dancing in the stars (ballerina x singer wlw romance)

chapter fifteen

WILLOW

"What's on your mind?" my voice gets lost in the quiet and peaceful night.

The full moon reflects herself on the sea in front of us, the cold breeze makes my body shiver but I don't dare to move. Somehow, I want this moment to last forever. So peaceful, just me and her in the middle of the night.
Summer wraps her arms around her legs, her oversized hoodie hiding them underneath. We've been enjoying each other's company for ten minutes, no one had said anything and it was the first time in my life that I felt comfortable with someone. I don't even know her.

"Nothing." she whispers so softly that warms my heart. "Everything. I don't know."

A long sigh leaves my body while Summer gets more comfortable next to me. "Do you come often here?"

She shakes her head. "I used to. Everything changed when I..." she hesitates. "When I entered the Academy."

"How old were you?"

"I was four when I started ballet classes and fifteen when I started at the Academy." she tells me and I swear I hear some sadness in her voice. "What about you?"

My brows furrowed. "Me?"

"Yeah. How did you know, you could... uh, sing?" she chuckles softly, the sound going straight to my heart.

"Well, I was probably four or... five. My grandma got me some headphones so I could listen to music to..." not listen to my mom yelling at me. "I don't know, disconnected, I guess. I fell in love immediately with music. I love listening to the melodies, the lyrics, the voice behind it. As I got older, my... uh, my mom, noticed I could sing really well and she got me into these competitions–" I shake my head. "Thing is, I got invested in it. Writing songs, the process behind it, choosing a melody, creating art. I fell in love with it and I knew that's what I wanted for my life."

Summer listens to every word I say, like the always does but it's never felt so... personal and intimate with her. Maybe it's because we're alone at the beach in the middle of the night.
"You're really talented, you know?" my lips raise in a smile when she lifts her head to lock those big brown eyes on me. "Do you want to make a career out of it? Is that why you got into the showcase?"

My nose wrinkles as I stare at her. She's so pretty. "I... uh, yes. I think, I don't know. One of the reasons. It's just a great opportunity for me."

"What's the other reason?"

A moment passes while I think if I should tell her. There's nothing to be ashamed of. She has money, I don't– but that reminds me I should not be here pretending we're best friend because we are not. We're from different worlds.
"The money and the, uh, the scholarship." I whisper like a secret, moving my gaze away from her to the sea in front of me. "We haven't talked about this but, uh, it's fine if you want to split the money. I'm good with the scholarship."

I feel her intense eyes on me and I feel like I'm burning under her eyes. Stop staring at me! I want to say, but why? A full minute passes, my green eyes find her brown ones again and her whole face softens before sighing. "I don't want the money, Willow. I'm doing this for you and because I need... something new, fun, different."

"You don't want the money?" my voice comes out a little higher than I intended.

She shakes her head. "I told Professor Queens that if we win, the money is all yours. She said that it was fine." Summer shrugs and tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear. My eyes follow the movement like it was in slow motion.