He knew that it could just be the pressure from the wedding arrangements, but he wasn’t convinced. They’d managed to book everything, and he’d hoped some of the tension would ease, but he’d been wrong. It had only got worse.
The only light in his now very dark, miserable days were his lessons with Seb. Tuesday’s lessons were spent with Clare, but on Wednesdays and Thursdays, it was just him and Seb. He enjoyed his time with him, but even Seb had started to become withdrawn; the little touches and looks they had shared previously were less frequent. Joe didn’t know what was happening, but he didn’t like it. Seb wouldn’t talk to him. And it was driving Joe mad.
About eight weeks before the wedding, they were at a Tuesday night session with Clare. The dancing had been going well until Joe started to dance like he’d never had a lesson in his life.
He’d suddenly realised that if he and Clare continued to improve, his time with Seb might come to an end sooner than he’d thought. Selfishly, this was all he could think about, and his concentration wavered. He led Clare across the studio floor, but his feet didn’t do what his brain told them, and he stumbled with her in hold. They both fell and sprawled across the wooden floor, Clare landing on top of him.
“What the hell, Joe!” she seethed. “Have you learnt nothing these past few weeks? It’s like you’re not even trying.” Joe looked at Clare and could see the tears in her eyes. She picked herself up from the floor and wiped herself down. She snatched up her bag and walked to the door. “I’m going. I can’t even look at you right now.”
Joe hung his head. He felt tired and beaten but made no comment when Clare left the studio. Fucking hell, this was all he needed. He looked up, looking for something, anything, that would tell him what to do next. He was torn between speaking to Seb and going after Clare, but he decided to follow her out. He called to her but was just in time to see her get into a familiar car and drive away. Guess it would have to wait until later. Joe went back into the studio.
“That went well,” he said as he rubbed his eyes. “I couldn’t have fucked up more if I’d tried.” He sat on a chair, his arms resting on his thighs. “I don’t even know why I’m doing this.”
“Hey, we all have off days, even us professionals,” Seb said gently as he stroked Joe’s back, eventually resting his hand on his shoulder. Joe felt his touch like a balm to his soul.
“Thanks,” Joe replied, patting Seb’s hand, then bent to collect his things from the floor. He turned to apologise to Seb and saw him looking at his phone, a frown on his face.
“Everything alright, Seb?”
“Sorry?” Seb asked, looking over at Joe, a worried look on his face. “I was miles away.”
“I just wanted to apologise for my and Clare’s behaviour tonight. It was unforgivable. We’ve been at each other’s throats these last couple of weeks. I’m putting it down to wedding nerves but…” Joe didn’t finish the sentence, not even knowing how to explain what was happening in his life.
Seb seemed distracted, as if he wasn’t really hearing anything Joe was saying.
Joe repeated his question. “Are you OK, Seb?”
Seb blinked as if hearing him for the first time. “I’m good; I just have a lot on at the moment. What with Natalia moving to London, employing a new teacher, dealing with the stalker.”
“What the fuck did you just say?” Joe moved to stand in front of Seb.Stalker, what the hell?!
“I-I-I,” Seb stuttered as he turned away, and Joe noticed tears shimmering in his eyes.
“You have a stalker? Why haven’t you mentioned this before? Is this why you’ve been so distracted these past few weeks?”
