Beastly Beauty ✓

22. The Spark

Jungkook and I met at the center of the room, surrounded by all of the other dancers. His eyes captivated mine as each order came from the professor. As we followed along to her voice, his hands slid around my waist and drew me nearer to him. My hands went out to the sides then raised above my head as I leaned backward, allowing him to hold my weight. My spine arched against his grasp and my hair nearly brushed the floor. His fingers tightened their grip on my hips and lower back, and it was surprising how comfortable I felt in his arms.

"Good, now that you know your partner isn't going to just let you fall, let's practice a couple of basic lifts."

I straightened up as Jungkook released me, and my eyes spotted a dusting of pink on his cheekbones, matching the color of my pointe shoes. To avoid his gaze and prevent my own blush, my attention snapped to the professor. She went on explaining the importance of trust when it came to lifts, then had Hoseok decide on which types we would practice.

As the masked choreographer told the class what to begin with, my heart fluttered. It had been a couple of years since the last time I danced with a partner and even longer since I did any lifts with one.

"Don't be nervous. Just trust me," Jungkook said low enough for only me to catch.

I nodded, and he came to stand behind me. In the reflection of the mirror, I watched as he leaned down and placed one hand on the back of my thigh and the other circled around my waist. I wrapped my arm around his neck. Together we pliéd, bending our knees before I launched off the floor, and he helped carry my weight as I brought my legs out into a split and leaned my body over his shoulder. He spun us around and then slowly lowered me back to the floor in front of him.

The lift was a simple one, but I still was left breathless at how smoothly the two of us worked together. It was like our bodies synched into one bound entity.

After practicing a couple more lifts, the period ended. While Jungkook and I changed our shoes, the class slowly filtered out of the studio.

"Think you can stay for a bit? We should talk to Hoseok and tell him what happened," Jungkook said quietly beside me. I peered at him while tying the laces of my white combat boots.

"I have a while before my next class."

Despite my words, my stomach twisted at the thought of talking to Hoseok. One of the last interactions with him had been when he hugged me after my nightmare in the hospital, and now suddenly we were going to tell him that I remembered him from my childhood. Knowing how closed off he tended to be had me worried about how he'd react.

"What's going on between you two?"

My spine straightened as his deep tone came from behind me. I looked into the mirror and met his gaze that was so piercing, it nearly turned me to stone.

Jungkook stood and I followed, both of us turning to face him. The red tones of his hair were more copper under the studio's lighting, and his skin appeared more golden than normal. His dark brows were set in what I could only assume was a frown, as my eyes drifted to the scarlet mask covering his mouth.

What do his lips look like when he frowns? What do they look like when he smiles?

"She remembered," Jungkook stated boldly.

Hoseok was silent but I caught the slight widening of his eyes as they snapped to me.

"You told her?" Hoseok's voice lowered dangerously, the sound growing rougher.

Jungkook sighed. "No, brother, I didn't tell her. I just... helped her remember on her own."

"What is that supposed to mean?" the older asked, almost in a growl.