Keeping a Strong Performance

Dance it Away

So, this is a short chapter, there will be a climax in this here story next chapter SO YAY prepare to hate me if you don't already. Btw the song in this chapter is called perfect by Selena Gomez and I'm not a huge fan of her but this song goes with this in my opinion.... Go listen to it please.

Reiner's POV

When I got to Bert's place the next day, which was Sunday, I noticed he wasn't there. I looked everywhere, but I didn't find the tall guy. I'd had plenty of time to think about what he said, and I still couldn't make sense of it all. Before he found out that I was having an affair, I was so sure that I could leave him and be done with it. It would've been so much easier if he didn't know why I was doing it, but then again wouldn't he still do the same thing?

Wouldn't he still lose his mind a bit and beg me to come back? He's told me all the time that he doesn't deserve me, but in the end I don't deserve him. He wanted to fix it, he wanted us to be okay, and have a family. Sure I'd wanted a family, and I knew we would never be able to have children of our own but I was fine with that. I knew none of this was fair to him, I knew it and it hurt that I did.

He always said that he was glad that I could handle him, but I never had any problems holding him when he was crying or when he felt down about himself. He did the same for me. Our friendship started out rocky and I fell in love with him in less than two months, so what? We had time to fall harder and we did, so why was it so easy for me to think I could just walk away from what we had? Was it selfish ambitions? Lust? Or was I just stupid? All of the above I believe.

I'd learned more in the course of two days than I had in three months with Bertolt. Pretty much what he was trying to say was that he did hate me, just what I did and that was completely understandable. That brought me back to the first time I seen him after I left and he told me that he hated me. I knew he didn't mean it, but it hurt me to know that I'd made him say that. He never would've said that, no matter how mad I made him. I knew it was hard for him to talk about it and it was hard for me too.

After looking over everywhere in the house twice, I stood in the middle of the living room. There weren't that many places that he could be on a Sunday, so I decided to text Annie. She still wasn't happy with me, but she knew that I was supposed to be looking out for him. I had a feeling that she made sure that I was the one that had to take care of him so that him and I could work something out. It didn't take long for her to answer and when she did, it honestly surprised me. See, Bertolt stopped dancing about six years ago when he was hit by a truck.

They doctors told him it messed his legs up and though they fixed it, they said they weren't strong enough to do something as strenuous as dancing. It crushed him, but he got over it. He didn't know, but I knew that he would watch other people dance and wish that he could do it again. Knowing that he never tried to pursue his dream of dancing again, it surprised me to know that he was at the dance studio that Annie had attached to her gym. She never used it because she focused more on fighting skills.

I left his apartment and started on my way to the studio. I decided to walk there since it wasn't that cold and it wasn't that far away. When I got to the building that the actual studio was in, I went around and into the back of it. I heard some music playing and it could only be called horrid. Bertolt had acquired some terrible taste in music, but it was always fun to watch him dance around and sing along when he was either supposed to be cooking or cleaning. It wasn't that he was a bad singer, it was more of the fact that he tried to mimic the horrible singing.

He knew they were terrible but that was why he listened to the songs. He liked the words and the beat of them. Most of the room was dark, and the only lights on we're over where he was. I went and leaned on a wall that had no light shining on it and I knew it was too far away for him to see me. He was doing some kind of weird dancing to a Justin Bieber song. It was one of his ones and it was terrible like most of them. It looked like he was trying to dance to it, but wasn't at the same time.

It was almost as if he didn't care. The song was coming to an end and he went to the middle of where the light was shining. Another song was beginning to come on and he took a breath. It was a slower song, but a newer one nonetheless. He positioned his feet the same way a ballerina might have. He moved his lips to the words and began to dance in the most beautiful way I'd ever seen. It was slow, sad, and perfect. I listened to the words of the song, after realizing that he was seeming to be upset at the words.

"Different inflection when you say my name. Kiss me, but your kiss don't taste the same. Is it real or am I going out of my mind? Curious 'bout the company that you keep. Cause I hear you talking 'bout her in your sleep. And now you've got me talking 'bout her in mine." I listened to the words and immediately understood why his movements were slow. He spun around on his tip toe slowly and I watched his shadow.

"Ooh, and I bet she has it all, Bet she's beautiful like you, like you, And I bet she's got that touch, Makes you fall in love, like you, like you. I can taste her lipstick and see her laying across your chest, I can feel the distance every time you remember her fingertips. Maybe I should be more like her, Maybe I should be more like her, I can taste her lipstick, it's like I'm kissing her, too. And she's perfect, And she's perfect."

Bertolt was singing along and I was enraptured in his voice because it was filled with emotion. His body moved around the small area of light with ease and I was amazed that he could still dance so well. His dancing was beyond amazing honestly. Words couldn't describe what he could do. He was talented in more ways than anyone could ever say they had the honor of seeing.

"How does she touch you? Can I try it, too? I know you're twisted, but baby, I'm twisted, too. I wanna know how she could make a man lose his mind. With the smell of her perfume, I could love her, too, like you, like you. And I can almost hear her laugh, Curving on her back for you, for you. Ooh." I seen a tear drop down his cheek and his lip tremble.

"I can taste her lipstick and see her laying across your chest. I can feel the distance every time you remember her fingertips. Maybe I should be more like her, Maybe I should be more like her. I can taste her lipstick, it's like I'm kissing her, too. And she's perfect." Finally, he stopped moving all together and just dropped to his knees. "I can see her body rushing into you
Crashing on your skin. Burning within, burning so deep, deep. On your skin, skin next to me. She's crashing on your skin. Settling in, burning so deep, deep. On your skin, skin while you sleep.

"I can taste her lipstick and see her laying across your chest
I can feel the distance every time you remember her fingertips
Maybe I should be more like her
Maybe I should be more like her
I can taste her lipstick, it's like I'm kissing her, too. And she's perfect." The song came to a close and I didn't know what to do. That song was probably perfect for his situation. He started sobbing again and I felt the need to go and comfort him, but realized that he didn't even know I was there.

I simply walked to the front door and went out without making a sound as he sobbed on the floor. If I didn't love him anymore, why was it so hard for me to walk away?

Prepare yourselves... Triggers? Idek

OH AND REINER I KNOW HE IS AN ASS BUT HE WILL GET BETTER AND THERE WILL BE GUESTS YAY YAY
just not next chapter.... Bai