All for the Mirrorball

Chapter 16 - Two to Tango

Alan was thankful these dance moves were second nature to him at this point. As he moved, he was so drawn into the depths of Ilona's eyes - pools of green that he knew held all of the answers to his burning questions - that he was the cause of a few of the missteps during Friday's morning rehearsal. He had no idea how she was handling it. Maybe she's just not affected by me in the same way, he thought. He tried to tell himself that wasn't the case. Someone who's unaffected doesn't need manufactured distance and dissociation, he reminded himself.

At one point, as he stared into her eyes and saw that glazed-over, distant version, he stopped dancing. She started to pull away from his hold, ready to hear whatever notes he had, but he held her close.

"I'm afraid that's not going to cut it, Ilona."

His body was so close to hers that she swore she could feel his heartbeat - but maybe it was just hers, pounding so loudly it almost drowned everything else out. His eyes were marked by a glimmer of something she couldn't quite identify. He continued before she had a chance to question him.

"I know you're focusing on the footwork, but you need to look at me, not through me." His voice was low and patient, but the air of amusement made her cheeks flush.

"I am," she replied quickly, not believing herself for a second. She was looking in his direction, sure, but she hadn't really looked at him. Not fully. Not when every time she met his gaze, her chest tightened and her thoughts frenzied out of control like they didn't belong to her. Can he tell when I unfocus my eyes like that?

Alan raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly, and his grip on her hand tightened just enough to ground her. "Lo," he said softly, his tone becoming even gentler, "you're not. You're somewhere else."

Her breath hitched, and she quickly glanced over her shoulder, desperate for an escape route that didn't exist. "I'm just... trying to focus on the steps," she muttered, her tone defensive, though she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince - him or herself.

"The steps are fine. We're just not connecting like usual," he said, his voice dropping lower. "The judges will see it if you keep pulling away like this."

"I'm not pulling away," she said, the words coming out faster and louder than she intended.

His lips curved into a small, knowing smile, and he shifted his weight slightly, drawing her even closer. "Aren't you?"

Her heart pounded against her ribs as she tried to steady her breathing. His face was even closer now, his dark eyes searching hers, and she felt her resolve slipping. She'd been avoiding this exact moment all week - the one where she couldn't hide behind the choreography or an excuse, the one where his gaze would pin her into place and she'd have to face everything she was avoiding.

"Look at me," Alan said again, softer this time, as though coaxing a wild animal out of hiding. His voice carried no judgement - just quiet encouragement - but it was enough to make her stomach flip.

She hesitated, but slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his. The moment their gazes locked, the air between them shifted. His expression softened, and for a second, she forgot to breathe. His eyes seemed to hold hers like they had all the time in the world, and the way his thumb brushed the side of her hand sent a spark up her arm.

"There," Alan said, his voice barely above a whisper, his face colored by the faintest smile. "That's it. Don't look away now." They began to move again, falling into perfect step.

Her heart was racing, mind scrambling to keep up, but her feet moved as they were supposed to. Everything else melted away. Alan led with effortless precision, and Ilona followed instinctively, as if their bodies moved as one. She didn't want to look at him, not like this, but his eyes held hers in a way that made it impossible to look away. The moments when his face wasn't inches from hers went by so quickly that she could barely catch her breath. She stalked him down in those final steps and held him tantalizingly close before throwing him onto the floor.