Page 31 of Take the Lead
‘Good, and I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to grab a drink for us three, too. Bit cheeky I know, but it’s on the company expenses so …’
‘Get stuck in. It’s not like we’re going to get through all these bottles ourselves,’ Aleksis says.
‘Then we’re happy to help,’ Sarah laughs.
We spend much of the first rotation looking out at the views and pointing out the various things we’ve spotted as we sip our champagne.
It’s the perfect evening for it, with blue sky as far as the eye can see.
Aleksis moves his chair next to mine and puts his arm round me, which makes me smile.
It’s enough to make me forget all about the cameras.
By the time we start the second rotation, we’re both a bit tipsy – and so are the camera crew.
Sarah asks us to perform a section of our routine in the middle of the capsule – just a teaser, as we don’t want to show too much of it ahead of the actual dance.
Then she decides she wants to film the whole thing.
‘I’m wondering if we can have it playing on the screen on Saturday while you perform it live,’ she says. ‘It could look really nice if the timing’s right.’
‘Sure, we can try that,’ Aleksis agrees.
But we abandon it after a few attempts. Even keeping our steps really small there just isn’t enough room in the capsule.
‘It looks great though, from what I’ve seen,’ Sarah says.
‘Thanks,’ I grin. ‘Aleksis is pretty good at making me look like I know what I’m doing.’
He rolls his eyes. ‘She’s better than she realises.’
‘Well, I’ll be backing you two on Saturday,’ Sarah says, a slight slur in her voice.
This gets a laugh from Aleksis. ‘I bet you say that to all the contestants.’
‘Some more than others. Ooh, I probably shouldn’t be admitting that. Shh, don’t tell anyone!’
‘Perhaps you should slow down on the champers?’ Andy suggests with a raised eyebrow.
‘Nah,’ he and Sarah say in unison, turning back to the waiter for refills.
Before we get back down to ground level, Aleksis receives a text from Sofiya. He shows me the screen.
‘ When you’re done there, can you do drinks, Charlotte Street Hotel, nine p.m.? Stella has set it up ,’ her message says.
‘That okay with you?’ he asks.
‘Of course.’ I send a silent thank you to Sofiya. ‘Let’s make a night of it.’
But before I can get excited about spending the rest of the evening alone with him, he asks Sarah, Steve and Andy if they want to come with us.
‘Count me in,’ Sarah agrees. ‘I’ve got my drinking head on now. I’m happy to go for another.’
I swallow my disappointment as Andy adds, ‘Yep, I’ll come for one.’
‘Oh, go on then,’ Steve laughs. ‘I don’t want to be left out.’
And although the five of us crammed round a table, chatting noisily over cocktails, doesn’t quite fit in with the romantic picture I thought Aleksis and I were supposed to be creating, it still gives Stella a story.
Her piece the next morning shows our giggling group arriving at the hotel together then sitting in the window, drinking and laughing.
Aleksis has his arm round my shoulders again and is even caught on camera kissing me on the cheek – one of my favourite moments of the evening.
Underneath the photos of our little gang, there are pictures of Merle and Emilia in the window of a neighbouring restaurant, looking super serious at their candlelit table.
I imagine Stella’s original intention was to pitch us directly against each other with a comparison piece on our body language, restaurant choice and clothing.
Instead, she’s ended up dubbing me and Aleksis the fun couple and Merle and Emilia the aloof ones in a piece called “ Battle of the Ballroom Beaus ”, which is quite all right with me.
“ Fire on the Dance Floor favourites Merle Picard and Emilia Harris, and Aleksis Lapsa and Kate Wareing might be used to competing against each other on the show, but the two recently formed couples came within inches of a showdown off the dance floor last night as they both hit the town in London’s Fitzrovia for a much-needed break from rehearsals, ” the piece begins.
“ While Merle and Emilia settled in for a quiet meal at The Ninth, Aleksis and Kate enjoyed a raucous night out across the street, throwing back cocktails with the show’s camera crew at the swanky Charlotte Street Hotel.
“ Merle appeared to be deep in conversation with Emilia, who looked stunning in a figure-hugging black dress and matching Louboutins as they enjoyed their Mediterranean feast. Aleksis and Kate, meanwhile, who were more casually dressed, laughed and joked with their companions and posed for photos with fans as they let their hair down for the night, proving just how popular they’ve become on the show. ”
There are more photos of our respective evenings as well as some stills from the show before the story continues.
“ Last week Merle and Emilia dominated the scoreboard in the Latin dance contest thanks to their sizzling bachata, while Kate and Aleksis narrowly avoided eviction. But it didn’t appear to have dampened their spirits as Aleksis tenderly kissed Kate in the hotel bar.
“ The two couples left Fitzrovia within moments of each other, but luckily did not cross paths. So who will survive when they come face to face on Fire on the Dance Floor on Saturday? Tune in at seven p.m. on Channel 6 to find out. ”
I scroll back up and study the photos. Merle and Emilia look intense and serious.
Aleksis and I look relaxed and laid-back, but still like a couple.
And the piece feels like a win as we sound far more friendly and fun-loving than Merle and Emilia – which, it turns out, is exactly what Aleksis was hoping to portray when he invited Sarah, Steve and Andy to join us.
I flick to Instagram and see that my number of followers has risen to 6,403, which feels huge, until I check up on Emilia and see her account has passed 42,000.
I put my phone away with a sigh, telling myself it doesn’t matter as long as Aleksis and I deliver a knockout performance on Saturday night.