Chapter 97

The next morning, bees and butterflies waged war in Anna’s stomach as she followed Aaron into the large dance studio where classes were held every day except Sundays. Justin had already arrived and stood along the side wall, talking and laughing with several other dancers. Anna envied the ease with which he’d already settled in.

She hovered behind Aaron, trying to hide.

Aaron put his arm around her and chuckled. “C’mon, Kat. You can stand by me.”

“Cat?”

“Nickname?” Aaron grinned.

“Oh.” She smiled, liking the sound of it. Shortening Anna wasn’t really necessary.

Aaron walked to the back center of the room and Anna stood next to him, uncertain of what to do. The studio was twice the size of the one back home and there were so many dancers!

Several dancers said hi to Aaron and looked at Anna curiously.

“Don’t worry, Kat. They looked at me the same way when I came. They’ll respect you once you start dancing.”

“It’s so different...” Anna fiddled with her wedding ring. The women were so sophisticated, even though they wore simple workout wear or dance attire. Something about them just screamed elegance. And they were all tall and very thin, making Anna self-conscious of her curves.

She sat down on the wooden floor and began working over her new pointe shoes to soften them. She’d forgotten to do it last night. Everyone else’s were well worn. She sighed and prayed Aaron was right.

Vincent strolled in a while later and caught Anna’s eye. He smiled warmly at her and then turned to speak to the pianist. While Aaron chatted with the other dancers around them, Anna stayed on the floor, stretching and avoiding looking at anyone. Until she felt someone watching her. She looked up to see that Nate had arrived and was watching her, eyes full of emotion.

He has a girlfriend . She gave him a timid smile and looked away, but not before she saw him walk in her direction. She didn’t want to encourage him. It wasn’t fair to his girlfriend.

He sat down next to her. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“I never thought I’d get to do this again.”

“Do what?”

“Sit next to you in a studio.” He smiled and she bit her lip. “Hell, just be near you.”

“Nate...” She shook her head and was relieved when his roommate plopped down next to them.

“Hey, Katrina.” Clayton flashed his mischievous smile that reminded her of Kurt.

“Hi.” She bent forward into a stretch to hide her nervousness.

“How was your dinner last night?” Nate asked.

“Nice.” She bit back a sigh. Wilhelm was gone now. She missed him already, and not knowing when she would see him again made her sad.

Vincent clapped his hands and the room fell silent as the dancers took their places. Anna stood and took a place next to Aaron. Nate stood on her other side with Clayton next to him.

“Just a reminder, you need to be at the airport Sunday morning by seven to catch the plane. Please don’t be late.” The room erupted in laughter as Vincent gave a pointed look at a guy across the room.

“I know! I know!” The dancer waved his hands in the air. “I’ll have three alarms to make sure I’m there.”

Anna’s heart leaped in her chest at Vincent’s announcement and looked sharply at Aaron. He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

Vincent smiled and then looked around. “I’m sure many of you have noticed the new faces this morning. Some of you met them yesterday, but I’ll introduce them to the rest of you. Justin Sawyer has returned to us after spending some time in San Francisco, and with him came a new principal, Katrina Engel.”

Anna smiled shyly and gave a small wave, then looked at the floor.

“They will be dancing this upcoming program with us, so please help them out when they need it.” Vincent looked at the pianist. “Let’s begin.”

The music began and Vincent hurried over to her. “The warm-up is similar to what you’re used to, Katrina, but I’ll guide you through it once.”

Anna began the series of plies and relevés as Vincent stayed close to make adjustments and announce the steps. Vincent kept correcting her arm positions and Anna gritted her teeth every time, frustrated that she couldn’t remember what he’d just told her.

The warm-ups continued, gradually picking up speed. Despite the steps being nearly identical to those she’d danced nearly every day of her life—except during her training time with Jack—Vincent guided her body into unfamiliar positions. Things she’d done slowly in California were performed nearly twice as fast in New York. Vincent was very patient and never scolded her. In fact, he was incredibly encouraging. But by the end of the barre exercises, Anna was on the verge of tears.

Aaron touched her arm as she hung her head, sweating profusely and trying very hard to hide her tears. “It’s alright, Kat. You’ll get used to it. I promise.”

Only her fear of drawing even more attention to herself kept her from sprinting out of the studio in tears as they moved into the center of the studio for the next part of class. She kept her face lowered, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the mirrored wall in front of her.

Center work offered little solace. She couldn’t lose herself in the movements because they were so unfamiliar. The only respite came during the cross-room jumps where she effortlessly outperformed the women. She allowed herself a fleeting smile after she out-jumped one of the men. After that, her confidence grew... a little. Her balance was exquisite and her pirouettes flawless. As class concluded, many of the earlier smirks had transformed into respectful smiles. Despite still feeling like an outsider, a glimmer of hope lit in her heart that she might eventually find her place.

She went to lunch with Aaron, Nate, Clayton, Justin, and several other dancers. The girls that came with them stared as Anna sat down with a tray full of food. Anna noticed they had salads and vegetable soup, whereas Anna had bought a Caesar salad wrap and french fries.

“Should I not be eating this?” she whispered to Aaron.

Aaron laughed. “You always eat like that, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah...” She ate self-consciously at first, and then stopped altogether when she overheard one of the girls comment on Anna’s hips and what she was eating.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Aaron asked.

“I’m fat.” Anna stared at her hands in her lap.

“Who said that?”

“Come on, Aaron. You know I look nothing like the other dancers.”

“You never have, Kat. They’re just jealous because you actually have curves like a normal woman.” He grinned. “You look the same as you did when we danced together and... did other things.”

Anna blushed and looked back down at her plate.

After lunch, Vincent took her and Justin and several of the other principals into a smaller studio to pair them up and see who they danced best with. Vincent paired her with several men to see how the chemistry worked. Some she felt more comfortable with than others. When she danced with Aaron, though, it felt like coming home.

“You two have danced together before, correct?” Vincent asked.

Aaron nodded. “Not as much as I’d have liked, but yes.”

“You work well together. Probably because you trained at the same school.” Vincent looked them up and down, nodded, then walked away to work with Justin and his partner.

Anna didn’t know if it was good or bad, but Aaron assured her it was okay.

“Where are you going on Sunday?” she asked softly.

“The Netherlands. The whole company’s going. We go on tour every few months.”

She shook her head. “I can’t go. I can’t leave Manhattan.”

“I remembered that after you looked at me when Vincent mentioned it.” Aaron chewed his lip and glanced at the ballet master. “Don’t worry. I’ll let him know after we’re done.”

Vincent wasn’t happy about Anna not being able to travel, but he understood. “We’ll be gone all week. I can talk to the school if you want to dance there.”

Anna shook her head. “I can practice on my own. I don’t want to be a bother.”

Vincent glanced at Aaron. “How long will the restriction be in place?”

Aaron shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Vincent pressed his lips together and nodded curtly. “Alright.” He turned and walked away.

Anna looked at Aaron. “He’s upset.”

“You’ve only been here a day and you’re gonna miss a tour. It’s okay. He knows why and would rather you be here and not tour, than not be here at all.”

Vincent continued pairing Anna and Justin with other dancers for a couple of hours, as the other dancers could come in between their rehearsals for the tour. When they finished, Justin went to join a rehearsal for a ballet he’d danced in before he’d moved to California, so he could perform on the tour, and Anna gathered her things to go home. There wasn’t anything for her to rehearse yet.

As she was leaving, Vincent walked back into the room with a tall dancer she hadn’t met yet. The dancer’s black hair was cut very short and his mahogany skin looked so smooth Anna wanted to run her hand over his clean-shaven cheeks. A dimple appeared when he smiled at her, and his eyes were a light brown that reminded her of topaz. He was older than her, but she couldn’t tell by how much. Mid-thirties, maybe? It was always hard to tell with dancers because most lived such healthy, disciplined lives.

“Katrina, this is Hugo Sintzenich. Hugo, this is Katrina Engel.”

Anna shook hands with Hugo and said hello.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Katrina,” Hugo said with the slightest of accents. German, she suspected. His name sounded German. “I’ve enjoyed watching you today.”

“Hugo is staying home from the tour because of a family issue, and he has agreed to work with you while we’re gone,” Vincent said.

“Thank you, Vincent, but I don’t want to be a bother.”

Vincent smiled. “You’re not a bother. I understand why things are the way they are. I’d forgotten Hugo wasn’t going until I saw him in the hallway. It works out well since he also choreographed one of the ballets we’re performing in the upcoming program.”

Anna looked back at Hugo, who smiled modestly. “I’m honored you’re willing to work with me,” she said softly.

“I’m looking forward to it.” He smiled, his white teeth standing out in contrast to his beautiful, dark skin.

“We can work out a schedule tomorrow if you’d like,” Hugo said as Vincent walked away. “Unless you’d like to tonight, over dinner?” He flashed a boyish grin.

“Oh... I... uh...” She bit her lip. Was he asking her out on a date or was he just being friendly? She reminded herself that she was a free woman now and could do as she pleased.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Katrina.” Hugo chuckled. “It’s just eating. You do eat, right?”

Anna shrugged. “More than I should apparently . . .”

Hugo arched one eyebrow. “Why do you say that?” He looked her up and down and smiled, but not in a way that made her uncomfortable.

“Dinner would be nice,” she said with a sharp nod. She could try this freedom out. She didn’t have to ask Aaron if she could go out with someone... did she?

“Great.” He smiled broadly. “I—?” He stopped as Aaron approached. “Hey, Aaron.”

“Hey, Hugo.” Aaron looked at Anna. “You ready?”

Anna glanced at Hugo, who looked between the two of them with thoughtful eyes. “Aaron’s my roommate,” she said.

A hint of relief showed in Hugo’s face as he nodded. “What time’s good for you?”

“Um...” She glanced at her watch. “An hour?”

“Sounds good. I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay, I live at?—?”

Hugo shook his head. “I know where Aaron lives. I’ll see you in an hour.” He grinned and then turned and walked away.

“You’re going out with him?” Aaron raised his eyebrows as Anna shifted her bag on her shoulder.

“It’s not a date.” She glanced at the doorway Hugo had walked through. “Vincent is having him work with me next week while you all are gone. Hugo said we could work out the schedule over dinner.” She paused. “Is he an okay guy?”

“Hugo? Yeah, he’s a great guy.” Aaron grimaced. “I guess I need to not assume you’re going to be home.”

“Oh, Aaron, did you want to do something tonight? I’m sorry.”

“I was thinking about doing something, but I didn’t ask, and you have no reason to feel bad. How about tomorrow night, though?” They made their way outside and headed to their apartment building.

“Sounds wonderful.”