Page 28 of Take the Lead

I t takes me a minute to remember where I am in the morning.

There’s an arm across my middle and a pillar of warmth against my back and for a brief, horror-filled moment I think I’m back at Warren’s.

I breathe a sigh of relief when I realise it’s Aleksis.

He must have rolled over in the night and is now hugging me from behind.

I don’t feel any inclination to wriggle away, though.

To my surprise, it’s not uncomfortable having him there.

But my eyes fly open when I realise it isn’t his other hand I can feel poking me in the back.

That’s a whole different story. I feel myself go rigid from head to toe, not sure how to extract myself without waking him up.

‘Oh shit, I’m sorry,’ he suddenly gasps, rolling away from me and sitting up on his side of the bed with his back to me.

My cheeks turn redder than I think they’ve ever been. ‘It’s fine, don’t worry,’ I mutter.

‘I’ll go and get us some coffees,’ he says, sounding flustered as he hastily pulls on a T-shirt.

‘White, no sugar?’ he asks at the same time that I request exactly that, which makes us both laugh, breaking the tension.

‘Coming right up,’ he says, and practically sprints out of the room.

I can hear him talking to Sofiya while he’s down in the kitchen, although I can’t make out what they’re saying.

When he comes back up with our coffees, I sit up and lean back against the headboard.

He doesn’t quite look me in the eye as he climbs onto the bed beside me and apologises again for before.

I glance at him and assure him I really didn’t mind. Then I panic that it might sound like I’m into him or something and get busy blowing on my drink to cool it down, to try and hide the colour creeping back onto my cheeks.

He takes a deep breath and holds an arm out, inviting me to tuck myself beneath it. ‘Shall we start again?’ he suggests.

I hesitate, but now he’s outside the duvet it doesn’t feel so intimate, so I slide myself closer and tentatively nestle against him, conscious of the warmth of his body next to mine.

‘Does this feel okay to you?’ he checks.

And I realise it does. I don’t feel like I need to shy away. So I stop holding my breath and nod. ‘Yeah. You?’

He seems to relax, too. ‘I think I can handle it. But it’s going to be an interesting day today.’

‘You can say that again. Coming here was a lot easier than I expected it to be, though,’ I admit.

‘Oh, Sofiya doesn’t hold anything against you. She likes you, in spite of everything. She’s got a soft side under that tough exterior, you know. Bit like me.’

He’s grinning when I look up at him.

I shake my head and laugh. ‘You have your moments.’

‘Oh, it’s like that, is it? I assure you I’ll make a very good fake boyfriend. Not that your ex set the bar very high. I still can’t believe what he did to you.’

I wish he hadn’t brought it up again.

‘Yeah well, I didn’t help matters by sticking around afterwards. I won’t make that mistake again.’

‘If you’d got a swanky job somewhere else you might not have wanted to leave it for the show,’ he points out.

‘That would have made your experience a lot less complicated.’

‘And a lot less exciting. We can have some fun with this, I reckon, if we put our minds to it.’

I look up at him and there’s a glint in his eye that makes me think we really could. ‘So let’s really put our minds to it,’ I agree.

Then it’s time to get ready for our carefully timed departure from the house.

When Stella is due to arrive, Sofiya watches from an upstairs window so she can tell us precisely when to head outside to ensure we cross paths with her. We wait behind the front door until we hear her shout, ‘She’s here – go, go, go!’ Then we walk out holding hands as she turns onto the driveway.

Aleksis catches my eye and smiles, then throws an arm around my shoulder as we walk towards her.

‘? au ,’ he says as we pass each other, and I glance at her for just long enough to see that her mind is racing to figure out what’s going on here.

Of course she’s yet to find out how Merle and Aleksis are connected, so she must be somewhat baffled as to what Merle’s ex-lover has been doing at his estranged wife’s house with one of the other dancers. This will be quite the story for her.

‘Come on in,’ Sofiya welcomes her. ‘Never mind those two, they were supposed to be out of here a little earlier, but you know how little brothers are …’

We’re too far away to hear Stella’s reaction.

‘Do you think she’ll fall for it?’ I ask Aleksis, who hasn’t removed his arm from my shoulders even though we’re no longer in eyesight.

‘I don’t see why not.’

‘I should probably call my parents and forewarn them before they see anything,’ I think aloud.

‘How do you think they’ll react?’ he asks.

‘Oh, Mum will be all mum-like, I’m sure, and give me a lecture about being dishonest, but hopefully she’ll understand it’s just part of being on the show. Dad usually goes along with whatever Mum says.’

‘You can Skype them when we get to the studio,’ he suggests.

‘Yeah, I’ll do that. They won’t be able to give me too much grief if they know you’re listening in.’

But it turns out Mum and Dad are out for a walk when I call, so I only speak to Dee, who finds the whole idea hilarious.

‘This is so showbiz,’ she laughs. ‘I hope it works. Keep us updated.’

I promise I will.

We’re several hours into rehearsals before an excited Sofiya calls Aleksis. He puts her on loudspeaker so we can both hear.

‘It’s out there,’ she says. ‘Look at the Daily Scene website. You’re officially a couple.’

I grab my phone and find our story.

“ Things are really hotting up on Channel 6’s new dance extravaganza Fire on the Dance Floor – and the latest twists and turns are not just in the fiery routines ,” I read aloud.

“ Less than two weeks after French bachata champion Merle Picard got steamy in the dressing room with his dance partner Kate Wareing – and was thrown out of his marital home – both he and Kate have found new romances on the show. And in a shocking twist, Kate’s new flame, Aleksis Lapsa, is the brother of Merle’s estranged wife Sofiya – who has given them her blessing!

“ Kate and Aleksis were partnered on the show after X-rated photos emerged of her and her original dance partner Merle. Less than a week later Merle admitted he has struck up a romance with his new dance partner, Emilia Harris, who he topped the scoreboard with last weekend.

“ But in an unexpected twist, Kate and Aleksis have also grown close and were spotted leaving Sofiya’s house together after spending the night there.

Sofiya confirmed to the Daily Scene that the pair are romantically involved and that she’s fully supportive of their union, despite the fact that her husband cheated on her with Kate.

“ ‘I know many people will expect me to hate her, but I don’t blame Kate for what happened. She didn’t know me, she didn’t know Merle was married and she didn’t ask for it to be exposed in the way it was,’ Sofiya told the Daily Scene’s Stella Barkley.

“ Sofiya admitted it was a bit of a shock when Aleksis first came to her with the news, but said she quickly got over it when she saw how happy he was. And it was Sofiya’s idea that she and Kate should meet and get it all out in the open.

“ ‘They came to my house and we talked about everything and I found myself really liking Kate,’ Sofiya told the Daily Scene. ‘I can see why Aleksis has fallen for her. My marriage may be over, but I still believe in love and if Kate and Aleksis find it together, then I fully support that.’ ”

I look up from my phone and Aleksis looks like he’s been holding his breath the whole time I’ve been reading. He puffs the air out and raises his eyebrows.

‘Game on?’ he says.

‘Game on,’ I agree.

Sofiya swings by the studio after lunch to help us get some photos on social media to back up our story. She looks impossibly glamorous, still sporting smoky eyes and forties-esque vintage curls from her interview and photoshoot.

‘I couldn’t have Merle seeing it and not wondering if he’s made a terrible mistake,’ she says when I tell her she looks amazing.

‘Even if I don’t want him back. Stella was delighted, by the way, to be the one to get your story.

She’s had a tough time making her mark at the paper and said this will help her out no end.

I said I’d keep her updated on any developments and in return she said she’d do something for you.

She’s going to find out who sold them those photos of you and Merle, Kate. I thought you might want to know.’

‘Thank you,’ I say hesitantly, not convinced I want it dragged up again. I’d just assumed it was someone random at Channel 6 and that I’d never find out exactly who. It’s not like someone I know would have done something like that. Unless … no, they couldn’t have.

Sensing my trepidation, Aleksis brings our attention back to the task at hand. ‘Shall we get these photos sorted, so we can crack on with our rehearsal?’

Sofiya takes some of us posing and some of us dancing, but when we flick through them afterwards, we all agree the best is one where Aleksis and I are looking at each other, rather than at the camera, looking completely smitten. If we didn’t know better, it could be real.

‘Let’s get that online, then,’ Sofiya says, sending it through to my phone.

And so I post my first Instagram picture in six months, with the caption, ‘ Busted! We were planning to keep this secret, but now it’s out there … #aleksislapsa #boyfriend #official. ’

Aleksis replies with a red heart and Sofiya adds a link to the Daily Scene story.

‘You should share a few of the others too,’ she says, handing me her phone. ‘The more authenticity you can give this the better, so just heart all the ones you like and I’ll whizz them over to you.’

While I’m at it, I upload one I took of Tammy, Liam and Beth from before the live shows even started. I tag the three of them and caption it, ‘ I had no idea how much I was going to get out of #FireOnTheDanceFloor. #FriendsForever. ’

Immediately the Fire Dancers WhatsApp chat starts pinging with messages.

‘ Is this for real? ’ Tammy has written.

She’s obviously talking about the photo of me and Aleksis, not the one of the four of us.

‘ OMG, this is brilliant news! You look so happy ,’ Beth gushes.

And Liam chips in with, ‘ That’s one way to get over Merle. ’

‘ It took us both a bit by surprise ,’ I write back. ‘ But it’s so different to before. Aleksis is lovely and he just gets me. ’

‘ And his sister really doesn’t mind? ’ Beth asks. The question everyone will be asking.

I look over at Sofiya, who’s now helping Aleksis choose a few photos for his own Instagram. ‘Make sure you tag Kate,’ she reminds him.

It still blows my mind that she can be this friendly towards me after I slept with her husband. I’m not sure I could do the same in her shoes.

‘ She’s actually pretty incredible ,’ I type. ‘ She just wants the best for everyone. I’m very lucky. ’

‘ You deserve some luck after what you’ve been through ,’ Beth says. ‘ I hope it does all work out this time. ’

Of course there’s no chance of that happening, but I don’t tell her that.

A flash of sadness hits me then, that it’s yet another relationship that won’t go anywhere. Even if it isn’t real. But at least I know in advance this time. There won’t be any nasty surprises.

‘Sofiya’s got something else for us,’ Aleksis says, interrupting my thoughts. ‘It’s a dinner reservation at The May Fair hotel for eight p.m. this evening.’

‘Stella told me there are always photographers outside and she’s promised to run something on you if they get some good pictures,’ Sofiya explains. ‘It’s her way of saying thank you to me for giving her an exclusive.’

‘That’s doable,’ I nod, playing it cool to disguise my trepidation about our plan really getting underway. There’ll be just enough time for me to nip home after rehearsals then get back into central London for the meal.

‘I’ve arranged for my friend Dan to be there, too,’ Sofiya confesses.

‘So he can discreetly take some pictures of his own inside the restaurant. I’ll send them on to Stella, so she has everything she needs for her story.

All you have to do is look like a couple. It’ll be good practice for tomorrow.’

Tomorrow is when the show’s camera crew will be filming our video clip for Saturday night’s Fire on the Dance Floor .

And not only will they be capturing the usual footage of us practising in the studio, they’ll also be accompanying us on a night out that the producers have arranged, so they’ve got enough material to fill up the show now there are fewer dancers left in the competition.

Aleksis and I have got lucky and will be doing a rotation in a private capsule on the London Eye, complete with champagne. It shouldn’t be too hard to make that look romantic.

‘We’d better crack on, then,’ Aleksis says, and Sofiya wishes us luck.

‘And remember to enjoy yourselves,’ she says with a smile.