Chapter 2

CHAPTERTWO

Chase

Ryder and I are lounging on the couch while the TV plays in the background, but my mind is elsewhere, consumed by thoughts of her. It’s been three days, and she’s just gone. Her apartment seems empty, her phone is off, she didn’t go to class, and I have no idea where we could find her. This is all because of me.

We searched every possible place and approached some of her classmates, but had no luck. We even knocked on that Gunner guy’s door since the others said he was a good friend of hers, but he didn’t know where she was either, and I could see the panic rise in his eyes when he tried to call her and didn’t get through. Meanwhile, the guys and I got tested to ensure that my recklessness didn’t put her at risk, and thankfully, we’re all good.

I’m still amazed at how Riv has stood up for Liv. It’s comforting to know that we all have her back, even if it means standing up against our family.

Jaxon comes in with some groceries and heads to the kitchen to put them away. He can’t stand doing nothing, so he’s been cooking this whole time.

River bursts into the room, waving his tablet. “Guys, you need to see this!” he says, settling onto the couch beside us.

Jaxon leans into the doorway between the living room and kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. River has been holed up in his room for the past two days, poring over our security camera feed, searching for any clues as to where she might have gone.

“I haven’t found any leads on where she might be,” River admits, and my hope deflates a little, “but I found something else.”

He connects his tablet to the TV, and there is a younger version of her, with blonde hair and those same beautiful olive green eyes that captivate me so much. It’s a paused YouTube video, where she’s standing beside a guy with his arm around her shoulder. They both look sweaty but happy.

“What is that? Where did you find this?” Ryder asks, jumping up.

River looks down, seemingly embarrassed. “I wanted to learn about contemporary dance, so I looked up videos of the best contemporary dancers worldwide and stumbled upon this.” He hits play, and the video starts over.

It’s a clip from a Canadian show called Canada’s Biggest Talents. We watch as Liv and the guy run onto a dance floor, stopping in the center to face a wildly clapping audience and a panel of judges, consisting of three Canadian celebrities I recognize but can’t name. They hold hands, smiling and waving to the crowd. Liv is wearing only a dark red sports bra and denim shorts, her long, blonde hair falling down her back, while the guy wears a beige shirt and dark red trousers. Both are barefoot.

“Olivia, Liam, are you ready for your final performance tonight?” asks one of the celebrity judges, and the crowd whoops.

“Olivia?” Ryder asks, but before I can answer him, the Liam guy speaks.

“We are so happy to have made it to the finale. It doesn’t matter to us if we win tonight. We’re blessed to have this experience with all of you. It’s been the adventure of a lifetime for us. Thank you, to every single one of you who has voted for us time and time again for making our dream come true. We love you guys!”

God, what a cliché this guy is.He’s good-looking, though. Even I can admit that. I don’t want to imagine what my seventeen-year-old self would have looked like beside him.

The lights go down as they get into position. “Unsteady” by X Ambassadors starts playing, and I get a flashback to Liv stumbling over her gym bag to get to her phone to change the song in the studio.

When the stage lights come up again, Liv is on her knees while Liam stands beside her. He offers her a hand, pulling her to her feet and into a twirl before lifting her off the ground, her body horizontal over his chest. My heart races as he releases her, where she flips in the air before he catches her inches from the floor with just one arm. A tug on her hand brings her back to standing with her back to his front. Liam places his hands on her forehead and chin, then Liv takes a step towards the camera, holding out her arms and opening her mouth in a silent scream before he pulls her back into his chest. They turn around, dancing a few steps apart before coming back together. When the beat drops, Liam lies on the floor while Liv performs a split in the air. She steps over him and, with a backwards bridge, positions herself above him, then slowly lowers herself to lie on his chest. Liam sits up with Liv in his lap, both hands on her hips, before he swings her off of him, the momentum bringing her back-to-back with him.

As I watch Liv and Liam’s performance, I’m completely mesmerized. I’ve never seen anything like it. Their choreography is flawless, their movements perfectly in sync. Liv has always been an outstanding dancer, but seeing her paired with Liam is pure magic.

“You guys have no idea how fucking good that is,” I murmur.

Jaxon comes up behind me, leaning on the couch I’m sitting on.

“I’ve never seen anyone dance like this,” I say, and I’ve seen my fair share of great dancers.

“The video has two hundred million views,” Ryder says, his eyes wide.

“I found their YouTube channel,” River says with a grimace. “It has over six million subscribers and is filled with high-quality dance videos. They won the competition and many more after that.”

“How the fuck did we not know about that?” I ask, baffled.

“It seems like they’re huge in Canada, but I don’t think the hype made it to the States,” River explains.

“I still think I should have heard of them in the dance community,” I say, scratching my neck, and Ryder chuckles bitterly.

“Oh yeah? Because you were so into contemporary dance before you met her?” he asks sarcastically, and I realize he’s right.

“It may also have to do with the fact that it’s not Liv Michaels who’s famous,” River points out. “According to their YouTube channel, our girl’s name is Olivia Baker.”