The Pointe of Love || Elriel & Nessian

Chapter 9 - Enjoyed Yourself?

Nesta powered through the jump, leaping across the sunlit studio floor with a flourish, her chest heaving with the exertion as she landed softly, rising up on her feet into a perfect releve before releasing into a tiny jete. Eris held her waist from behind as she breathed before performing a half turn, reaching up to hold his sharp jaw with her small hands, their eyes locked before he gripped her waist tighter, lifting her above his head as she extended her leg and arched her pointe shoe within an inch of its life.

The combination had been flawless.

She knew it.

In fact, her execution had been absolutely perfect the entire morning, Nesta hitting every mark, entirely in sync with Eris, the professional danseur even offering her a rare compliment on her form.

And she knew why– why she was dancing impeccably, though she was forcing her brain to forget the thoughts.

In her experience, perfect dancing was usually a result of two things: one, intense dedication and focus or two, desperation to distract herself.

And today, Nesta needed distraction. Serious distraction.

From her own mind– the memories... Princess Leia... The Mandalorian... the exposed brick scraping against her shoulderblades as her mouth dissolved into the heavenly kiss of–

Cassian.

The man standing two metres from her with his arms crossed, stroking his chin in consideration as he evaluated her work.

Good gods.

Making out with her fucking choreographer.

She needed a wellness check. Or an IQ test. Because it was absolute lunacy and Nesta was the biggest idiot of them all.

Eris lowered her slight frame, releasing her from their perfect lift, Nesta landing softly on her feet as the music retreated. She raised her eyes toward Cassian who was frowning, his thumb still caressing his chin in concentration as he shook his head slightly.

"It's not right." He stated simply, sauntering up to the pair of them with socked feet.

Fucking hells Cassian.

Nesta felt Eris go rigid in posture next to her.

"I hit every step perfectly. Beyond perfect even." She hissed, unable to disguise her frustration as she felt her face collapse into a frown, her arms automatically crossing over her chest as she cocked her hip.

"You hit the steps perfectly, but I'm just not getting the emotion I need to feel from you Nesta." Cassian stated gently as Eris dismissed himself from the conversation, ambling over to his water bottle on the edge of the room, leaving the pair to spar. "I need more... joy. Release. Whimsy–"

"White swan." Nesta sighed, uncrossing her arms and rolling her eyes. "I know. You're always telling me that."

"I know you have it in you– to release into your emotion. I want you to have fun." Cassian's voice was low now as Nesta felt her heart stop within her chest.

She narrowed her eyes at him, a warning flickering across her irises as she glanced toward Eris who was still waiting for them to finish.

Cassian ignored her, turning away to grab his motorcycle boots before jutting his chin toward her. "Alright, practice is over for today. Thanks, guys."

Eris nodded his dismissive farewell to the pair of them before slinging his tote bag over his shoulder, leaving the studio in a flourish as Nesta scooped up her duffle bag from the side of the room and sat down, ready to untie her pointe shoes.