Obsession

Chapter 5

I wake up much earlier than usual, for a Saturday morning, to get to campus hours before I'm supposed to meet Leo. I want to get in all the extra practice I can.

I've dressed more conservative today, wearing a baggy, long-sleeve white shirt and thick, black leggings. It's not what I prefer, but I don't want to give Leo any ideas. After I accidentally liked his photo the other night, I can only imagine what he's thinking. We don't even follow each other so he probably thinks I'm stalking him. Even if, technically, I was.

I take a few minutes to stretch and warm up my body. After that, I go over some of the moves I saw Leo do. They are far more difficult than they look. I watch myself perform the same move over and over again in the mirror, but I can't make it look near as good as he did. I'm not sure that all the practice in the world could make me even close to his level of talent.

Still, I've never been one to step down from a challenge. I repeat the same move over and over until I finally start to see some improvement.

"Wow, look at you."

I jump when I notice Leo standing at the door. He's wearing a plain black t-shirt and black shorts that match his messy black hair perfectly.

Black is definitely his color.

"How long have you been here?" he asks, walking past me.

"Not long," I lie.

"Well, I hope you're ready. I've been working on some choreography for our routine and it's pretty tough."

He drops his gym bag on the floor next to mine and sits down. He pats the space next to him and I reluctantly sit down, leaving a considerable amount of space between us. He pulls up a video on his phone and slides closer to me. I'm so focused on his close proximity that I don't pay much attention to the video at all.

My face is flushed, and not from practicing. My heart is racing. My hands are shaky. Why am I like this?

"Are you okay?" Leo asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I'm a little caught off guard, but I manage to recover quickly. "Of course."

He smiles and leans even closer to me, moving his phone in front of my face. It's only then that I notice that it's a video of Leo practicing. He's right. These moves are tough, but he makes them look so easy.

And so sexy.

I bite my lip as I get lost in the video. I pay careful attention to every movement he makes. He's so sharp and on point. It's like watching a professional dancer or performer. I start to panic when I realize that I'm gonna have to learn all these moves myself. I haven't even mastered the simpler moves he did for me the last time we practiced together. How am I supposed to learn this and make it look good in a matter of months?

When the video ends, Leo looks at me and smirks. "So what do you think?"

"I think it's incredible. I just..."

"You can do it," he says as if he can read my mind. "I promise."

"I don't know. I more of a ballet girl. I haven't done much in the form of hip-hop."

He stands up and offers me his hand. "Well, lucky for you, I'm a really good teacher."

I smile and take his hand. We waste no time getting to work. Leo breaks down each of the moves and teaches them to me slowly. After that, we put them all together, taking them at a slow pace at first and gradually moving faster and faster.

Within a couple of hours, I've mastered the first set of moves. I don't look near as good as him when I do them, but the fact that I can do the footwork alone is a huge accomplishment.

After four hours of practice, I'm an exhausted, sweaty mess. I plop down on the floor and lean up against the wall, breathing heavily. Leo sits next to me and does the same.

"You did great today," he says, placing his hand on my thigh.

I tense up at his touch and he must notice since he quickly moves it away. "Thanks," I say breathlessly. "You really are a good teacher."

"Really?" he asks, taken back by my compliment.

"Of course. When you first showed me those moves, I thought to myself, there is no way I am ever gonna learn all that. But I did. Within hours. You're one of the best teachers I think I've ever had."

He smiles shyly and looks down to hide his suddenly blushing cheeks. "Thanks."

"Have you ever thought about teaching professionally?" I ask him.

He laughs to himself. "It's all I've ever wanted. I want to be a choreographer to the stars. You know, teach the best of the best."

I smile at him, even though he's not looking at me. Today, I feel like Leo became more than just my intimidating dance partner. He became my friend and mentor.

When he looks up at me, our eyes lock for one intense second before I force myself to look away.

"What about you? Your mom was a teacher, are you following in her footsteps?" he asks.

"That's the plan," I sigh. "Her dance studio has been her whole world for the past twenty-five years. She's put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it. Of course, I want to carry on that legacy."

"No you don't."

I look at him and furrow my brows. I open my mouth to speak, but he beats me to it.

"You can be honest with me, Mara," he says, catching my eyes again.

His eyes are so warm and inviting, I want to tell him everything, bad and good, about me. I've never been good at being transparent with people though.

"I feel like I'm just trying to keep her dream alive," I reply honestly. "I really want to be a fashion designer. It's what I'm majoring in, but...just as a hobby, I guess. I don't expect very much to come of it."

"Why not?" Leo asks.

I shrug. "Because my future is all planned out for me. Ever since I was a little girl, my mom would tell me how one day, I'd take over her studio and teach the next generation of little ballerinas. I don't want to let her down."

"Does she know that's not really what you want?"

I shake my head slowly. "No. I've never told her. I don't want to hurt her feelings."

"You should tell her. It may hurt her feelings, but she wouldn't want you to do it if your heart's not in it," he says.

I stare at him in amazement. Not only is he good looking and talented, but he's also wise beyond his years.

"Anyway, I should get going," he says, standing and offering me his hand. He helps me to my feet and slings his gym bag over his shoulder. He starts for the door, but stops and turns back just before he leaves. "Do you like Japanese food?"

"I love it."

"There's a new place that just opened up on the square. Want to join me for dinner tonight?" he asks.

My heart leaps in my chest. I want to say yes, especially after our time together today. "I would love to, but I already made plans with Anna and Rue tonight. We're supposed to be visiting Anna's weird aunt in Santa Barbara."

"Aunt Roma?" he asks.

"You know her?"

"Kind of," he shrugs. "Anna's family has been friends of my family for a long time. Aunt Roma is the witch doctor, right?"

"Something like that," I laugh.

"Well, another time then?" he asks with the sweetest, most hopeful grin.

"Definitely another time."