On paper, Pete and Valentina are perfect for each other. Their friends used 'soulmates' when describing them and at one point they were. As they reflect on the last five years of their relationship, they try to understand the complexity of their lov...
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She adjusts the green bodice of her dress to fit snugly on her and triple-checks that the encrusted gems were still sewn on the neckline. Checking the mirror, she puts the finishing touches on her makeup and smooths out any flyaway hairs with a comb and a can of hairspray. She places her crown on her head and pins it down; she quickly shakes her head in all angles to make sure that the headpiece is secure.
Once she was ready, she left her dressing room and made her way down to the backstage. A small wooden box with residual powder presented itself, waiting to be used. She threw in a few extra chunks of rosin into the communal box and broke it into pieces by stepping on it. Not too much, she thought, Just a smidge. While she was delicately dipping her feet into the powder, she hums to herself and practices the choreography.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and sees that it's Avery, already dressed in her ruby costume. She wishes Valentina good luck and tells her to have great show, her hand lingering on the woman's shoulder a little too long. Valentina was about to tell her the same, but is interrupted when the stage manager said that curtains will be up in ten minutes and needed all dancers of the Emeralds section to be in their places.
The soloist said hello to her dance partner, Marcus, whom she's gotten to know better over in rehearsals. They instantly clicked, to her astonishment, and they became fast friends, during which the senior ballet dancer has taken her under his wing. Marcus gives her words of encouragement and assured that it's okay to be nervous for her first solo performance. A crew member shouts out that they have five minutes left. Valentina bounces on the balls of her feet and fidgets with her hands. She hypes herself to be excited because nerves are just a waste of energy. Soon, a minute is left and Valentina gets into position with Marcus.
The musicians down in the pit play the starting note as the curtains are rising. The audience sees a green background and a small corps de ballet of ten women forming a half circle in pairs with each other. Center stage, Valentina and Marcus have a daydream look in their eyes as they wait for their instrumental cue. They gracefully raise their arms in sync and then transitions into their pas de deux.
She lost herself in the dancing and music, a euphoric sense of feeling that she could only describe as an out-of-body experience. She is beyond elated as she twirls and glides around on stage; the score changed keys and it was time for her solo variation. All of those feelings from prior evaporated into thin air when she made the mistake of seeing out into the audience.
Ever since her and the comedian went their separate ways, she had stopped looking out into the audience. She knew that there wouldn't be anyone special out there for her, not with her friends and family being super busy recently, but now Valentina wanted to throw herself off a tall cliff when she sees them sitting in the front row of the orchestra section. The pony-tailed girl grins ear-to-ear and gave a small wave to her friend who was up on the stage. He sat next to her with his arm around her shoulders and a bouquet of pale pink peonies in his lap. Attempting to be professional, she tries not to break and continues with her variation. Pete hears his fiancée softly say "pretty", her voice going several octaves higher, in awe of the performance the Latina is putting on.
