Page 30 of Take the Lead
B y the time I get to the studio the next morning, Stella’s second article has appeared online.
True to her word, she’s run a piece on my night out with Aleksis and it’s accompanied by the photo of his hand on my bum outside The May Fair, as well as several more that Dan must have taken inside the restaurant.
He’s done a good job – they do look legitimate.
The story doesn’t say much, other than to point out that our relationship is going from strength to strength and that we can’t keep our hands off each other, followed by another plug for the show and the exclusive chat with Sofiya at the weekend.
I wonder if Merle has seen it and if it will bother him in the slightest. Or if he’ll see straight through the charade.
A quick check on Emilia’s Instagram on the way here told me she now has thirty thousand followers and counting.
There are pictures of her and Merle at rehearsals and going for coffee, with Emilia dressed up to the nines and both of them looking like models.
It’s hard not to compare them to me and Aleksis and feel like we’re coming up short.
It still stings just a little to see Merle with Emilia, too.
But thankfully there’s not much time to dwell on it, because Sarah, Steve and Andy are already outside the studio with their camera bags when I arrive.
It’s time for the first really big challenge to get underway.
Looking loved-up in a photo or at a restaurant isn’t that hard, but convincing people who we’re interacting with will be a lot less straightforward.
‘Hi again,’ Sarah greets me as they pile through the door with their equipment. ‘Over there, same as before,’ she directs her colleagues. ‘Where’s Aleksis? Did you not arrive together?’
‘Er, he stopped off for coffee,’ I improvise, although I’m not sure how I’m going to explain it when he turns up without any. But luckily I don’t have to, because he arrives a few minutes later hidden behind a giant bouquet of flowers and the coffee is instantly forgotten.
‘What the—’
‘For you.’ He grins, and holds up the bucket in his other hand. ‘They let me take this to put them in.’
‘That’s so sweet,’ Sarah says. ‘And this will be a great prop for today’s clip too. It’s given me an idea. Can we film you walking in with them again?’
Once she’s captured Aleksis’s grand entrance, she gets us to perform a few steps of our routine with one of the stems clutched in my hand.
I sweep it up in the air and bring it down in front of my chest. Aleksis takes it and pops it between his teeth, spinning once before coming back to face me so he can pass it to me mouth to mouth.
It’s meant to look sexy but when our eyes meet, ready for him to pass the flower, I can’t help sniggering, which sets us both off with the giggles and the flower drops to the floor.
It’s not exactly what Sarah had in mind, but she decides to keep it anyway, because she thinks the audience will like it.
After that she fishes around in her bag and finds some lipstick.
‘I have another idea,’ she says, which makes me laugh again and simultaneously fills me with dread. I’m not sure I can take many more of her ideas. But what follows I really like.
‘Today, we decided to liven up our little studio,’ Aleksis says to camera, getting him a thumbs-up from Sarah. We’re kneeling side by side on the floor, with the mirror to the side of us so Andy, who’s filming, can’t be seen in the reflection.
‘We’ve noticed some of the other studios look a little more glam than ours, and we didn’t want it to feel inferior,’ I explain.
‘We bought it some flowers,’ Aleksis takes over, shooting me a grin then looking over his shoulder at the bouquet in the bucket behind us. He grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet.
‘And we’re going to add some wall art,’ I say, producing two lipsticks from my pocket and handing him one.
He draws a trio of daisies on the mirror and looks over at me.
I add a few balloons on strings and look back at him.
He adds some love hearts then reaches down and plucks a flower from the bucket, which he tucks behind my ear.
Not in the script!, a voice screams in my head. He shoots me a wink that makes my heart do an unexpected flip.
He turns back to camera. ‘Much better,’ he grins. Then to me, ‘Although I hope you have some tissues or we might get in trouble with the owners later.’
I may well find myself in trouble , I think, if he keeps this up .
After that Sarah films a bit more of us dancing and talking about how our week is going so far. Then, when she packs up to leave, she reminds us that we need to be at the London Eye at seven-thirty p.m. sharp for our evening filming.
‘They’ve given us two rotations,’ she explains. ‘We can work out the best angles on the first one and capture anything we missed on the second. You could bring the flowers. It’ll be nice for continuity.’
‘Sure,’ Aleksis agrees. ‘We’d better crack on then. We’ll need to finish a bit early if we’re going to have enough time to go home and freshen up.’
When we’re alone, he admits the flowers were his sister’s idea – she thought they’d help sell our story. She was right, but I can’t help feeling disappointed. I’d quite liked the idea that they were a gift from Aleksis. Who doesn’t like having flowers bought for them?
Aleksis tells me there are a couple of extra moves he wants us to add into our routine this morning.
‘The first one starts like this,’ he says, pivoting me round by the hips so I’m facing away from him.
He presses his chest against my back and for the first time I’m conscious of every part of his body touching every part of mine as he leans into me to make my body roll forward, before lightly pulling me back towards him till my bum is resting against his thigh.
He then nudges me forward again before spinning me back to face him.
It’s simple, but sensual and makes me think of sex. With Aleksis. Which instantly makes my cheeks flush with colour. This is not how I’m supposed to think about him. It was Merle who made moments like these seem erotic, not Aleksis. Thankfully he doesn’t seem to notice how much I’m blushing.
‘Yep, that works,’ he murmurs, his face full of concentration. This isn’t having the same effect on him, then. ‘And now …’
He takes both my hands again and this time, rather than turning me, he turns himself, steps in front of me and pulls me in tight behind him, so my arms are around him and my boobs are pressed against his back, my hands on his chest. This doesn’t help with my X-rated thoughts.
He uses his back to roll my body this time and again I’m acutely aware of our closeness.
What is wrong with me today? I need to get a grip on myself.
‘Excellent,’ Aleksis says, still oblivious to the effect he’s having on me. He must think my palms are sweating because it’s warm in the studio. ‘We’ll put them in at the end just before the back drop. Let’s do them both again a few more times, then we’ll go from the top.’
I have to work as hard at maintaining my composure as I do at perfecting the moves. Can he really dance like this without feeling even the tiniest stir? It certainly appears that way, but I don’t know how he manages it. As for me, it quickly becomes my favourite rehearsal with him so far.
When it’s time to go and get ready for our evening on the London Eye, Aleksis suggests meeting at Waterloo station twenty minutes before our rotation, so we can walk over there together.
On my way back to Balham, I wonder if I can wear the same outfit I wore last night.
It’s my favourite and the one I’m most comfortable in.
But as I’ve already been photographed in it, I opt for a dress instead – a floaty floral one which I top off with gladiator sandals and a denim jacket. I find myself hoping Aleksis likes it.
But he doesn’t even notice me when I first arrive at Waterloo because he’s busy posing for a selfie with two teenagers, who seem very excited to have spotted someone from the telly.
I watch him indulging them, pulling silly faces for their photos, and he doesn’t seem remotely put out by the intrusion.
It throws me off balance for a moment. I can’t help smiling at how goofy and unguarded he’s being. It’s so different to the rigid, unapproachable Aleksis I first encountered in Shane’s office.
When he does finally see me, his face lights up, like he’s pleased to see me.
It makes my own smile grow wider, like I’m pleased to see him too.
It dawns on me that I’m looking forward to spending another evening with him and that I won’t just be going through the motions. Which isn’t part of the plan at all.
He waves me over and the teenagers beg for a few more pictures, with me in as well this time. I cheerfully oblige, letting their enthusiasm boost my confidence. Then, spirits high, I slip my hand into Aleksis’s for the walk to the London Eye. Just to keep up appearances, of course.
My mood is elevated even further by the glass of champagne that’s thrust towards me as soon as the door of our capsule closes behind us.
At one end there’s a makeshift bar, topped with several bottles of Veuve and manned by a smartly dressed waiter.
At the other end there are two high stools alongside a table decorated with candles and bowls of nibbles.
The rest of the floor has been left clear so Sarah, Andy and Steve can move around easily and put their lights wherever they might need them.
They discreetly stack their bags behind the bar.
‘We’ll just film everything today and edit it down afterwards,’ Sarah explains. ‘We’ll be circling round, but just ignore us as best you can. I’ll probably get you to move occasionally too, to get the best background. Does that sound okay?’
‘All good,’ Aleksis nods.