Connected Lives (a Les Twins FanFiction)

Chapter 17

Thea told Sarah via text that they could meet in the hotel lounge at 11am. A little early for a drink, Sarah had thought, but they both may end up needing one so at least it would be convenient. Sarah had been in Paris for three glorious days. In that short time she felt renewed, as if she had found healing water, or maybe the Fountain of Youth, and drank deeply, sating her undefinable thirst. She had been wondering if Thea Kallas would ever contact her. She wanted to meet her, find out what really happened to Laurent. And she wanted to meet him. Funny enough though, she felt less and less defined by those things the more she explored Paris. She felt stronger and more alive, like her real self was slowly reemerging.

Sarah sat up in bed, stretched her arms high above her head, then forced herself to get out of the heavenly comfort the bed provided. Half groaning, half sighing, she pulled her shirt over her head and left it where it fell, then stepped out of her underwear, abandoning them on the floor as well. Her walk, even with a limp, was that of a dancer. Each precise step was weightless. As she had several times in the last two days, Sarah forced herself to stand bare before the room's full-length mirror. And open her eyes. It was not so difficult this time, to her relief. Her reflection looked at her with a critical gaze. Stop Sarah, don't do that, a voice inside her head reprimanded. This time she truly listened. She closed then reopened her eyes, let's try this again. She thought her reflection looked younger than it used to, there was color in its cheeks and the lines on its face had softened a bit. The woman looking back at her was slim, had a dancer's figure, but she was out of shape. Her skin was looser than it used to be and her small breasts looked a bit deflated. Ugh, god, this is not pretty, she thought, then gave herself a mental slap.

She let her eyes settle on the reflection of her legs. This was the hardest part. They were both still there, she got lucky in that way, certainly luckier than man of the others who were near her. She fought the urge to re-live everything as her eyes roamed over her scarred right thigh and disfigured calf. Miraculously, her foot had survived unscathed. Doctors had told her there was no reason she could not dance again. Physically they were mostly right, aside from her leg, her hearing had been permanently damaged. But that could be overcome. Really it was the mental and emotional damage that proved to be the real challenge. She knew she was where she needed to be to finally slay her demons and rediscover herself. She paid a heavy price to get here though, so did those she loved. That weighed on her, but she never once regretted the choice.

She stepped away from the mirror and her exercise in self-love. Good, that was good. Now, what to wear? She ran her hands over her stomach and up her ribs, cupping them around her breasts for a moment before travelling to her shoulders. She scanned her very limited wardrobe before deciding to go simple and comfortable: cream-colored, flowy gaucho pants with a heather green cami and a thin, off-the-shoulder sweater. You look good, she smiled. Then she looked at the clock, "Shit!" She hurriedly slipped on her sandals and grabbed her purse. The clock read 10:56 when the door closed behind her.

Thea walked into the hotel as Sarah boarded the elevator and pressed L*. The hotel was gorgeous, quintessential Paris. Well, it certainly looks worth the small fortune I paid, she thought wryly. She glanced at her phone. 10:58am. When she looked up she saw Sarah. They hadn't exchanged appearances, but she knew. The woman was unquestionably beautiful, not model beautiful, she had the beauty and elegance of a dancer. Thea also noted that she had a limp. Based on the little investigation she did, she was fairly confident as to why Sarah limped. She raised her chin, straightened her skirt and walked toward Sarah.

It caught her completely off guard, a near impossible feat until the past week, when she heard a male voice call her name.

"Miss Kallas!"

Thea stopped dead. Shit! Shit shit shit! She mentally screamed then she plastered on a winning smile and walked over. "David! How wonderful to see you! And you know it's Thea," she gave him a playful wink.

"The pleasure is all mine. So, Thea, when am I getting my friends back on stage with me?" His tone remained pleasant but the passive aggressive undercurrent was very clear.

"David, I told you, they are dealing with a serious family issue but will be back the moment that is resolved." He looked dubious. "You know how private they are David."

"Yes. Nonetheless, I have my show to put on and I cannot continue to advertise David Guetta featuring Les Twins then have to apologize to fans when they are not there. If this goes on much longer I'm afraid we are going to have to revisit the terms of our collaboration."

Thea was speechless. What the hell am I going to do? The ice is getting too fucking thin! She clasped her hands in front of her, she still had no idea what to say. Then Sarah, who she had entirely forgotten about, did something that would set the tone for their relationship. She walked up to David with a bold confidence and stopped only when she was practically on top of him. Though he was clearly taken aback by her sudden arrival, he still managed to eye her from head to toe. When his eyes finally wandered back to her face he was met with a look of disgust. Her voice matched.

"I can not believe you have the nerve Henri! Spent near a month convincing me to see you again, I finally relent, and I find you soliciting this woman!?"

Thea and David stared, slack-jawed, at Sarah. When she looked at Thea and assured her that none of this was her fault, Henri was an asshole who only cared about his dick, Thea almost broke out laughing. Thankfully David found his voice before Thea blew Sarah's cover.

"Uh, miss, I'm afraid you are mistaken. My name is David Guetta, not Henri," then under his breath added, "poor man."

Sarah blinked several times then looked at him as if she had never seen him. She broke into a slightly embarrassed laugh. "Haha! Wow, my deepest apologies! You just looked so like that cheating bastard!"

"Yes, well," he cleared his throat, "when you see him I hope things go...smoothly." He looked to Thea, "We'll meet about this soon."

She nodded, "Of course."

The two women watched him make a swift exit. They waited until his car was out of sight before turning to face each other. Sarah's face broke into a lively grin which did not quite reach her eyes but was no less genuine.

"Well, not the introduction I had envisioned," Sarah laughed, "but nothing really is lately, is it!"

"You can say that again! You really saved me back there," Thea said with a mix of good humor and gratefulness, "If it would be okay with you, we might should move to your suite? In case David forgot his wallet or something."

"Good thinking."

They hit it off, which relaxed them, but things still got awkward when they got into the elevator. Thea wondered if staying quiet was rude. Sarah just wished she had taken a separate elevator. So they stood silently, looking different for what both felt like was the longest elevator ride in history. Sarah stealthily looked at Thea. She was quite stunning Sarah thought. Not just her looks either, though Sarah would dream of having Thea's curvy, sensuous figure and silky, flawless skin. No, Thea was an undeniably brilliant and savvy woman, anyone who couldn't recognize that within minutes of meeting her was dumb, blind, or both. She wore her confidence and intelligence like a crown and it only magnified her beauty. Sarah also figured she was not accustomed to not having control over her world and was not very familiar with the feeling of being taken off guard.

The elevator dinged and eased to a stop at Sarah's floor. A certain sense of relief from both women helped lift some of the awkwardness as the stepped off.

Sarah indicated to go to the right, "This way, number 1288."

Thea's stride faltered. "1288? Of course it is."