Finale music played throughout the theatre. The slight pitter patter of the pointe shoes could be heard on stage. The only thought going through my mind was how much my toes hurt as I moved into a à la quatrième deviant looking to The Prince, Rothbart, and finally the audience. I spotted Zane, his face completely mesmerized as the stage lights reflected in his espresso eyes. I leaped down off the cliff and landed onto the mattress below.
As I did my bow, the crowd roared, roses flew threw the air. Yet even as the theatre was filled with hundreds of people shouting my name, the only thing I could focus on was Zane. He was standing from his seat, a sleek dark blue button-down shirt complimented his dark hair, which was finally free from his hat.
All the girls congratulated me as I walked back to my dressing room, eager to take these painful pointe shoes off along with the tight bun and headpiece. As I searched through my hair for all the bobby pins, a knock on the door made me jump.
"Who is it?" I turned down the soft classical music playing in the room.
"Miss Denbrough, you have a visitor. He says he knows you" The familiar voice of my director explained through the door. I opened the light pink door to be greeted by Zane, holding a large bouquet of lilies and sunflowers with an ear-to-ear smile painted across his face. Apparently it was contagious because I couldn't help but grin the second I laid eyes on him. I thanked my director and let Zane into the dressing room.
"You looked beautiful out there" He broke the silence between us as I sat back down at the vanity and took the remaining pins from my hair.
"Thank you" Was all I could simply mutter out in the midst of butterflies racing around my stomach.
"How did you do all that? Like on your toes and stuff" Zane looked down at the untied pointe shoes around my feet as I absentmindedly stretched out the sore muscles.
"7 years of making your ankles strong enough to hold your body weight, also baby teeth numbing stuff and some tape" I chuckled as I slipped the shoes from my feet and placed them under the vanity.
"Do they hurt?" He furrowed his eyebrows, somewhat concerned for the well-being of my toes.
"Everyday, yes. But I've gotten used to it. Just one of the things about being a ballerina" I confessed. I took a roll of cotton pads out of one of the drawers and soaked them in make-up remover, wiping the cool liquid across my face and pulling it away to be disgusted with all the stage make-up that was on me. There was an awkward silence between us before Zane cleared his throat and walked closer to the vanity, still holding the bouquet of sunflowers and lilies.
"These are for you" He shyly smiled as I looked up at him from the chair. I give him a small smile before taking the flowers and placing them in the empty vase on my vanity, admiring the fresh aroma they emitted.
"They're beautiful, Zane. Thank you" My eyes alternated from the flowers to Zane's espresso brown eyes. He invited me to stay the night at his place again, offering to order Postmates and watch The Office- how could I refuse? After I gathered all my things from the corner of the room, Zane and I made our way to his car. The cool air of the night felt amazing on my skin after being inside all day.
I noticed a black figure leaning against the wall in front of us as we walked to the parking lot. It seemed so familiar yet I couldn't place my finger on exactly who it was. I simply tried to ignore it as my hand intertwined with Zane's and the other wrapping around his arm. The closer we got, the more visible the face under the black hood got. A thin, patchy blonde goatee could be seen against the moonlight. My stomach dropped. Breath hitched.
James.
