Tom looked all around the house for McKenzie - her bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, the parlor - but couldn't find her anywhere. He expected that much, though, seeing as he had been living in the house for just over a month and didn't know his way around yet. A new room seemed to pop up every week. Last week it had been another guest bedroom, the week before a sauna, he was just waiting for this week's surprise.
Aside from the constant mysteries, living with McKenzie had actually proved fun so far. She acted just as crazy as she had when they were teenagers, except now she drank so her excitement doubled. Tom had to admit that she had made his twenty-fourth birthday quite extravagant, taking him around New York City for the day and then around to various bars and Central Park at night. He found out later that paparazzi had found them and taken many a picture that ended up in many a magazine. He had expected that much to happen, though, seeing as they were both pretty popular at the moment. But that had been two weeks ago and now all he had to worry about was October and half of November. The thought of leaving in late November actually saddened him a bit.
Just as he was about to give up on his search, Tom heard the bass of a song coming from behind a door. Of course, he had never noticed the door before. Here's the surprise of the week. He thought. As soon as the door was opened a crack, a cool breeze and the sound of blasting bass flooded over him. McKenzie didn't notice him enter as her back was facing him and she seemed too concentrated on her dance anyway. It took about three more minutes until McKenzie turned and noticed her one man audience out of the corner of her eye. She gasped and stopped, grabbing the remote to her stereo to hit pause.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, panting.
"You didn't need to stop. You're a wonderful dancer."
"I didn't tell you about this room, did I?"
"No, I just found it while I was looking for you. I wanted to let you know that I was back from the store and we could go out to lunch like I thought we had planned to do."
"Shit," McKenzie muttered, grabbing a towel, beginning to wipe the sweat off her neck. Even though she was only in a sports bra and spandex shorts, she was dying. Her dancing had to have been going on for at least an hour, nonstop, before Tom found her. "I totally forgot about that. I'm so sorry."
"It's fine with me. But since you did kind of blow me off, do you mind me asking why you seem so shocked that I found this room?"
McKenzie threw her towel down on the floor by a three-legged wooden chair and leaned up against the mirror wall behind her, crossing her arms over her chest. "No one but me and the construction workers who built it know about this room."
"Why not?"
McKenzie shrugged. "I come here to get away. It's that one place I know Jeff won't bother me when I'm upset or we're fighting. I'm using it while I still can," she explained, placing her hands on her stomach.
"Do you two fight a lot?" Tom was genuinely curious. It seemed like every time McKenzie mentioned Jeff, they were in some sort of argument.
McKenzie looked down and swallowed. "It's not all the time, but recently it seems like it. I think it's just the distance and..."
Tom knew what the real problem was but he didn't want to say it out loud. He knew that Jeffry was anything but thrilled about him being McKenzie's housemate. There were so many possible things that could happen... all of which Tom knew would never happen. The truth had to stay bundled up inside so that McKenzie didn't get any ideas to make Tom leave. That was the last thing he wanted. Staying with McKenzie had been the best thing to happen to him in a long time.
Tom looked around the room trying to find something to change the subject. There were so many things in this dance studio that he had to be able to find something. Suddenly, his eyes landed on the shining silver pole in the left, back corner.
"Is that a stripper pole?"
McKenzie looked back at it and shook her head, giggling a bit. "I was wondering if you would ever notice it. Yes, it is. But I promise I'm not a slut... entirely. I use it to work out."
"How the hell do you work out on a stripper pole?" Tom raised his eyebrows in genuine curiosity.
"Thomas, have you ever seen a stripper?" Tom wasn't sure how to answer so he just kind of stood there. Either yes or no was sure to prompt yelling from McKenzie. "They have, like, serious arm strength. When I say I'm going to work out, this is where I go. Here, feel."
McKenzie walked over to Tom and flexed. He gave her bicep a little squeeze and laughed. It felt like there was nothing there, she was so skinny. "Very nice."
"You don't believe me."
"I never said that."
"But I can tell," McKenzie concluded. "You don't think that I can hold myself up on that pole."
Tom just shrugged. He really had no idea how much upper body strength McKenzie had. When he had watched her play volleyball when they were younger, she had played setter which didn't really give an accurate account of strength. No other opportunity had come up to test it.
McKenzie gave Tom a look and walked over to where she had thrown the stereo remote down to turn the music back on then continued over to the pole. She hopped up on the platform and held onto it with one hand, all the while looking at a still curious Tom. But now he was curious for different reasons. What was McKenzie about to do? But nothing happened. All that McKenzie did was hoist herself up, using only her arms so she was parallel to the ground. When that trick was over, she hopped up and wrapped her legs around it, using them to keep her attached to the pole as she leaned back, resting her back against the cold metal. Tom was genuinely impressed.
"Told you I'm strong," McKenzie smiled.
"I never doubted you," assured Tom.
McKenzie stared at Tom for a moment longer. She could tell that he was thinking of something and didn't know if she wanted to know exactly what it was. She hoped more than anything that her being on that pole hadn't fired up any old feelings that he had for her. That was the last thing McKenzie wanted.
"Do you remember when we had to dance together?" Tom continued.
McKenzie laughed. "Dear, God. That was absolutely horrible."
"Two months to learn a waltz... not the best idea on Mike's part."
"I never actually saw how everything ended up."
"Didn't you see the movie?" McKenzie shook her head and Tom's eyes popped open. "You never saw the fourth Harry Potter movie?"
"I read the book."
"You and I both know that the book and movie are very different." Tom gave McKenzie a look and began to walk toward her. "Do you have any waltz music?" He asked, grabbing her hand.
Instinctively, McKenzie held onto Tom's hand and placed her other on his shoulder. His found her waist. "I think this song is fine. It's not like we need any fancy lifts like we did back then."
Tom laughed as he and McKenzie began to sway in tempo to the music playing. It was a dubstep song, but it was definitely trying to be a ballad. As they continued their dance, they found themselves getting closer and closer to each other until McKenzie's head was resting on Tom's chest. He wrapped his arm tighter around her back to keep her there. Everything was silent except for the music. It was one of those moments that only happened in the movies. But this had to be close enough since they were both stars. McKenzie tried to mold her body even closer to her dance partner's, but found that her slight baby bump wouldn't allow it. That was when she jumped away.
"I'm, uh, going to take a shower. Since I ditched you for lunch, maybe I can treat you to dinner?"
"That sounds like a fair compromise," Tom replied, expressionless.
"Okay, great. So, um, yeah." And she walked away.
