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That was another topic that deeply worried them both.

Over the past week, Jamie had grown incredibly pale and quiet, seeming to get worse and worse every time he came to visit Jesse in the hospital.

His smile, once so pure and bright, seemed to have vanished entirely, and Jesse couldn’t really say whether it was to blame on the upcoming competition—if Jamie was just extremely nervous—or if it was because of what had happened.

Jesse hadn’t pressed anything for the time being, because if it was due to the competition, there was a risk that bringing it up would only make Jamie more nervous than ever.

But something told Jesse it was deeper than that.

Jamie had even pulled away from a hug the day before. That seemed way worse than pre-show jitters.

Half an hour before the show started, Jesse and Austin went to the Community Center, where the competition was being held.

Although Jesse wanted to go backstage to wish Jamie luck, the people running the contest wouldn’t let him, which really sucked.

But then again, he didn’t want to disturb Jamie.

It was an important event, and distracting him probably wasn’t the right thing to do anyway.

A warm hum of excitement filled the air as they went inside the auditorium. The stage loomed ahead, framed by thick blue curtains, and sleek silver lights hung over their heads. Sliding into their front row seats, Jesse glanced around, trying to take in the scope of the place.

He tried to calculate how many people could fit in the space—which was difficult, as the rows were arranged in a half circle to view the stage, and the back row clearly had more seats than the very front.

But it looked like it could seat at least five hundred, and it was crowded.

All these people, gathered together in this massive room, waiting for the dance competition to begin. The thought made his head spin.

Some minutes later, the lights began to dim, and Jesse forgot about counting seats or calculating space. A buzz of anticipation rippled through the crowd; and before he knew, the show had begun.

Each dance group was incredible, there was no denying that, but despite the breathtaking performances, Jesse’s heart wasn’t really in it. Watching them felt like a countdown, a build-up to what he was really waiting for.

Until, finally, Jamie’s group took the stage.

Jesse and Austin sat up straighter in their seats.

Jamie was dressed all in white, from his pristine sneakers to the loose jacket he wore over his white clothes, and the bright spotlights in the otherwise dark room almost made him look like he was glowing.

His hair, still shock white, completed the look, and his piercing, icy blue eyes stood out as the only pop of color in his pale face.

By contrast, everyone else in the dance crew wore all black. It looked like they’d seen his new ‘hair dye and contacts,’ and had decided to make it a focal point of the show.

For the first time that evening, Jesse felt fully present.

The moment the stage darkened and the deep bass opened the performance, he was spellbound.

Every step, every turn, every sharp gesture of Jamie’s arms and hands, it all flowed together so gracefully, so deliberately: a perfect showcase of music and movement.

It honestly was otherworldly . The dance group moved together, executing the complex choreo with absolute precision and sweeping across the stage like a single entity—and Jamie performed with a beauty that took Jesse’s breath away.

No matter how much Austin had tried to convince him that Jamie might be dangerous, Jesse simply refused to believe that.

He forgot about the crowd, forgot about Austin sitting right next to him; there was only Jamie.

Jesse couldn’t take his eyes off him. It was as if all his stress was melting away.

By the time the dance ended, and Jamie and the other dancers all took their bows, Jesse had come to a decision.

No more secrets.

No more hiding.

Jamie deserved to be with someone who was willing to admit it out loud.

Jesse still wasn’t sure exactly how or when he would break the news, to Nate and to anybody else in his life (god he was so glad his dad wasn’t around to disappoint anymore, or else this choice might be a lot harder to make) but he would do it.

He just had to plan it out, to make sure he did it right.

Jamie’s group got a standing ovation, the entire theater vibrating with the sound of cheers and whistles, and Jesse found himself clapping louder than he had all night. A wide grin spread across his face.

It was no surprise at all when Jamie’s group was announced the winners later that evening.

“And there he is!” Austin cheered when Jamie finally came out to join them after the show, back in his normal clothes. “The star of the night!”

“Jamie!” Jesse greeted proudly as he closed the gap between them, about to take Jamie into a warm hug.

But before he could, Jamie took a half-step back, just out of reach.

Again.

Jesse’s shoulders sagged slightly, and he couldn’t help but look away for a moment, trying to shake off the uncomfortable tightness creeping up his throat.

The smile on Jamie’s lips was tense, almost forced. “I’m… not the star, Austin,” he protested quietly. His white hair, which had gleamed so brilliantly on stage, now seemed to make his face look even more drained. “The entire team won this victory, not just me.”

“Um, we literally made you the star on purpose,” spoke Ayda, as she passed them by on her way to the door. “Why do you think we all agreed you should be the only one in white?”

“But a star doesn’t shine at all without a sky surrounding it,” Jamie argued. “The entire team was amazing, it wasn’t about me.”

“Whatever you say, Jamie,” Ayda laughed. “Hey, we’re all gonna go out tonight to celebrate the win. Wanna come?”

“Thank you, but no,” Jamie told her. “I’m going straight home. Jesse just got out of the hospital.”

“Oh shit, that’s right!” Ayda turned to Jesse, her eyes widening. “Didn’t your heart give out or something? Scary stuff! ”

“Er, yeah,” Jesse admitted, cautiously glancing at Jamie. “But I’m fine now.”

“Glad to hear that,” Ayda said. She offered a wide smile before turning back to Jamie. “We’ll catch you later, then.”

“Alright. Bye, Ayda,” Jamie said back.

“You know, you… could have gone, if you’d wanted to,” Jesse told him after Ayda left. He kind of felt guilty that Jamie was turning down invitations from his friends just to spend the evening at home with him. “I would’ve been okay just going home with Austin.”

“Yeah,” Austin agreed, throwing an arm around Jesse’s shoulder and flashing a teasing grin.

“We could have had a night in; stuffed our faces with double bacon cheeseburgers and guzzled down a bunch of redbulls while we play horror genre video games, and then round the night out with some high-intensity exercise.”

“You sound like you’re joking, but I don’t get it,” Jamie admitted, narrowing his eyes.

“He’s saying he’d give me another heart attack,” Jesse explained, pushing Austin’s arm off his shoulder. “And it’s not very funny.”

Jamie just looked at them, and then looked away as they made their way out of the Community Center. He still seemed uncharacteristically silent, which, by now, Jesse knew to mean he was deep in thought. It too made him feel a bit tense.

Like things were about to happen that he wasn’t prepared for.