First Encounter (A Perri Kiely story)

Chapter 17

Vanessa had a hard routine coming up. She had to choreograph a ballad this week. She played the Demi Lovato track again and again. She planned the routine, scratched it and started again several times. She wanted to show the viewers how brilliant he was and she wanted the judges to score him highly so she needed to make it difficult. She finally settled on a routine that she hoped hit the mark. A little flutter jolted her out of her planning as she thought about seeing Perri and teaching him her choreo. She adored how easily he soaked up the steps. Perks of being a dancer. But she liked it more when she had to hold him and show him where to place his skates and how to hold his slender but considerable frame. She closed her mac laptop and turned off the hotel room lights. Her last thought before she dropped off to sleep was of him lifting her high above his head.

Perri was in a great mood. He had got Laura to agree to date him, he had kissed her and she didn't slap him or scream. They were back to messaging again due to work schedules but he was a patient man when he needed to be. He glided across the ice with a huge smile on his face, ready for whatever Vanessa would throw at him.

Vanessa saw him heading towards her with a massive smile and she reflected the same great mood back at him. "Good morning partner!"

"Good morning" he replied swirling around her latching on to her midriff with one arm and swinging her around in a wide arc. He set her back down on the ice and hugged her. Vanessa felt dizzy but she wasn't sure of the cause. She pushed down whatever it was that Perri had stirred up and took him through the routine structure, positions and any new skating skills he would need to perform. As usual he soaked up everything like a six foot two inch, very handsome sponge. Before long they were ready to do a basic run through. Pleased with his progress, Vanessa called a break. She could see that Rory had arrived and was waiting at the side of the rink. He wasn't as happy as the pair, in fact he seemed to be in a dark mood. Vanessa brought Perri over to meet him, they had only met the once back when it she was first paired with Perri.

"Hi Rory" Vanessa said brightly in an attempt to lift his mood by being extra sunny. Her boyfriend just glared. She turned in the direction of Rory's death stare and immediately realised the problem. Perri was standing innocently a few feet behind Vanessa not really paying any attention to the couple. He hadn't even noticed the scowls that Rory was throwing his way.

"Babe, you remember Perri right?" She asked, Rory nodded.

"Perri, why don't we show Rory our routine?" She figured if he could see how good he was, he would understand why she talked so highly of him. Perri nodded and waved at Rory, who just twitched his head up in acknowledgement. She started the music and they performed the routine minus the lifts, and the start and finish position because the props hadn't arrived yet. When the routine was over, Vanessa looked over to Rory expecting applause or something. But he was on his phone.

"Rude" Perri muttered, he could see it had upset Vanessa. In a fit of pettiness he lifted Vanessa up, hooking his arm under her knees and dipped her down low. She yelped and clung on to Perri's neck because she didn't know what was happening. Perri positioned his face close to Vanessa's like he was going to kiss her and turned his head slightly to Rory's direction. It worked. Rory was fuming. Vanessa tried to right herself but Perri kept her in his hold just a bit longer. Perri turned to face Vanessa again, his lips were so close Vanessa could feel his breath on her face. If Rory hadn't had been staring right at them, she may have given in to the incredible pull his shapely mouth possessed. She gave up trying to force her way out of his grip and just asked him instead.

"Perri, please let go, this isn't helping." Perri snapped out of it and pulled Vanessa back upright. The second her skates touched the ice she sped away to Rory. Perri didn't follow.

Perri could see them arguing, Rory was waving his arms animatedly and Vanessa looked like she was pleading with him. Then Perri saw Vanessa flinch, it didn't seem physically possible to be at the rinkside in the time he took.

"Are you alright Vanessa?" He was staring straight at Rory as he asked. Rory bristled.

"This doesn't concern you mate." He spat, reaching out to grab Vanessa and move her somewhere else. Perri stepped off the ice and stood in between them, with his back to Vanessa. He was taller than Rory normally, but with his skates on he towered over him. Rory didn't expect this display of aggression. He thought of Perri as a bit wimpish, but looking up at him this close, he was reassessing his assumption. Perri's stare was unwavering, his nostrils flared as he breathed heavier. His hands had balled into fists. Rory noticed the taller man's muscular body, he was lean but no weakling. He suddenly thought of his face which needed to be bruise free as it was his livelihood.

"I'll talk to you later." Rory hissed at his girlfriend around Perri's tensed body. He stormed out without looking back. Vanessa's sniffle shocked Perri out of his fight mode. He whipped round to face her making her flinch.

"He doesn't get to treat you like that, not in front of me." Perri said, his voice low and gravelly. Vanessa hadn't seen this side of her dance partner before and she had annoyed him plenty of times in the past. She would smack and push him happily like he was her favourite childhood teddy. But this was no soft toy in front of her, he was a fully grown, very strong man, who could be as dangerous as any other man. She took some deep breaths to control her conflicting emotions. He might seem frightening, she knew he could snap her in half with barely any effort if he wanted, but he did this to protect her from what he saw as an attack from Rory. He was defending her. She realised that she really liked that idea. Vanessa blinked her eyes fast as if to shake the feelings that were getting harder to ignore away, she needed to get out of this place and away from Perri.

"I'm gonna go." She said, turning to collect her things. A pair of strong hands stopped her.

"If you think I'm going to let you chase after him, you've got another thing coming." He said, turning her back around. Vanessa's breathing reached panic attack levels. Every atom in her body was pulling towards him, calling out to him. She desperately pushed at his chest to squirm out of his arms. Unaware of Vanessa's emotional turmoil, Perri simply locked his fingers behind her back and waited for her to tire herself out. The longer he kept her here the further away Rory would be.

Vanessa chest was heaving as hard as if she were in a Bronte novel. She stared up at him who was staring back, his face defiant and determined. She stretched up, almost involuntarily, feet on her toepicks and raised her arms from pushing his chest to around his shoulders, she saw Perri lean down so she closed her eyes. Perri pecked the top of her forehead with a brotherly kiss.

"I don't think he's any good for you V." Vanessa's eyes fluttered open and she dropped her arms down like his shoulders were on fire.

"Ok, I won't go after him, I promise. I just need some time alone." She pleaded. Perri nodded and let her go. He watched her slam on her blade guards and practically sprint out of the rink.

Vanessa only just made it out of the rink before the tears started to fall. She could barely see where she was going, she didn't care, she just wanted to be as far away from Perri and Rory as possible, she settled for the pro skaters dressing room. She slammed the door and collapsed on the floor and wailed.