"Garnet, that spin was terrible!" her mom exclaimed over the music.
Garnet stopped, panting.
"Mom, I'm exhausted!"
"I don't care if you're dying! Don't be sloppy!"
Garnet's eyes filled with tears. "Mom, come on. I've been at this for two hours. Just give me ten minutes."
"No. Drink some water right now and do the dance without being sloppy, then you can take a break."
Garnet furiously wiped at her eyes and took a shaky breath, trying to compose herself. She took a huge gulp of water, relishing the cool relief to her tired body.
"Are you going to stop crying?" her mom asked.
She took a deep, calming breath, tuned her mother out, and composed herself. She would let everything out while she did her jazz routine, hopefully for the last time. She just had to get through it.
The opening of Michael Buble's version of Fever started.
Garnet absolutely threw herself into the dance, moving her body to the seductive beat. She channeled all of her anger into the dance, going all out. She nailed every last move, even the ones she was self-conscious about, and she knew it.
She collapsed in a heap when she finished.
Jessica and Sean ran to her, concerned, but her mother merely told her that was good and she could rest now and took a call on her cell, leaving the room.
"My God, Garnet, that was flawless," Jessica gushed, astonished. "Your mom is such a bitch. Are you okay?"
Sean put a hand on her head. "You're warm. Come get some water."
"I can't," she admitted. "I can't move right now."
She was overheated and sore. She literally couldn't move.
He scooped her up, bridal style, and carried her to her dance bag. He handed her the handheld automatic fan and sent Jessica to fill up her second water bottle as he handed her the full one.
"Thank you."
She let the fan dry the sweat drenching her face while she tried not to read too much into his actions.
"No problem. That was amazing, by the way."
She didn't even have the energy to blush...but she would have if she did.
"Thanks."
"Mhm. Does your mom always push you like that?" he asked.
"Yeah. It bothered me a lot when I was little but I've gotten used to it. It just bothered me more today than it normally does."
She took another huge sip of water.
"I don't even know what she was talking about. You looked amazing the whole time."
She smiled gratefully. "Oh, no, she was right. But thank you."
"She was not. You were terrific."
She blushed now, feeling much better.
"You're sweet."
"I try."
They sat in silence. She studied him from the corner of her eye, wondering if the attraction between them was one-sided.
Jessica came back, reassuring her and giving her the fresh water. Garnet sipped it and reached for the clif bar in her bag. She ate it and finished the water.
"Better?" Sean asked.
She nodded. "Much. Thank you guys so much."
Her mom came back.
"Jess, why don't you show us your jazz routine?"
Her eyes widened. She was obviously afraid of what Garnet's mom would say.
Jessica tossed her her second water bottle. Garnet smiled gratefully, popping the top.
"Uh...sure."
Muse's Time is Running Out started playing and Garnet drummed her fingers along with the beat. She looked down and noticed that Sean was doing the same thing.
"You know this song?" she asked, looking back to Jessica.
"Hell yes. Muse is one of my favorite bands."
"No way! Mine, too."
"Really?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "I would have pegged you for a pop kind of girl."
Garnet giggled. "I hate pop with a passion."
Sean high fived her. "Good."
Garnet went back to watching Jessica, suddenly extra glad she had Sean.
***
The next day was Garnet's ballet practice. She winced when she woke up, knowing the day would be torturous and she would need either a scalding hot bath or an ice bath when she got back to the hotel.
She dressed in her leotard and ballet skirt over her tights, then grabbed her dance bag and met everyone downstairs.
They made the short walk to the dance studio. Garnet's stomach filled with dread at the sight of the building.
She turned an upbeat playlist on to stretch: Mumford and Sons' I Will Wait, Florence and the Machine's Dog Days Are Over, Coldplay's Hurts Like Heaven, Ed Sheeran's Grade 8, Panic! At the Disco's I Write Sins Not Tragedies, The Bravery's Ours, Adele's Rolling in the Deep, and Metrostation's Shake It.
Sean settled in the corner as Garnet took her skirt off, rolled her tights up, and settled onto the floor. She spread her legs out in a wide v and layed her chest flat on one leg, keeping the other straight. She held it for an entire verse, then switched legs. She held it for the same amount of time, then layed her chest flat on the ground.
Sean made a strangled-sounding noise. She held back a laugh; he'd told her before that it looked very painful.
She stood and touched her toes, holding it for ten beats and straightening up, then stretching her quads. She finally got warmed up after thirty sit-ups and got into her deep stretching, sliding her legs into a middle split and going all the way to the ground. She leaned to the side, holding the stretch, then switched sides.
Her mother nodded approvingly. "You went all the way down today!"
"I've been working on it."
She did her two other splits and stretched, then did a few more deep leg stretches and started preparing for her routine.
Her mom cut off Shake It in the middle and she made a noise of protest.
"You couldn't let the song finish?"
"Honey, you need to focus now. Have you decided on River Flows in You?"
"Yes."
"I liked Ave Maria, but it's what you want," her mom said in a resigned voice.
She put the cd in and Garnet did a few high kicks, making sure she wouldn't hurt herself when she danced.
She nodded to show she was ready and started her dance.
Garnet knew ballet was her forte. She danced professionally for a ballet company, after all, and had danced the lead in The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and several other productions.
And she loved this song.
So she put everything into the dance, knowing she moved with fluid grace and smiling softly as she did.
She ended in fifth position to wild applause from Jessica and Sean.
"That was lovely, darling," her mother declared.
She bowed. "Thak you, thank you."
"Now do it again and make sure it looks like that every time."
***
Garnet went down to the hot tub that night, clad in an emerald green bikini, her iPod in hand. Jessica tagged along, texting her boyfriend back home in Seattle.
"How's Jake?" Garnet asked, settling into the hot water.
She saw the door open from the corner of her eye and Sean walked to a chair, a book in his hand. She smiled to herself, wondering yet again how he always seemed to know when she was sneaking out.
She wondered when she'd stopped minding.
"Great. He says good luck tomorrow."
"Tell him thanks. And to not sext you."
Jessica started laughing. Garnet grinned and put one earbud in her ear, leaning her head back and enjoying the hot water on her sore muscles.
Jessica got out after a while. "I'm going try to sleep."
"Good luck," Garnet called after her.
She waved in acknowledgement.
Garnet turned her iPod to the calming playlist she'd made and took a deep breath.
Tomorrow was her Juliard audition. Her whole future rested on it. She'd never been more nervous in her life, not even before trying out for the ballet company. Or dancing the lead in a ballet.
Someone settled into the hot tub next to her. She opened her eyes, turning her head. Sean had joined her.
She fought to keep her jaw from dropping. He was shirtless...and very gorgeous.
"Hey," she managed to finally say.
"Hey," he said simply.
She cursed the fact that he was immune to her female charms.
She had a dancer's body and she was in a bikini, after all.
"Nervous for tomorrow?" he asked.
She sat up. "More nervous than I've ever been for anything."
He smiled. "I figured. Don't be, though, okay? You'll do amazing."
She shook her head. "That's easy for you to say."
"True. But you forget, I've been watching you dance all week. I know what you're capable of."
Her cheeks warmed at his praise. "Well, thanks."
He smiled. "Any time."
They sat in silence, Garnet feeling a little better.
Her playlist ended and she put on her Muse playlist. Time is Running out blared from her earbuds. She quickly turned it down.
Sean grabbed the other and put it in his ear. "This is my favorite."
"Mine, too."
They started talking about music, which led to movies, which led to food. Garnet and Sean had similar tastes in all three. They argued over the rare instances they disagreed, but it was the good, fun kind of arguing. Before Garnet knew it, it was eleven o'clock. She gaped at the clock- she'd come downstairs at eight.
"Wow, it's late," Sean declared. "You should go get some sleep."
She agreed and he stepped out of the hot tub.
Garnet admired the sight, thinking it was a sin to look so good.
Sean held out a hand and helped her out. She turned and grabbed two towels, tossing one to him.
She caught him staring before he looked quickly away, cheeks pink, and she grinned. Someone wasn't as immune to her as he seemed.
They dried off and walked to the elevator, taking their time. When they reached their rooms, Garnet strangely found herself wanting to kiss him good night...and the look on his face said he was thinking the same thing.
He hurriedly said good night, though, and closed the door to his room. Garnet did the same, wondering what in the world had gotten into her, and why her stomach was suddenly full of butterflies. She did not get butterflies, especially from guys.
She changed and climbed into bed, thinking maybe she shouldn't spend quite so much time alone with him.
She checked her phone and found a text from an unknown number. She opened it, thinking maybe it was someone from school wishing her good luck.
'Someone has a little crush on their bodyguard.' it read. 'Be careful.'
Her blood ran cold at the message. There hadn't been anyone outside...or so she'd thought.
Mayne had found her.
~
Sean paced the hotel room, wearing down the carpet. He would make a hole at this rate.
Garnet and Jessica sat on the same bed, each holding a pillow tightly. Jessica held Garnet's hand tightly.
Her mom sat in a chair, face in her hands. "What do we do?" she asked.
"I'm moving into this room. Jessica can have mine. And, I'm sorry Garnet, but you're not going anywhere alone. Not even the audition room tomorrow. We're driving there, not walking."
Garnet nodded, taking this seriously for the first time. She was shaking.
"Do you swear he won't get to her?" Jessica asked.
Sean spoke to her, but looked at Garnet. "I swear, he's not coming anywhere near her."
Jessica packed her things and gave Garnet a tight hug before crossing the hall to Sean's room. He'd already brought his things to this room. Garnet's mom hugged her close, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry, sweetie. Sean will take care of you. I love you."
"I love you, too, Mom."
Her mom left, wringing her hands, and she was left with Sean.
She looked at the clock: midnight.
"Oh, God," she murmured, face in her hands.
She was being stalked again and now she only had six hours of sleep before the audition that could either make or break her.
Sean sat on the edge of her bed. "Garnet, look at me."
She pulled her hands away from her face and made eye contact with him, trying not to hyperventillate. She'd never been so scared.
He looked at her, eyes intense and face determined.
"I will not let anything happen to you. Now get some rest. Do not worry about anything. Just your audition. Okay?"
She nodded. "Okay."
He unexpectedly pulled her in for a hug, strong arms wrapping around her and making her feel unbelievably safe. Her cheeks warmed as she hugged him back.
"Good night," he murmured.
"Good night."
He released her and went to his bed.
She laid down, heart pounding from the hug.
Now, on top of the audition and the stalking, she had feelings for Sean to worry about.
She turned the lamp off and closed her eyes, stifling a sigh.