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“Yeah.” I’m distracted, my plan is formulating. Screw it. Who knows how long they’re going to be here? I don’t want to waste time leaving and searching for Aries and then coming back. As soon as I make up my mind that I’m going to walk by their booth and double-check that it’s really him, red light slants across their faces, and I get the confirmation I needed.
It's him. My Leo. My gaze is hungry as it gobbles up everything I can see from here.
He's in different clothes since the last time I saw him. That's got to be a good sign, right? Stubble lines his cheeks and jaw, and it's just too far away to make out if he has any bruising on his face. The gray tee he's wearing hugs his chest and arms, but he’s holding his hands awkwardly in front of him. Tied together then?
I bite my bottom lip. That might be a problem, but one for future me to worry about.
The five men and Leo walk to the tables and chairs in front of the center stage. I keep an eye on them as they settle in and I make my way back up to Kristi.
“Hey, uhm, Juliet, so I’m ready to dance.”
“That's good, honey,” she says as she looks at her phone. “You’ll get your turn.”
“No, I'm gonna dance now. And I'm going to do it on that stage.” I hook a thumb over my shoulder, pointing toward all the stages and praying that there isn't some sort of lineup that the real Jessica already agreed to. My heart pounds heavy and fast inside my chest, like a crow beating its wings frantically.
Everything hinges on me dancing at this stage, and with every second on the clock, my anxiety rises. Is Aries looking for me yet? Where are Matteo and Dante?
Kristi looks at me, her lips twisted into a scowl. “Yeah, alright, honey. You can be at three, and you can have the first song. Go through here, it wraps around the backstage area. The stages are numbered one through five. Pick your stage and wait for your cue.”
“Perfect. Thanks.” I take out my phone as I follow Kristi’s instructions and quickly type a text to our group chat.
I found him. Diamond Room. Need distraction.
It's all I can send before I'm hustled backstage on three.
A woman with an earpiece greets me with a smile and a clipboard. “Name?”
“Oh, uh, Raven?” It comes out as a question, but she either doesn't notice or doesn't care.
“Alright, you're up in thirty seconds.”
I nod and blow out a breath, shaking my nerves from my fingertips. The heavy maroon velvet curtain is two inches from my face, and I realize I have no idea what I'm going to do out there. I’ve never taken a pole class in my life, not even just one for fun.
“Ten seconds.”
My anxiety spikes, embarrassment threatening to gobble me whole.
I inhale, then exhale, searching for my center. Only my center looks a lot different these days, and it’s evenly divided between four men.
None of this matters. These people and their opinion of my dancing doesn't matter. What's important is getting Leo out of here safely. There are only four people in this building whose opinions hold weight in my life. So if I walk out onto the stage and end up making a fool of myself but it gives us the distraction we need to get Leo, then I'll call that a win.
Dancing to save my boyfriend? When it’s put like that, it’s an easy choice.
“Three seconds.”
I open my eyes and blow out the breath that I had been holding, my mind clear. She peels back the curtain, and with my heart in my throat, I walk on stage with an extra sway in my hips.
