Dancing with Artem Chigvintsev: Part 1

11

After an amazing rehearsal today, I was excited to be in the atmosphere of prime time television tomorrow night. I wanted to feel these same emotions when the cameras are rolling.

After changing out of my costume and grabbing my things I walked out of the ballroom with Artem by my side.

All of a sudden I was swept off of my feet.

"Ahh!" I screamed, feeling a set of manly arms embracing me

I looked down to see Artem still next to me and then realized it was Maks.

"Put me down, Maks." I said hitting him.

"Okay, okay." He said obeying my command. "Your dance was so good, I was watching your face the entire time."

"Oh no, was I making ugly faces?" I asked

"No, you looked like you were in love, Artem you have no idea what your missing with this little beauty." Maks complimented me at Artem's expense.

"Trust me, I know." Artem said "I don't plan on letting her slip through my fingers."

Artem winked at me and Maks looked utterly confused.

"Are you two.." He began to ask us if we were together now.

"Are we all set for tomorrow night?" I interrupted him.

He rolled his eyes, still very confused.

"Yes." He said "we're leaving right after the show so have your things ready."

"You got it."

He kissed my forehead and went to his car.

Artem and I drove back to his place and the whole time he looked like he wanted to talk about something he had on his mind but didn't know how to say it.

"Everything okay?" I asked him "our dance was pure magic, everyone loved it. Should be even better tomorrow."

"I'm sorry." He said "I'm just going back and forth on what we are. I feel like me moving on when I still loved you ruined our chances of ever being together. I caused you to move on so fast. Now, you seem to enjoy Mak's presence more than mine."

He seemed hurt.

"I'm sorry it looks that way." I said rubbing his arm. "Artem, there is absolutely no way I could have moved on from you that fast. It has been 3 nights only since I almost got myself into an accident over you."

His arm tensed up like he was reliving that bad memory.

"I am just afraid to let the world know that we are together, if this isn't going to be permanent I would rather keep my heartbreak to myself."

"We agreed to take things slow so I don't know what to tell you, neither one of us knows if this is permanent. The great thing about Kara was that she understood that true love and happiness is inevitable. She wants me to go out and win over the girl that has my heart and it wasn't her."

"Artem." I said tearing up. "By causing a scene the other night I brought my friends into this and if they know that we are an item, they will be thinking 'here we go again.' "

"I understand, and we don't need them to know we will just live our lives the way we were at the start of the week when we began rehearsing."

That felt like a good idea.

"As for Maks" I said "he and I have kinda been a package deal lately, and I'm sorry for that but he has a part of my heart always and forever in his grasp and he will always want to protect me."

"I'm glad, he's a great man, at least I know that when I can't protect you he will be able to."

I smiled at the kind and delicate words coming out of his mouth.

A few years ago, he would never have said those things about Maks, he was always a cocky Russian and a ticking time bomb. It's crazy how far he has come in who he is as a person.