03 | LE PETIT DANSEUR
luke could remember the very moment kai had expressed an interest in dance.
she was seven when she'd pleaded with him to take her to ballet lessons, all as part of her fanciful dream of becoming a prima ballerina. in an attempt to mimic the dancers on television, she would leap and twirl laps around the house, with her hair tied up in a velvet pink scrunchie and a delicate tulle skirt wrapped around her waist.
luke had been sure at the time that it would be nothing more than a phase she would go through, as many young girls around her age did, but brin was the one to encourage her fanatical enthusiasm for ballet and, within a week, she was attending lessons.
her commitment to dance was something he had never thought he'd witness from her at such a young age. she lived and breathed it, and the day she finally went en pointe had been the happiest of her life.
it was a testament, he thought, to her sheer determination to succeed, and he was happy that she enjoyed it as much as she did.
he sighed, pulling up the studio where she danced. pellets of rain thrummed heavily against his windscreen, and he was reminded once again of why he had to collect her today, in the first place. normally, she took the train home after her lessons, but the idea of her having to wade through weather as dismal and horrendous as this made luke uneasy.
he knew it wasn't an obligation, but it felt necessary.
checking the time on his dashboard, he acknowledged that he was a whole ten minutes early to pick her up. he wrapped his jacket around his body a little tighter, bracing himself for the vicious attack of water once he stepped out of his car.
he slammed his door shut, fumbling with his keys while he tried to lock the vehicle as quickly as possible; there was nothing he hated more than being drenched by rain. with great leaps of his long legs, he jogged across the parking lot, and into the warm confines of the dance studio.
his body racked with tremors from the rain's assault. he held himself stiffly, more than aware at this point that he had underdressed for the weather.
hobbling down the corridor of the vaguely familiar building, he shivered, feeling small droplets in his hair fall onto his forehead and trickle down to his nose. it took more effort than was necessary to navigate these hallways. he was sure brin knew the way better than he did, for she was the one who used to bring kai here to begin with.
the faint resonance of an airy piano tune met his ears as he turned a corner. he took this as a sign that he was getting close. following the lulling sound of the music, he was eventually faced by two double doors with narrow, wired glass windows. the bright light of the studio beyond streamed through them.
luke blinked his bleary eyes a bit, and stepped up to the door, unsure of whether or not parents were permitted to enter. he peeped through the glass, but was not able to make kai out from behind the fogged window.
with a deep inhale, he pushed the door open a tad, and stepped inside to find he was not the only parent present. about half a dozen women sat on fold-out chairs by the wall a few metres away, in the midst of deep, hushed conversation.
he gnawed his bottom lip sheepishly, and decided he'd lean by the frame of the door he'd just come through as his eyes scanned the sparsely scattered class of girls in search of kai.
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latch ❥ lrh
Fanfiction❝ she was his angel, his one guiding light; and he loved her... perhaps, more than a father should love his own daughter. ❞ {lowercase intended} ©lucifercado; 2020
