She was a ballerina, wound as tight as the corset in her costumes. He was a hockey player determined to make a friend out of someone who didn't want any. She was willing to entertain the idea. But only because he wiggled his way past her defenses to...
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The kiss was short, lasting no more than a quick second. Loren stepped back and cleared his throat, avoiding my eyes.
"I should get going now." Shit. "Thanks for dinner again. I'll call you soon. Goodnight." He went in for a hug, which was just as short as the kiss.
I stood in front of my door for a few moments, wondering if I had completely ruined the only friendship I had. I'd misinterpreted what Loren was thinking, and I'd gone and plowed forward with my agenda anyway.
Shit.
I went inside and took another shower despite being clean, using the time to question every reason or apology I could give to Loren in hopes that he didn't hate me now. By the time I crawled into bed, I realized it didn't matter what I thought. Clearly, I'd been wrong about Loren liking me. Who did I think I was trying to fix the relationship?
When I got up the next morning, my mind was a little clearer, the daylight sobering. I'd screwed it up. I had an amazing friendship with an amazing person, and I'd screwed it up.
I went to class and then the studio, stopping by Stefano's office before rehearsal.
"Eleanor." He spoke, surprised to see me as he exited his office.
"May I speak with you after rehearsal?" I asked. "It's nothing too pressing. I just need a word with you." Despite screwing up my friendship with Loren by acting hastily, I had decided at some point in the night that if I was going to be able to live with myself, I had to tell Stefano about Brandt.
"Yes." He agreed. "After class." He nodded his head and walked toward the studio. Feeling a little more confident than last night, I followed after him, my pace faltering when I saw Brandt unlocking the door to his office. Had he heard me? We acknowledged each other with a nod, though we both seemed to know what the other was thinking: I was declaring war.
After Swan Lake rehearsal, I went to Stefano's office, knowing that no matter how long the meeting ran, I wouldn't be meeting Loren for lunch. At least not today.
I knocked on the door quietly, Stefano greeting me stoically. "Eleanor. Please, come in." He gestured to his office and I entered, taking a seat across from his desk. "I can understand now why you wished to speak to me."
"Oh?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Why is that?"
"I must be frank." He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. "Brandt spoke to me this morning." What? "He feels that you are under too much pressure, dancing both for him and me. He thinks the attention of being a principal again is taking your focus away from his art."
"Does he?" What all had Brandt said? It was clear he was covering his tracks, but did Stefano believe him?
"He asked me to remove you." Stefano continued. "I was not keen on the idea. I feel you are best when you are trying your hardest, and giving you less to work with is not ideal. However," he paused, looking at me directly, "I cannot interfere with another choreographer's vision. I have no choice but to remove you from Circumlocution."
