Burning Touch

Chapter 29

The weekend was a drag as Izzy had to up her game by going to the studio every day and just dancing until she wore herself out. Now, as she stepped into the studio Laurieann's team had booked for the rehearsal for the show, she thought maybe she hadn't practiced just enough, she ought to have put in more time.

She walked through the pitch-black hallway with a light that shone at the end of it. She headed for the light and just as she reached it, she peered into the room on the left and her eyes grew slightly wide. It was huge and white with the fluorescent shining down from every corner of the room. Mirrors covered one wall and there were around twenty dancers at every corner of the room warming up, dancing, stretching.

She walked into the room and took a corner, dropped her bag, and got to stretching.

"Morning everyone." A blonde woman said gathering up everyone. "Laurieann would be here in a few minutes. Jen, please get the new girl up to speed with the moves."

"Why me?" Jen asked

"Because you were Sonia's partner and Isabelle will be stepping in for her."

Everyone looked in her direction.
"So, she's replacing Sonia." Someone said.

"Goodluck filling in her shoes." She heard.

Jen sighed and walked to her. A slim woman a color just like her with curly dark hair stopped in front of her.
"Let's get this straight, you aren't Sonia and you'll never be able to replace her."

Izzy shook her head.
"I'm not trying to."

Jen held her gaze.
"Good. Let's get started."

Laurieann showed up a few moments later when she hadn't gotten the chance to learn half of the routine the girls had learned in a few days. They had a month before the show and they had to perfect the routine.

"If the show's a month away, why is she working you guys so hard?" Izzy asked Jen during rehearsal.

"Oh, the main show is a month away but we're rehearsing for the mini-show that's two weeks away."

"What?"

"Welcome to Laurieann's dance team, girl," Jen said. "You barely have time for yourself not to talk of others."

That was how her journey began and as much as she loved every bit of it, she was beginning to lose her actual life. She had cut back on her volunteering work at the clinic and even then, she hadn't been able to go for the little time she was supposed to put in. Dance, just like she had wanted it, was taking up her entire life.

Laurieann was pushing her to be more, do more. She was never happy or satisfied with the way Izzy did things. The mini-show two weeks later was over and they had to learn another routine for the actual in two weeks which had to be better than the mini show. The dancers had the weekend off before they were to resume back on Monday morning all ready to go at it again. Izzy spent one of those days relaxing and catching up on sleep and with Mia. She spent the next with Andre who was now busy with Fred as they wanted the new AFTech branch in Leicester up and running in six weeks. They had spent the last two weeks acquiring the building and clearing the place up. They had four more weeks to have the designer complete the entire fifty floors of the building, both in and out. Other things were to be done the week after and the launching party was planned for the final week and all the new employees were invited; Andre and Fred were interviewing people as the notice had been up and they had a lot of people to comb through.

The pressure Laurieann put on them the following two weeks before the show was beyond anything Izzy had been through. But it was a success, way more than the mini-show had been. Jen and the other dancers were now ok with her being around. Sonia had dropped out of the team as she had a long time before she could get back on her feet and more if she wanted to keep dancing.

A new month came and they had a new gig for an artist who was performing in Leicester in three weeks. The artiste would join them in their routine on their third week hence, they had to perfect the routine by the end of the second week.

"Hey." Izzy picked up her phone when she was heading home that evening of the second week. Laurieann had held them back because from leaving early as the artiste was joining them after the weekend.

"Hey, beautiful." Andre greeted and she sighed.

"Andre."

"So, are you on your way?"

She frowned.
"What?"

Silence.
"You forgot, didn't you?"

Izzy searched her head for what she and Andre were supposed to do tonight.
"Our date." She said. "I totally lost track of time, Laurieann held us back and I'm just heading home. I'm beat." She paused. "I'm sorry."

Silence filled the line between them.
"Reschedule?" She asked.

"This date was rescheduled from last Friday to this because you don't have time during the week and the weekend, you're at the studio by yourself."

Izzy sighed.
"I'll go home and change and..."

"No," Andre said. "You'll be too tired when you get there. Another time."

Andre hung up and sighed into the candlelit terrace. He had taken half an hour in the market to get everything. Came back home, got cooking, and then set up the terrace only to get stood up by Belle for the sixth or so time since she joined Laurieann's team. He knew she was working really hard and he admired her for it, but she had completely let go of her personal life because of it.

Andre dialed Fred.
"Hey man," Fred answered on the second ring. "Aren't you supposed to be sitting across from your woman."

"I would be if she remembered."

"Yikes, again."

"She's just really busy." Andre defended. "Want to come over and eat all this food."

"You cooked?"

"Of course."

"I'm on my way."

Andre smiled and got off the phone to clear away the candles before Fred arrived.