Page 87 of Burning Bridges Duet

“Olivia?” Ryder asks, but before I can answer him, the Liam guy speaks.

“We are so happy to have made it to the finale. It doesn’t matter to us if we win tonight. We’re blessed to have this experience with all of you. It’s been the adventure of a lifetime for us. Thank you, to every single one of you who has voted for us time and time again for making our dream come true. We love you guys!”

God, what a cliché this guy is. He’s good-looking, though. Even I can admit that. I don’t want to imagine what my seventeen-year-old self would have looked like beside him.

The lights go down as they get into position. “Unsteady” by X Ambassadors starts playing, and I get a flashback to Liv stumbling over her gym bag to get to her phone to change the song in the studio.

When the stage lights come up again, Liv is on her knees while Liam stands beside her. He offers her a hand, pulling her to her feet and into a twirl before lifting her off the ground, her body horizontal over his chest. My heart races as he releases her, where she flips in the air before he catches her inches from the floor with just one arm. A tug on her hand brings her back to standing with her back to his front. Liam places his hands on her forehead and chin, then Liv takes a step towards the camera, holding out her arms and opening her mouth in a silent scream before he pulls her back into his chest. They turn around, dancing a few steps apart before coming back together. When the beat drops, Liam lies on the floor while Liv performs a split in the air. She steps over him and, with a backwards bridge, positions herself above him, then slowly lowers herself to lie on his chest. Liam sits up with Liv in his lap, both hands on her hips, before he swings her off of him, the momentum bringing her back-to-back with him.

As I watch Liv and Liam’s performance, I’m completely mesmerized. I’ve never seen anything like it. Their choreography is flawless, their movements perfectly in sync. Liv has always been an outstanding dancer, but seeing her paired with Liam is pure magic.

“You guys have no idea how fucking good that is,” I murmur.

Jaxon comes up behind me, leaning on the couch I’m sitting on.

“I’ve never seen anyone dance like this,” I say, and I’ve seen my fair share of great dancers.

“The video has two hundred million views,” Ryder says, his eyes wide.

“I found their YouTube channel,” River says with a grimace. “It has over six million subscribers and is filled with high-quality dance videos. They won the competition and many more after that.”

“How the fuck did we not know about that?” I ask, baffled.

“It seems like they’re huge in Canada, but I don’t think the hype made it to the States,” River explains.

“I still think I should have heard of them in the dance community,” I say, scratching my neck, and Ryder chuckles bitterly.

“Oh yeah? Because you were so into contemporary dance before you met her?” he asks sarcastically, and I realize he’s right.

“It may also have to do with the fact that it’s not Liv Michaels who’s famous,” River points out. “According to their YouTube channel, our girl’s name is Olivia Baker.”

THREE

My girl’s name is Olivia, and she’s a star in Canada. Honestly, I don’t give a fuck about it. I knew she was special from the moment I met her, so it doesn’t surprise me she’s more than what she’s let on. It stings a bit that she didn’t tell us, but I’m sure there’s a reason for it. Plus, she’ll tell me everything as soon as I have her back in my arms, right after I make her come so hard on my tongue that she passes out. That should be punishment enough for leaving me like this.

What bothers me is this Liam guy. River is showing us their channel, and Liam is in all the videos, which spans years of content. Is he her brother? A friend? Or worse, an ex? I can’t even fathom a scenario where he’s still in the picture. If she left us to go back to him, I might just die from a broken heart.

“When was the last video uploaded?” I ask River, and he scrolls back up to the most recent one.

“It’s from nearly a year ago,” he says, and I feel like I can breathe again. That’s a good sign, right?

River clicks on the video, and music begins to play. The video says it’s “FIGURES” by Jessie Reyez. I don’t know the song, but it gives off indie vibes. There she is on screen, looking much more like the woman I know. She’s still blonde and dolled up, but she’s more mature and her perfect curves are the same.

They’re standing in what seems like an empty warehouse. Liv is wearing black flowy shorts and a black bralette, while Liam… Fuck, Liam looks even better now that he’s all grown up and can grow a beard. Why does the fucker have to look that good?

We’ve all had our fair share of girls before Liv, and I know I’m not unattractive, but that guy there could be a fucking male model. No, I’m not jealously obsessing over him.

As they move, it’s clear that their dancing style has become more defined and mature as well, giving a sensuality that even someone like me, with no expertise in dancing, can appreciate. They’re even better than before.

He stands behind her and pulls her close to his chest, running his hands over her stomach and arms, kissing her shoulder. In the next moment, he abruptly pushes her away, causing her to fall to the ground. He turns his back to her, but she quickly rises to her feet and pulls him around by his shoulder. He steps towards her, while she walks backwards, matching the beat of the music. The dance feels both passionate and aggressive, like a dispute between lovers, and my stomach twists.

Liam pulls her from her feet horizontally to his chest, then flips her before he lets her fall. It seems like this is their signature move, and it’s impressive as hell. Softening her fall with one hand, he lays her on the ground. He pulls on her foot, but she kicks at him. They’re really good at portraying the lovers’ spat the song is talking about, and I can see the emotional pain in her face.

He lays down beside her, and they’re both on their backs, looking at each other. He reaches over to her, pulling her into a kiss. Fuck, I hate that pretty boy. He pulls her to her feet again before they do some fancy dancing shit I know nothing about, but what catches my attention is the tightness of his grip on her. His fingers leave crimson marks on her sun-kissed skin wherever he touches her.

She steps away from him, but he pulls her back into an embrace. As the camera zooms in on him, I see him planting open-mouthed kisses on her neck and shoulder, and it makes me want to punch his handsome face.

As the camera moves around them, Liv comes into view, looking over his shoulder, and I see a glimpse of fear in her eyes. What the hell? They end the dance with some more twists and turns, but I’m distracted. That was real fear I saw in those green eyes, wasn’t it?