Chapter 8: Running Away 7 Years ago… I looked at my reflection in the mirror, wondering for the thousandth time: What was I doing with my life? My make-up was light, hardly falling in the category of make-up at all. The light smoky eyes and the nude lipstick made me look paler than normal. There were two stud diamond earrings on my ears, no necklace since the collar of my dress was already high enough to cross all levels of decency. My hair was also a simple bun at the back of my head, with a jewelled clip to hold my veil in place. The bridal gown was pure white and simple. The skirt was flowing with a slight train and the sleeves were lace. Although my father had objected to the ‘unconventional dress’ at first…but he had changed his mind at the last minute when my groom’s father, and by father’s good friend, Mr. Davis, had reminded him that this was the twenty first century and women dressing in lace sleeves was appropriate enough. And yet…Mr. Davis hadn’t thought that arranged
Chapter 9: The First Time We Met Getting to New York was a chore indeed. My two friends had covered for me until I was out of the church building, and then Ms. Stonewall, my dance teacher, had driven me to the bus terminus and provided me some of her savings to use in times of need. ‘Use it well, Kyra. I trust you and I believe in you.’ ‘But…this is a lot, Lydia!’ I had looked at the card in astonishment. ‘How do I ever return this favor?’ ‘Oh, don’t worry, I will get it back with interest.’ She had grinned at me. “When I see you perform on some of the biggest stages in the world. That would be my biggest reward.’ She had no idea how much her words had encouraged me to move forward. She wasn’t just my teacher or my mentor…she was my idol. And one day, I planned to make her proud. And preparations for that day, started right now. That day, I had gotten a good few stares from the people who had boarded the bus with me, everyone wonder what a woman in her wedding dress was doing i
Chapter 10: What She MeantThe morning started with an abrupt interruption to my peaceful slumber. The despicable sound of loud rock music rudely pulled me from the depths of sleep. Rubbing my eyes, I stumbled out of bed, cursing under my breath about the unnecessary disruption.Stepping into the living room, I found Gabriella in her usual morning ritual—stretching and twisting into yoga poses as if she was auditioning for Cirque du Soleil, all while the music blared sky-high in the background. Irritation bubbled within me, and I couldn't help but voice my frustration."Gabriella, seriously? Do you have to blast music this early just to do yoga?" I asked, my annoyance palpable.To my surprise, she turned to me with an unflinching demeanor. "Kyra, this is how I do my yoga. Music helps me get into the flow," she explained, her tone unwavering. “You should know that as a dancer.”I sighed, not wanting to escalate things. "Fine," I muttered and decided to ignore her, since it was kinda cl
Chapter 11: The First KissGabriella and I were polar opposites; not just in looks, but in every aspect of our lives. That much I had established from the very first day we became roommates.She was the contemporary champion and I was the ballet protégé. She preferred rock music, while I preferred country classics. She preferred ‘blow-the-top-of-your-head’ kinda spicy food while I preferred my meals, what she called ‘flavorless’. I preferred pastel colors and she was vibrant enough to turn me color-blind.I was shy, reserved and mostly kept to myself, while ‘Gabby’, as everyone called her, was energetic, outgoing and the most extroverted person I had ever met. She could be out partying till 2 in the morning but still manage to ace a test with her eyes closed.And no matter how much irritation I felt at having such a roommate, the one thing she and I had in common was probably the one thing keeping us from ripping each other’s hair out. Our love for dancing.Whenever it was Gabby’s tur
Chapter 12: Winning Her OverI never meant for it to happen the way it did – that unexpected kiss that left me stunned and bewildered. But before I could even process what had just occurred, she rushed out, leaving me standing there, trying to comprehend why that fleeting moment affected me in a way I hadn't anticipated.My heart pounded so hard that I feared it might burst out of my chest. And even though the landing hadn't been the least bit smooth, I could still feel my lips tingle from the kiss…Thankfully, no one seemed to have witnessed the unexpected incident. The relief of privacy shielded me from any further confusion or embarrassment. As I stood there, grappling with my thoughts, my phone suddenly rang, breaking the uneasy silence.It was Angie and Rika, my best friends. Their cheerful voices greeted me, asking about my well-being. I couldn't help but put on a facade, telling them I was doing great and sharing details about life in my hometown. Little did I know, their call
Chapter 13: Tension in Between Us“Practice before dinner.” Gabriella told me. “Or your stomach will be upset if you start to practice right after dinner.”“I’ll get the area ready right now then,” I cleared the table swiftly, eager to dive into the dance steps. Gabriella led the way to the living room, our makeshift dance studio for the evening."Where should we start?" I inquired, trying to mask my excitement and nerves."Let's begin with the basics," she said, adopting a patient tone. "It's about feeling the rhythm and letting your movements flow with it."Trying to emulate her steps, I ventured, "Like this?"Her correction was gentle. "Not quite. It's about the fluidity, the smooth transition between steps. Watch my feet closely."I absorbed her movements, gradually grasping the nuances. "Ah, I think I'm getting there. This step here, then there..."Gabriella's encouraging words buoyed my spirits. "That's it! You're catching on faster than I thought."The exhilaration of progress
Chapter 14: Choosing My FriendsDays turned to weeks as we continued our daily activities and started to grow closer as friends. Gabby no longer played pranks on me and was even more helpful during my classes and with her support; I could slowly start to feel my dreams turn into a reality.Now, it almost felt impossible to think about how we used to clash all the time, arguing and fighting and wanting to rip each other’s hair off. Oh, how time had changed us.However, as I walked into practice one day, I could feel the tension between Gabriella and me as she turned away from me, continuing on with her stretches like I didn’t even exist.To be honest, she had been acting like this recently. Especially since I had made some new friends within the group, Candice and Marian.I was thrilled about it; it felt good to have people to hang out with other than just Gabriella. But whenever I mentioned them, Gabriella's face would darken, and she'd become visibly upset.I didn't understand why sh
Chapter 15: Defending You"Gabriella," I began, my expression serious as I countered her claims. "I don't think I need new friends who backbites others, especially you, and says weird things about them behind their backs. That’s not the kind of friends I want to make, because if they can talk shit about others, who knows what else they are talking about? Or who else, I should say."Gabby looked a little taken aback by my sudden outburst, but soon, her expression turned a bit weary as she leaned back in her chair and gave me a look from under her long lashes.“Kyra…” She took a moment to responded, almost like she was hesitant to say whatever she wanted to next. "What part of me do you find weird?"“Huh?” I blinked. “What do you mean?”“I mean…you just said that…they said weird things, didn’t you?” She shrugged. “So I wanted to know.”I took a deep breath and shook my head. “No, Gabby, I think you misunderstood.” I concurred. “I didn’t mean you were weird, it’s just that…what they said