Page 22 of Take the Lead

I still haven’t told them I haven’t seen Merle all week, though, and that I’m completely freaking out about it. So they have no idea just how grateful I am for their moral support.

Tammy waves as I come through the ticket barrier. ‘So how are you feeling? Ready to do it all again?’

‘I can’t say I’m necessarily looking forward to the next few hours,’ I admit.

‘Just focus on your performance and try to ignore all the other stuff,’ Beth says. ‘If it’s any consolation we’re both feeling apprehensive too. I thought it would get easier as we went along and got more used to everything, but it definitely feels like there’s more pressure this week.’

‘It’s true. I feel like this could be it for me after my lousy merengue score,’ Tammy adds. ‘But I’m not going down without a fight.’

‘I think we’ll all feel better once we’ve got our sequins on,’ Beth says. ‘We just need to get in there and get in the zone.’

I listen to them swapping stories about their weeks on the ten-minute walk to the studio. They’re both full of praise for their instructors – they haven’t had a single cross word.

‘Are you okay, Kate?’ Beth asks as we approach the entrance. ‘You’re very quiet.’

And I know I can’t keep my secret any longer. ‘I have a confession to make.’

‘I knew there was something,’ she says. ‘What’s going on?’

When I stop walking they both turn round to face me.

‘I’m not dancing with Merle any more,’ I blurt out. ‘I’ve switched partners with Emilia. I haven’t seen Merle since last Saturday. I’m kind of shitting myself. I don’t know how he’s going to react to seeing me again.’

‘Whoa!’ Beth exclaims.

‘That’s big,’ Tammy nods, wide-eyed.

‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I was under strict instructions to keep it secret,’ I explain. ‘But you’re going to find out in a minute anyway. So there it is. I’m dancing with Aleksis now. Merle is with Emilia. Oh, and I met Merle’s wife. She came to one of my rehearsals. She’s Aleksis’s sister.’

‘What?’ they shriek in unison.

‘Holy crap!’ Tammy adds. ‘You don’t do things by halves, do you?’

Beth shakes her head in disbelief. ‘No wonder you’re on edge. What a nightmare. How’s Aleksis about it all? I mean, is he all right? With you?’

‘It’s complicated,’ I shrug. ‘But we’re getting by.’

Tammy still looks gobsmacked. ‘His sister? What the hell?’

‘She doesn’t want us not to do our best on the show because of her, or because of Merle,’ I explain. ‘She gave us her blessing.’

‘That’s insane,’ Tammy says.

‘Tell me about it.’

Before I can share any more details with them, Olivia holds the door open and looks pointedly at us. ‘Are you coming in, ladies? You’re among the last.’

‘Try not to worry,’ Tammy says quietly. ‘We’ll be right there if Merle starts any funny business.’

‘Thanks, I really appreciate that.’

We follow Olivia down the now-familiar corridors to Fire on the Dance Floor ’s reception area and as soon as we walk in, I scan the room for Merle. I can’t help it. And there he is, standing by the drinks machine with Emilia, his arm draped around her shoulders. My heart leaps into my throat.

Last Saturday, he didn’t so much as glance in my direction in the reception room. Today he’s hugging Emilia in front of everyone, and looking pretty smug about it too.

Does it mean they’re sleeping together? I know I shouldn’t care, but I hate the thought they might be. Seeing them looking so close reminds me how much I wanted that for myself, but I never got the chance. It doesn’t seem fair.

Thankfully, I’m distracted by Aleksis coming over to say hello. He greets everyone then tells me to remember I have nothing to fear today.

‘Ah, that’s so sweet,’ Beth says. If only she knew what he meant.

I turn away from her and Tammy and quietly ask him, ‘Does Merle know about our special arrangement today?’

I’d forgotten to ask before.

‘He doesn’t, and nor must anyone else, okay? I’d suggest you just stay out of his way today, and I’ll be doing the same. Otherwise, I’ll probably thump him.’

I realise I haven’t given much thought to how hard this must be for Aleksis, too, and I feel a rush of sympathy for him. It makes me want to squeeze his arm, like Lucy does to comfort me, but I hold back. That’s not the place we’re in.

‘I never liked him much,’ Aleksis says, ‘and I like him a lot less now. But my sister wants me to keep out of it. She prefers to fight her own battles.’

I offer an understanding smile, but he’s too busy shooting daggers across the room at Merle to notice.

When I glance at Merle to see if he’s aware, he looks back at me at that exact moment.

And winks. Or at least I think he does. It’s so unexpected I’m not sure if I imagined it, but my skin breaks out in goose bumps.

Then Olivia bangs on her clipboard to get everyone’s attention, and the moment has passed.

‘Right, you lot, you know the drill now,’ she says.

‘We’ve got a lot to get through today. Beth, Gabriel, you’re first for hair and make-up.

Theo, costumes. Emilia, Merle, rehearsals.

The rest of you, don’t go far. Does everyone remember how to get to their designated stations?

You do, Gabriel? Great, take Beth with you.

Merle, Emilia, you do too? Great, off you go.

Theo? No? Okay, you follow me. Everyone else, I’ll be back shortly. ’

It’s the last I see of Merle and Emilia till the show’s about to begin.

Tammy keeps me distracted with stories of her week in rehearsals until it’s my turn in costumes, where I’m dressed in a pink and orange tasselled minidress.

It’s not exactly something I’d choose, but it’s bright and colourful and the tassels swoosh from side to side when I move, which will hopefully make my dancing look more fluid than it really is.

In hair and make-up, I’m relieved when no one says a single word about me and Merle.

I wonder if the team has been briefed not to mention it, because if it was me I’d be dying to ask about it.

But instead we stick to chatting about the latest things we’ve watched on Netflix and some of the other famous people they’ve had in their makeover chairs, so I manage to relax while they backcomb my hair and give me glittery eyes in colours that match my dress – which might look like I’ve been teleported back to 1984, but will stand out nicely on the dance floor.

My studio rehearsal with Aleksis is mid-afternoon and goes well.

I make it through the whole routine without missing a step and he manages not to get his hands caught up in my tassels.

He’s been given a spray tan and I can’t help thinking it suits him.

I’d even go so far as to say I can see why Lucy said she found him attractive. He’s still not my type, though.

There are a couple more hours to wait until it’s time for filming, which I mostly spend with Beth and Tammy, but Aleksis comes and joins us for some of it. And it turns out he’s quite the entertainer when he wants to be, making all three of us laugh with tales from his days on the dance circuit.

‘He’s hilarious,’ Beth gushes, when he’s eventually called away by Olivia. ‘You must be so happy you’re dancing with him now instead of Merle.’

‘Oh yes,’ I nod, not wanting to admit to them how emotionally draining the week has been. Or how, in spite of everything, I can’t help feeling gutted that Merle is paired with Emilia now.

I wonder if he even tried to patch things up with Sofiya after she found out about me, or if at any point Sofiya considered giving him one last chance. But she’d never be able to trust him again. I remind myself Emilia is welcome to him.