The Stalker

Chapter 19

The next season of Dancing with the Stars was about to happen and Sharna was partnered with Antonio Brown. He could be an amazing dancer, but he didn’t have a lot of time and he was late a lot. But Sharna kept trying to keep him motivated and to teach him as much as possible. The only other problem was that she was in Pittsburgh most of the time. And Val was in NYC with his new partner, Ginger. Neither of them had to be afraid of a possible show-mance and that was a pleasant thought.

The first show was amazing, Sharna loved the feeling of being back at the ballroom, it was her home and her family was there. The entire cast supported each other and everybody wanted to do their best. Sharna’s first dance went really well and after the show, Val came up to her.
“You were amazing.”

He gave her a kiss on her lips and pulled her close to him.
“You too. How long do we have until you fly back to NYC.”
“I don’t have much time tonight. We have to catch a red-eye back to NYC. But from next week on, we have more time. Tomorrow they want us to be at GMA, in studio. But next week we stay here a day longer and have our weekly interview from the ballroom floor.”
“I don’t like that I have to miss you for another week. The last two weeks were already hard, but I can’t be separated from you all the time.”
“Then we should just hope for the right switch-up partner. That way we can hopefully stay at home and spend more time together.”
“That would be an amazing thing.”

The next couple of weeks went by fairly quickly and before they knew it, it was switch-up week already. Sharna was waiting to meet her partner for the week.

She really hoped she could dance with Nyle, he and Peta had done amazing so far and she would love the challenge. On top of that she would be staying in LA and if Val had a partner who stayed in LA, they would finally be able to spend some time together.

Sharna was lucky in both ways, she got Nyle and Val was dancing with Jody, both staying in LA for the week. The week was a tough challenge for Sharna, not only did she have a deaf man to learn a complete new dance. She also had to get to know him and learn how she could teach him. It was a difficult challenge. But the gratitude she got from the dance Monday night was amazing. He did amazing and the dance itself was beautiful.

After the show, Peta and Sharna hugged each other, still crying. Val and Maks walked up to their girls and engulfed them in one massive hug.

The tears turned into laughter and when they finally let go, Maks said: “You two did amazing. You know that, right?” Both the girls nodded and wiped the tears stays away.
“Then why are you crying?” Val asked.
“Oh brother, you really have to ask that. How long have you and Sharna been dating, cause if you want to know, these girls cry or laugh all the time.”
Peta playfully pushed Maks.
“Come on, lets go home. Val has to wake up at 4 am to do another GMA interview.”

Val and Sharna went back to her house and when they got home they cuddled together on the couch.
“It was amazing being with you this week. I loved that we could cuddle together after a long day and wake up next to you,” Sharna said.
“I loved it too and I must say after this week I find a bit harder to get back NYC next week and be away from you.”

The next week Sharna flew out to Pittsburgh this week. Antonio had already left for Pittsburgh and when she got there, he was recording his package for the week.

And he was mad at her, he had seen the joy she had working with Nyle and he had the feeling she wasn’t into it that much. After he was finished, Sharna had tears in her eyes. She always tried her best for all her partners and she felt like he was the one who wasn’t into it. He was the one late all the time and he barely had any time for her.

Sharna’s first instinct was to call Val, but she wanted to solve this herself. When Antonio was finished she went up to him and they talked about it. Sharna put her problems on the table and Antonio told her what he thought. They solved the problem between them and realized they both wanted to win that Mirror Ball Trophy.

The two of them worked even harder and the jive they danced next week was amazing and they received their highest score so far. After their performance, Val came up to her.
“Are you alright Sharna?”
Sharna gave Val a hug: “Yes, I’m alright. We had a good talk about this and we are back on track. And ready to win the MBT.”
“I’m happy to hear that. Come on lets go home. And to share a little bit of good news. I won’t leave LA for another two days, so I’m taking you out for dinner tomorrow night and drop you off at the airport right afterwards.”
“How about I tell you, I’m in LA all week. So no need to drop me off, but I do like the dinner plans,” Sharna said.

When Val and Sharna got home after dinner they were tired, but also excited for next week. They had agreed to work a little on both their choreographies, just to get a head start.

They got to Sharna's appartment and Sharna got her mail, before they entered. She checked it, while following Val. There was one bill, some advertisement and a letter.

Sharna sat down on the couch and opened the letter. It was a short hand written note.

Dear Sharna,
I have seen you dance and perform for a couple of years now. And I'm completely in love with you and everything you do. I hope one day I can meet you and tell you in person how important you are to me.
Love

Without knowing why, something felt off about the letter. She had gotten letters before from fans, but those were all sent to ABC and from there directed to her. And when fans sent her a letter they always signed off with their name. And most of the time also with their Instagram or Twitter name. But this letter had none of it.

Val sat down next to her and also read that message.
“Hey, that could be a message from me. Do you have a secret lover you didn't tell me about?!” Val laughed at his own joke. But when Sharna didn't laugh he got a tad bit worried.
“You know I was joking right?”
“I know, but something is off about this. At first I thought it was from a fan, but they always sign off with their name. And I don't know, it is just strange.”
“Listen Shar, it is probably a nervous fan, who didn't want you to know she followed you. Don't worry about it too much. Besides I'm here to protect you.”
Val rose to his feet.
“You're probably thinking this because you are tired, follow me to bed.”

Val grabbed Sharna's hand and they went straight to bed, not even writing on their dances.

While Val was already asleep, Sharna was still thinking about the note. She had the odd feeling it was connected to the secret phone calls she had gotten. Still thinking about it, Sharna fell asleep. Her dreams filled with notes and phone calls.