His Dancing Star

Chapter 7

As the sounds of the luau surrounded them, Lina leaned a little closer to Ed, as if he was a shield against the unfamiliar. The beach party was already in swing, and bodies moved between the lanterns, happy shadows illuminated by the dancing light of a massive bonfire. Everything seemed loud, amplified by the moisture in the muggy night air; music, chatter, laughter, food cooking.

Mmm... Food... Her gaze drifted over to the buffet, where piles of steaming meat lay among plates of fresh salads and colourful desserts. "That looks amazing," she breathed, everything else suddenly forgotten.

"Let's grab some grub then," said Ed, leading the way.

"Okay..." Uncertain, she followed.

Ed glanced back, concern on his tanned face. "I'm confused – are you hungry or not?"

"I... I think I am. I don't normally think about food much."

"What?" He laughed loudly, causing several people to look over at them. "God, food is all I can think about some days."

"My diet is pretty controlled. If I gain even half a pound, it shows."

"Lina, that's kind of crazy."

"That's my industry. Last time I got too bloated around that time of the month, my choreographer called me hippo, and my mama..." She sealed her lips shut. She'd managed to go almost a whole day without thinking about Mama, and she didn't want to start now. Definitely no need to mention to Ed about how her mother had put her on a liquid-only diet for a week to rectify the problem. "They don't promote anorexia or anything, but we're all meant to 'transcend base urges like hunger' in pursuit of our art."

"Whoever came up with that line clearly never tried to turn down one of chef's triple-choc brownies," said Ed, lifting a gigantic square of brown goo and wafting it in her direction. He used a squeaky voice to make it talk, saying, "Eat me, Galina! I will transcend all your base urges for I am already art!"

She took the brownie. "This is just a whole lot of sugar."

"And fat. Don't forget about the fat." Ed dropped another brownie whole into his mouth and spoke thickly between chews. "Look, I'm not saying you need to binge, but you won't get in trouble here for enjoying dessert occasionally. It's all about balance; sometimes I drink beer and consume my weight in corn chips, sometimes I eat kale and go to yoga. All or nothing is hard way to live."

Cautiously, she broke the brownie in half. Her lips closed over the corner of the sweet dessert, and the flavour spread through her mouth in a delicious wave. "Oh my god! That's so good."

Ed handed her a plate. "Come on – we have to put down a lining for the cocktails to land on."

She trailed after him along the buffet, placing a small scoop of everything on her plate. It filled quickly, turning into a pyramid of food. Padding through the soft sand, they perched on long logs close to the bonfire.

They ate to bursting point, then Ed fetched her a vast blue cocktail in a coconut shell. The alcohol was strong, and it burned straight to her full belly and floated her brain pleasantly.

As they sipped their drinks, Galina noted, "So, people are staring at us."

"Yep."

"Why?"

"A couple of reasons. First, you're gorgeous."

"Ha ha. Tell me why, really."

"Well, the last guest who attended a staff luau was Briana Brite."

"The pop star?"

"Uh huh. She declared her love for my buddy Gareth, and they've been madly in love ever since."