Pressure.
That was all she felt at that exact moment.
Overwhelming pressure.
It wasn't only because she was expected to do well, it was because she pushed herself to be the best she could possibly be.
That was the thing about Kaycee Rice. She was somewhat of a perfectionist.
She stood backstage running through the steps of the routine sharpening the movements and embedding them in her memory.
Kaycee had one of the most absorbent minds known amongst the dance community. She was like a sponge just waiting to soak up new information whenever she attended a new class. This in itself made her so well known.
Kaycee was constantly pushing herself to new heights when performing the choreography she was taught. Each new dance was an opportunity. An opportunity to make her mark on the world.
And she was slowly getting there.
Her name was easily recognised when mentioned in passing. She was the prodigy that everyone wanted to see. No one expected more of her than herself.
Life was coming at her full force and she was going along with it. To the entire world, she was achieving her goals and killing it.
That was the point. Everyone thought that except her.
She could feel her grasp of sanity slipping at times. The pressure was just a little too much. She felt like she was slowly being pushed under and the waves of what life threw at her became more than she could handle.
During these times, she tried to distract herself with other activities. She painted, did yoga and when she were able to go to the lake house on a rare weekend where she wasn't booked, she spent a majority of the day enjoying the outdoors.
Many of these things worked for a while but she kept needing them more and more as time went on and the jobs just kept coming.
Then came along Sean Lew.
He was different. This didn't go unnoticed by Kaycee.
For some insane reason, they just kept seeing each other and as time went on, they formed an unlikely friendship. A friendship that quickly turned into a bond like no other.
One of the many things that Kaycee admired about the boy was that he could always keep himself grounded. The cracks in his demeanor were not noticeable at first glance but Kaycee could see them as they had mirrored hers.
It took a while for the both of them to be comfortable with each other but when they finally were, both their walls came crumbling down.
He made her smile a little wider. He made her laugh a little louder. He made her forget about what was to come and made her enjoy just living in the moment.
He was her light as she was his.
She forgot the problems of the world when she was around him and she was extremely grateful for this.
A tap on shoulder brought her to the present as the sounds of the commotion on stage began to increase and the world started spinning again.
"You're up next" one of the members of the stage crew informed.
"Thanks" she said with a small smile.
Now came the next problem.
Where was the lewser?
Just as she about to start panicing, a pair of arms wrapped around her mid section. The relief was immediate as she sagged a little in his arms.
"I'm right here. Don't worry your pretty little head off" he said.
She turned in his arm and slapped his shoulder. "You have to stop doing that" she said, a little anger slipping into her voice.
"Aww, you're so cute when you're mad" he replied with a smile on his face. He then placed a kiss on her forehead.
Her anger immediately vanished.
"You ready to go?" he asked her as he brushed a stray hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.
"Yeah." she said smiling. "You?"
"Of course" he said with his thumb rubbing over her cheek. "I'm more than ready"
"Plus, I have you to kick my ass if I go wrong on stage"
"Sean!"
"I'm kidding. I'm kidding."
See, the thing was, not only was he able to keep himself grounded, he kept her grounded as well. He was somewhat of an anchor to her ship, stopping her from being carried away by the tides of life.
She never told him this. And he didn't need to be told. The feeling was reciprocated.
They had found each other and now, life couldn't be imagined without the other.
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I have no idea where this came from but I hope you liked it.
Make someone smile today
~ Rue 🍃
