Melodies of Motion

Chapter 1

"Damnit!," I shout as I fall to the ground. For the third time today I have tried to complete a multiple spin move while angling half of my body down, one arm up.

"You aren't distributing your weight correctly Sylinda," my dance partner states matter of factly.

"Thanks, Derek. Tell me something that I don't know. My body is not cooperating today," I say through my teeth. He goes to say more and I throw up a hand to signal I've had enough. I get up, readjust my shirt, and walk over to the full-wall mirror in the dance studio.

"Look, maybe we call it a day and we start fresh tomorrow," he states sympathetically.

I instantly regret telling him what has been on my mind for the last few weeks. I grab my hand towel off the chair and put it on my shoulder.

"Okay, but I am going to get that right tomorrow. You can bet on that," I say in frustration. I have to or we will have to redo parts of the routine. I take my dance shoes off and throw them in my gym bag. I mutter to myself as I pull on sweats over my tights. You Must be nice to know everything Mr. '12-time Primetime Emmy Nominee for Outstanding Choreography.' I sigh knowing full well that having all those awards was the reason why I had him as a dance partner.

"Girl, you are too hard on yourself. You will get it, I know you will. But your head is causing your body to falter. Eat a good meal, hydrate, and get some rest," Derek says gently.

I nod my head as I secure an Uber to my hotel. Knowing full well I will try again when I get to the hotel's gym. Luckily the gym includes a large separate area for pilates that's closed off. I will get this move down even if it kills me. And if it does kill me, I will practice in hell.

By the time I had excused myself to the restroom, changed my top, and put on my chucks, my Uber had arrived. I give Derek a hug bye and tell him to say hello to Hayley for me. I get inside the Uber and put my earbuds in. I learned quickly that it was better to ride with music to distract me from the crazy LA drivers. I put on classical music to calm me down on the drive and 30 minutes later I am dragging myself out of the car.

The lobby of my hotel is packed for a Tuesday. I move through the crowd to get to the elevators. I press the up button to get to my penthouse suite, silently thanking Derek for that perk. The elevator empties and I scan my phone on the reader and press the penthouse level. I lean against the back of the elevator and tilt my head back.

I notice a group of guys get in the elevator so I move to the side, giving them more room. I can't hear them as I have moved to some of my favorite songs and the music is loud. I notice one of the guys scan his phone and hits the penthouse button. Interesting. I hope they are not going to be loud when I am trying to sleep. 5 am comes quickly when I stop practicing at midnight. I am scrolling through TikTok, looking at silly dog videos, when the elevator stops. I don't move hoping the guys get off first. That's when I look up and notice a tall blonde holding the elevator door, looking expectantly at me.

"Oh, thank you." I say.

I exit the elevator, turn the corner and run right into the back of one of the guys who is as solid as a 2x4. I begin to fall back and start to cuss for falling again today. I am stopped on my way to the floor by strong arms around my waist. I look up to see Blondie looking down at me. He's saying something to me. Right, earbuds.

"I am sorry?" I say a little out of breath, removing my earbuds. Why is his jawline so sharp? Focus Sylinda. "Oh thank you for stopping me from falling." He smiles.

"No problem. My friend shouldn't have stopped right around the corner," Blondie says.

I get my footing and stand up straight. Why am I blushing? And of course, he notices as his smile doesn't leave his face. Perfect.

"I should have been watching where I was going," I say as I try to pull myself together.

Mr. 2x4 bends down to retrieve my phone for me. "Sorry about that, you okay?" he asks while grinning. Did I run into a bodybuilder?

"All good. Well, you guys have a good night," I say politely and start walking to my door.

I pull my ponytail holder out of my hair realizing it is now lopsided. My long, brown hair falls down my back, slightly concealing my face. I scan my phone at the lock and open the door. I sneak a look down the hallway and notice Blondie is still standing where I left him, smiling slightly in my direction. This guy. Has he never seen a girl before? I roll my eyes and go in, shutting the door.

To say the penthouse suite was luxurious would be an understatement. The suite opens up to a large living room with an oversized couch and floor-to-ceiling windows that are throughout the suite. It took me calling the front desk to find out that the TV came out of the floor. I have no idea how large it is but it's big. A dining room / full bar is in the room to the right. The black dining room table could fit a football team, or maybe it would be baseball. Next to the dining room is a full kitchen stocked with drinks and snacks.

To the left of the living room is the bedroom, my favorite place. The oversized king bed is like sleeping on a cloud. I overslept on my first morning and was almost late meeting Derek for practice. I walk over to the small table on the other side of the bed and throw my stuff down. I plop down in the oversized chaise lounge chair and take my shoes off.

Why was Blondie staring at me, smiling? It's not like I was wearing anything risk.....y. Oh shit.

I run to the bathroom and look in the mirror over my shoulder to confirm my horror. Yup, in my grogginess this morning I grabbed the wrong sweatpants. I grabbed my backup sweats. The ones with "juicy" on the ass. Fuck.