Page 40 of Take the Lead

I grope for my phone, trying to keep my sore head as still as possible, and groan when the screen tells me it’s only six-thirty a.m. There’s no chance of getting back to sleep though – my mind’s already racing.

The last thing I remember clearly is confessing to Aleksis that I like him, but the next part of the evening is frustratingly hazy.

I’m only sixty per cent certain he said he has feelings for me too – and even less sure we kissed.

But I wouldn’t have dreamed it up, would I, just because I want it to be true?

With no recollection of what happened afterwards or how I got to bed, it’s entirely possible my mind is just playing tricks on me.

But I don’t think I’m under the covers in all my clothes because Aleksis doesn’t like me.

I think it’s because he isn’t Merle and therefore wouldn’t dream of taking advantage.

But does that mean he wouldn’t kiss me, either? I groan into the pillow in frustration.

The mystery is solved when I eventually drag myself out of bed to go and look for some painkillers.

Aleksis emerges from his room and kisses me full on the lips as he passes me in the kitchen.

His breath is minty and his skin is soft – he’s already brushed his teeth and had a shave.

It makes me wish I’d put some make-up on and done something about my bed hair.

‘How’s the head?’ he asks with a grin.

‘Getting there,’ I reply, holding up my water glass. ‘I have to admit, the end of the night is a little vague.’

‘You drank almost a whole bottle of wine on an empty stomach, threw yourself at me then promptly passed out,’ he summarises, sounding amused.

‘I threw myself at you? That’s not how I remember it.’ Not that I remember it.

‘I’m kidding,’ he says, laughing as he slides an espresso in front of me. ‘It was perfectly mutual.’

‘So we did kiss?’

He nods.

‘And I passed out straight afterwards?’

‘Kind of during.’ He chuckles. ‘I’d like to say I made you weak at the knees but I’m not sure I had much to do with it.’

‘Oh God, I’m sorry. And I got to bed how?’

‘Kind of a mutual effort again. I took your shoes off. You tried to put your pyjamas on without taking your jeans off. In the end you decided to sleep in your clothes. You were out cold before I’d switched the light off.’

‘I really know how to impress a guy,’ I mutter, cringing at the thought of it.

‘But at least we both know where we stand now,’ he says, with a sparkle in his eyes. ‘No more pretending, if that’s still okay with you.’

‘That is very okay with me,’ I confirm.

Then he leans in and kisses me again and I stop thinking I’m going to wake up at any moment.

This is really happening. Me and Aleksis, no longer faking things, kissing every time we pass each other as we get ready to head to our studio, lacing our fingers together as we sit side by side on the Tube, enjoying how it feels now it’s not just for show.

I’m still on cloud nine when we arrive in Brixton, half an hour behind schedule. I’d completely forgotten today was our day for filming our latest segment for the show.

‘I’m so sorry we’re late,’ Aleksis apologises to Sarah, Steve and Andy, who are already set up and ready to go. ‘We got held up,’ he adds, shooting me a grin that doesn’t go unnoticed by Sarah.

‘No harm done,’ she says, with a knowing smile.

‘What have you got in store for us today?’ Aleksis asks.

‘Well, when I was filming Merle and Emilia yesterday, I found this old yoga mat.’

My heart lurches as she holds up the mat I once had sex on with Merle.

‘It gave me an idea.’

‘Of course it did,’ Aleksis says, while I hold my breath in terror.

‘I’m going to get you to do some yoga together,’ she says, and I feel my shoulders relaxing again. ‘It’ll probably look better if you don’t get it all completely perfect.’

And we don’t, but not because we’re not trying. It’s mostly because we keep getting the giggles. I think our new relationship status has made us both giddy.

The first pose isn’t too difficult. We sit facing each other with our feet touching, our legs bent and holding hands. Then we lean outwards so we can straighten our legs in the air, our feet still connected between us, and we hold that pose for a minute. So far, so good.

Then Sarah gets Aleksis to lie down on the mat with his feet in the air.

She instructs me to push my hips against his feet and lean my body over so I can put my hands on his and he can lift me off the floor into a flying position.

I can’t help thinking it’s a bit different from the last time I had a man lying under me on this mat.

‘Don’t drop me,’ I warn, as I sway in the air above him.

‘Trust me, I’m not going to drop you. I’m underneath, remember?’

Next, I’m supposed to let go of his hands and let my torso flop down towards the floor while he balances me with just his feet.

‘I can’t,’ I squeal. Just trying to let go with one hand makes me wobble uncontrollably. ‘Hey, stop laughing. I’m falling. Put me back down. Aleksis!’

He manages to propel me back to standing before I face-plant on the mat.

‘Sorry. Your face was a picture.’

‘I’d like to see you try it.’

‘Come on then, you get down here,’ he challenges.

‘I’ll never be able to lift you …’

‘There’s still one more position to try,’ Sarah interrupts with a smile.

This one has us standing side by side and holding hands, then crouching into a deep squat and trying to sit down at the same time as each other without any of our hands touching the floor.

I lose my balance immediately and end up with my legs over my head.

After that we’re supposed to rock back up into the squat position, but after several failed attempts we’re laughing so hard we have to abandon it.

‘This is brilliant,’ Sarah says. ‘We’ll cut that one into the middle and finish up with the first one to make it look like you’ve given up for an easier pose.

That works perfectly – thanks guys. Right, let’s see a bit of your rehearsal then we can chat about how your week is going.

My impression is it’s going pretty well. ’

Sarah wraps up just before lunchtime, leaving us with a good few hours of cha-cha practice.

My goal for the afternoon, set by Aleksis, is to really master the breaks among the faster sections of the footwork, which need to be precise to look good.

By the end of the session, I think I’m getting it right just over half of the time.

‘Do you think I’m going to be ready?’ I ask as we pack our dance shoes away.

‘We’ve still got one full day,’ he reminds me.

When he sees the crestfallen look on my face, he adds, ‘You’re going to be fine. Just think about last week. The difference between Thursday and Friday’s dancing was huge. It’ll be the same tomorrow. It’s a pity we can’t skip the rueda this evening, though. So you could give your legs a rest.’

If only! But exhaustion isn’t the only reason I’d like to skip it. I’m worried Emilia might want a confrontation and I don’t want to be at the centre of another scene. I’ve brought enough drama to the show already.

‘Come on, let’s get it over with,’ he says, ‘then I’ll cook us something nice back at ours afterwards.’

And I roll the word ‘ours’ round and round in my head on the way to Channel 6, liking the way it sounds.