Dance With Me (James March x Reader)

Chapter 6

(Reader's POV)
   Another day, another dance rehearsal done. My students have been working hard ever since I told them the news of us performing at the Hotel Cortez. Of course some of the parents were against it. But once I told them that the first try out performance at the hotel will only be the advanced class the parents were a bit relieved but still reluctant.  I did do some history on the hotel online and I've read articles on it. People who have checked into the hotel seem to go missing and it happens quite a lot.
  Although, my group will only be performing there for however long we're able to dance there. Friday was coming soon, the next day actually and I would be able to talk with James a bit more. Just thinking about talking with James again just gets me all excited. I mean talking and seeing a man like him who owns a hotel as beautiful as the Cortez has my interest. Even though, with the whole 1920s get up and accent did set me off when I first saw him. But then I suddenly got use to it. It felt like I've seen him somewhere. I just couldn't figure it out where I have seen him. I was planning on researching him. Like how people would normally do when they meet someone new nowadays.
  But I didn't do that. I guess I'm not like most people. Plus I very doubt that someone like him would even have a social media account.
   Once the rehearsal was over, my students left and it was just me alone in the studio. I wanted to clean up the place a bit before heading home. The studio was like a second to me and I want to take care of it. But over time it is getting hard to keep the building since people with big money want to buy this place to only tear it down and replace it with something else. This studio has more character than any other dance studio I've seen.
  As I finished cleaning the giant mirror that stretched across the wall, I went over the broom closet to get a broom and dust pan to sweep up the floors. I went into the small room and grabbed the broom. I then reached over to the dust pan that was on the shelf, but then I noticed something different.
  I look on the shelf and saw a small wooden box. It look like some sort of jewelry box but it had a keyhole in the front of it. I set the broom down and pick up the box carefully. I could tell it was old and had been sitting in here for a long time. Dust was gathered along the top of the box.
  I blew off some of the dust which was a bad idea on my part. Dust particles got everywhere and I started to cough a bit.
  "Hey (Y/N) you in here?" I then hear Erik's voice as he had walked into the dance studio. I then walk out of the broom closet box in hand still coughing a little from the dust.
  "Yeah I'm here." I tell him as soon as my coughing stopped.
  "You ok?" He asks me.
  "Oh I'm fine juts blew dust in my face is all." I say as I look down at the brown jewelry box that was in my hands.
  "What's that?" Erik walks over and looked at the box aswell.
  "It looks like some sort of jewelry box." I answer as I inspect the box a bit more. I tried to open it but it was no use.
  "Probably a prop or something." Erik shrugs his shoulders a bit.
  "No I don't think so. Most props that we use we put away in the attic. This is different." I tell him. I began to have a feeling that there was something more to this simple jewelry box. I was so lost in my thoughts about the box I barely heard what Erik had said next.
  "There's something here in the back of the box." Erik's voice snapped me out of my trance. I look at him and then back the box. I then turn it around and rubbed the dust off the back and my eyes widen in shock.
   In a bright gold color and in beautiful cursive writing it said 'Rosie'.
  "Rosie? Isn't that your great grandmother's name?" Erik then asks.
  "Yeah." I nod still confused and shocked. I knew that my mom had told me that Rosie had different kinds of jewelry boxes when she was married to  her husband and I had seen them before. But not this one.
The jewelry boxes that I had seen before had more intricate designs to them and were either silver or some other color. This one was just a dark brown wooden box that had some gold accents to it.
  "Is there a key to open it?" Erik then asks.
  "No." I shake my head,"I didn't see one on the shelf in there."
  "Well maybe we can pick the lock and open it." He suggests and then I look at him with a slight glare.
  "No way! Knowing you Erik you'd probably break it." I tell him and then walk over to my bag and put the box inside gently.
  "Oh come on (Y/N) it's just  an old box." Erik rolls his eyes a bit. I kept my glare at him and put my bag over my shoulder.
  "It's not just an old box. It's my great grandmother's I don't want it ruined." I tell him a bit harshly
  Erik sighs a bit and looks down putting a hand on the back of his neck.
  "Look I'm sorry. I sometimes forget you get sensitive about your family stuff. Especially when it comes to your great grandmother."
  I look down and gripped the strap of my bag a little bit. Feeling a bit bad for sounding a bit to harsh.
  "I just look up to her. She is my inspiration." I say calming down a bit.
  "I know. " Erik says as he walks over to me,"Now come on let's go get something to eat." He says as he holds his hand out for me. I smile and then take my hand in his and we both walk out of the studio together.

  After dinner with Erik, I sat in my apartment texting my mom about finding the box in the broom closet.  I sent her a picture of it and everything and she didn't seem to know that great grandma Rosie had a box like this too. I sigh and set my phone on the coffee table and lean back against the couch staring at the wooden box secretly hoping it would just pop open so I can see what's inside.
  I then get up from my sofa and go into the kitchen to get a glass of water. I get a glass from the cupboard and began to put water in it. I then felt a sudden chll down my back. It was an unsettling chill like the ones you feel when you think someone is watching you. 
  I took a sip of my water trying to ignore the feeling. I then walk over to my door making sure it was locked from the inside. I checked my window after that and it was locked aswell. I pick up the jewelry box off the coffee table and headed towards my room.
   I lock my bedroom door from the inside and then set the box down on my  vanity and then changed into pajamas.
  The feeling of being watched didn't go away. I shook my head trying to ignore that feeling.
  "I'm probably just tired." I mutter to myself and then turned off my bedroom light and crawled into bed. I put the covers over my body wanting to stay warm as possible. 

  The next thing I hear was knocking on my front door. I slowly get up from my bed and put on my slippers and my robe. I groan as the annoying knocking continued.  I unlock my bedroom door and walk out.
  "Alright I hear you! I'm coming!" I shouted as the knocking continued some more. I then get to my front door and look through the peep hole. It was a man dressed in a suit and tie. He had dark brown hair and a five'o'clock shadow.  He was extremely handsome. But I was cranky and didn't really care at that point, I was going to chew him out for waking me up so early. I then unlocked it and opened the door.
  "Yes how can I help you?" I say annoyed.
  "Sorry to have woken you up ma'am, my name is Detective John Lowe.  I was hoping you could answer a few questions." The man says and holds up a police badge. My eyes widen a bit all the crankyness that I had is now gone by the sound of his voice.
  "Oh...uh yeah sure Detective." I felt my cheeks turn a bit pink out of embarrassment.  I open my door up a bit more and step aside so that he could come in.
   "Thank you. Now do you know the people that live in the room above yours?" He then asks me as he steps inside.
  "Um...." I began to think of the girl that lived above me,"I know it was a woman and I've seen her before. But we've never really met in person. I do hear the company she has over sometimes. But not often."
   "I see. Did you hear anything suspicious last night? Any breaks ins or things of that nature?" John then asks. I shake my head in response.
  "No. Did something happen to her?" I then asks him. John opened his mouth but then hesitated a little bit. It must be really serious.
   "She was found dead this morning." He says and my eyes widen in shock and horror. I didn't even know the woman and we barely spoke at all.
   "H-How did she die?" I ask.
   "She was murdered." I gulped a little bit at his answer. I began to think that it was that killer that I heard so much about from Lily.
   "Was it that killer that's all over the news? The Ten Commandments killer?"I say I began to feel scared. That feeling I had last night began to creep back.
   "No one knows yet. But we are doing our best on finding this person. If you hear anything else just let us know immediately." John says as he gave me a card that had I assume his work number.
  "I will." I say as I take the card,"Do you think they'll come back to this building again?"
  John looked towards me, he could tell that I was scared. He had the look of concern which is the same look that Erik would give me since I lived by myself. Erik never liked that I lived alone but I liked it that way and it made me feel more independent.
  "No I doubt that." John reassures me,"But if you do feel unsafe just go stay with a family member or friend."
   I nod my head and look down at the card that he had given me.
  "Thank you Detective. I'll let you know if I hear anything."
   Once John had left, I went back to my room to check my phone. I picked it up off of my nightstand and noticed that I had a missed call. It was the number of the Hotel Cortez. Luckily whoever called had left a message. I unlock my phone and then play the message on my phone on speaker.
    "Hello Miss (L/N), this Liz at the front desk of the Hotel Cortez. Mr. March wanted me to remind you of your meeting tonight at 5 pm sharp. Have a nice day."
   My eyes widen in shock. Had the week had gone by that fast? I looked at the calender on my phone and then noticed it was Friday.  I guess I was so paranoid last night and talking with the  detective I must have forgotten.
  "Well time to get down to business." I say as I went to my closet to figure out what I'm going to wear for tonight.
   "Hotel Cortez here I come again."