A Year to Change Your Lives

Chapter 44

Bleary eyed, swollen nosed and sleepy, Reader made her way from the car in which she'd travelled alone, and into the anonymous looking London block she'd been let out at. At reception she signed in and sipping at her travel mug of coffee, she followed the directions up to the third floor where an unlikely studio rehearsal space seemed to span one whole side of the building.

Nervously, she entered, followed, as she always now, by her own personal documentary crew , security and a manager. Towards the back were a group on congregating people, some obviously ready to dance and some who it seemed were facing deliberately away from the vast mirrors, a feeling Reader remembered well but had since gotten over. They noticed her entering and the smart casual attired contingent moved hastily forward to her.

"Reader! It's so good to see you again. We heard you had a rough time getting back in." Said the first man, who Reader recognised as Matt Higgins, the co-ordinator she'd spoken to from the Exchange Project all those months ago. She took his hand, happy to see a familiar face.

"Hi. Oh, I'm fine, nothing to worry about." She waved away his and the concerns of his associated who were dithering behind him. Introductions were made and then Matt gestured for Reader to make her way further in.

"Time for you to meet Dev."

Reader spotted the man she knew he wanted to introduce her to. Dev Sullivan had had his own share of press coverage in the UK, just like she had, but where her time with BTS had been marred by ARMYs excessive fandom and the UK's naivety, Dev's had been an uncomplicated journey. He'd joined India's growing boyband culture alongside Sanam who were well loved throughout their country but had a very different vibe to BTS.

Dev looked like he'd walked out of a catalogue for English public-school boys. Tall and broad, he had a rugby player's body. His cheeks and lips were ruddy, and he had a flop of curly dark hair partly obscuring his eyes. Reader smiled broadly at him and met him in the middle of their group to shake his hand, for they'd never met.

"I'm Dev!" He told her and she introduced herself.

"Like Dev Patel?" she asked hopefully.

"No, like Devon. I was born in Torquay." He responded shrugging cheerfully and releasing her hand.

"It's nice to meet someone who knows how crazy this year has been." She told him, realising the camera were hoping for a few minutes of introductory conversation before they moved on.

"Did you do any dancing or singing before?" He asked guiding them towards a table with a large coffee urn and some scattered offerings of biscuits.

"No, none at all. It's been intense, but they're great teachers so I get by." She hedged modestly. "What about you?"

"We went quiet for like five months where they just trained me, I learned all of their stuff and some instruments and the dancing styles."

"Wow, I think I would have had a nervous breakdown if they'd asked me to learn guitar as well!" Reader exclaimed.

"Yeah, but your dancing stuff is crazy, we don't do anything like that. The choreography you guys sent me is much harder than anything we usually do." He told her uneasily. Reader, who knew the medley of BTS dance sequences, interspersed with some of the covered Bhanga Sanam tracks, had been seriously toned down already and felt a little ripple of pride that she was finding it easy enough to keep up.

"Well, when we get started we can see how far we've both got to go before Friday?" She suggested casually, hoping it wouldn't be too big of a gap to fill with only the couple of days they had to rehearse in.

They had a bit of a chat with each other, with the producer who'd come along to watch their initial rehearsals and with the World Exchange guys, everyone except the dancers helping themselves to tea, coffee and pastries. Reader met the crew of backing dancers they were being loaned who'd also been briefed on the choreography.