All for the Mirrorball

Chapter 33 - Gets Me Every Time

The sound of her alarm blared, shattering the peaceful quiet of the room. Ilona groaned, fumbling to turn it off before the noise could pull her fully awake. Her body ached, a satisfying soreness from the hours they'd spent tangled together the night before. She felt Alan shift beside her, his face pressing into her shoulder.

"I can't believe you actually get up this early on purpose," he mumbled, voice gravelly with sleep.

"Some of us like to be productive," she teased, though her body betrayed her as she melted back into the warmth of his embrace.

Alan cracked one eye open, his expression soft despite the hour. "I'd call staying in bed productive."

She laughed softly, running a hand through his messy hair. "You're the one who insisted on coming with all week. I wouldn't hold it against you if you wanted to sleep."

"Oh, no - only if I could convince you to stay too." Alan peeked up at her, his sleepy grin betraying his protests. "You're lucky I like you."

"Damn right, I am," she teased, leaning to kiss him quickly.

"If I'd known you'd still have this much energy last night, I might've conserved some of mine."

She laughed, nudging him lightly. "Oh, please. You were just as bad."

He kissed her temple, his voice low and warm. "Worth every second."

After pulling on gym clothes, they moved in sync as they got ready. Alan handed her a protein bar while Ilona filled up their water bottles. When she leaned in to tie her sneakers, he couldn't help but trail a hand over her back, smirking when she swatted him away.

"You keep this up, and we'll never make it to the gym," she teased.

They kept the workout short but effective, pushing through circuits with their usual banter. By the time they got back to his place, they were both buzzing with energy, though Ilona's muscles still hummed with pleasant exhaustion.

"Shower together?" she asked with a playful tilt of her head.

Alan didn't need to be asked twice, following her into the bathroom with a grin. They moved around each other seamlessly, trading kisses between soapy laughter and stolen moments under the warm spray.

Afterward, as Ilona blow-dried her hair, Alan tugged on his hoodie and kissed her cheek. "I'll grab breakfast. You meet me at the studio?"

"Deal," she said, watching him in the mirror. "Don't forget the hot sauce."

He chuckled. "I would never."

—

When she walked into the studio twenty minutes later, Ilona spotted Alan sitting on the couch, two coffees and a pair of foil-wrapped burritos already waiting. His eyes lit up when he saw her, his gaze lingering on the cropped pink tank and white tennis skirt she'd thrown on.

"Cute," he said, sliding a coffee across the table toward her.

"You're not so bad yourself," she teased, unwrapping her burrito. "Do you have an exclusive deal with whoever makes those tank tops?"

He almost spat out his coffee, doubling over in laughter. "I don't know where you get off being so much funnier than everyone else," he choked out.

As they ate, Alan wiped his mouth with a napkin and glanced over at her. "So, I was thinking. I don't want to monopolize your time... I mean, I do, but that's not fair. I know you were planning to live with your sisters for three full weeks and that... hasn't exactly happened."