Page 9 of Take the Lead

I t’s still dark when I open my eyes the next morning, but I can’t get back to sleep.

I’ve got that same buzz of anticipation I used to get as a kid on Christmas Day.

But by the time Lucy and Aiden surface and join me in the kitchen for breakfast I’ve had too much time to think and my stomach is doing somersaults.

Even though I know the routine off by heart now, even though I trust Merle completely and am confident his sultry choreography will impress the judges and the audience, even though I feel like we couldn’t have done any more to make our performance perfect, I can’t stop fretting about all the things that might go wrong today.

What if I get stage fright and freeze on the dance floor?

What if I tread on his toes? It’s one thing dancing in a private studio behind closed doors with no one watching, but what if I make a total mess of things in front of everybody?

To make matters worse, Rachel has been called away with work at the last minute, so I haven’t even got a full support team for my Fire on the Dance Floor debut. I doubt I’ll find a replacement at this short notice.

‘I’m not going,’ I tell Lucy, shaking my head. ‘I can’t go through with it.’

‘Oh no. What’s changed? You seemed quite relaxed about it yesterday.’

‘I’ve had a reality check. I’m not ready to put myself out there.’

‘But you’ve got this,’ she says, squeezing my shoulders. ‘You’re going to be brilliant. You’ve been working so hard.’

‘You’re bound to have pre-show nerves,’ Aiden adds. ‘I bet all the others have, too. I’m sure they’ll all be just as worried as you are.’

‘But Merle’s not going to let you do anything stupid,’ Lucy reassures me. ‘So you don’t need to worry. I think you’re going to blow everyone away. I can’t bloody wait to see you up there doing your thing.’

‘Rachel’s not coming either,’ I tell her.

‘What, again?’ Lucy frowns. It’s not the first time Rachel has let me down. ‘What’s it this time? Her job again?’

I nod sullenly.

‘Well, I’m sure Aiden will step in if you want him to,’ she suggests. And there’s such hope in her voice that I tell him he’d be welcome. Not least because it saves me trying to find someone else at the eleventh hour – the last thing I need right now.

‘So you are going!’ Lucy claps her hands triumphantly. ‘I knew you’d see sense. Tell you what, I’ll jump on the Tube with you when you’re ready to go. We’ve got no plans today till we come down for the show later.’

‘You don’t have to do that.’

‘I want to make sure you get there. I’ve put a bet on you to go through to the next round so I don’t want you to bottle out en route,’ she laughs.

‘Lucy!’ I put my head in my hands. ‘Like I need any more pressure.’

‘I’ve got faith in you.’ She gives my arm an encouraging squeeze. ‘You’re going to smash it.’

I’m glad one of us is so sure.

My palms sweat for the whole Tube journey and my anxiety is off the scale by the time we arrive in Channel 6’s sunlit atrium.

The thought of seeing Merle is making me just as jumpy as our imminent performance.

How will he act? How will I? Will he just play it cool like he did in front of the camera crew?

I’m greeted by an enthusiastic girl with a clipboard, who ‘can’t wait to take me through to where the rest of the dancers are having a morning coffee before things get exciting’.

‘Good luck,’ Lucy calls after me, but my confidence dissolves even further as she waves goodbye. I was crazy to think I could pull this off. I’m not a dancer or a TV star. I’m just Kate who works in admin. I don’t know why I let Lucy talk me into it. I should never have agreed to take part.

My heart races as I follow Clipboard Girl through a maze of corridors, recognising parts of it from my first visit here to meet Shane.

But instead of heading to his office, she leads me to a reception room lined with red velvet seating, where a few small groups of people are sitting chatting.

I can barely take it all in as she ushers me into the room and tells me to make myself at home, pointing out the drinks machine and telling me to help myself to refreshments.

It’s a relief when I realise two of the people chatting in a corner are Tammy and Liam. Seeing their familiar faces briefly makes everything feel a fraction less terrifying. I can’t wait to get over there and talk to them.

Clipboard Girl explains where I can find the toilets and the fire exits and tells me she’ll be back when the last few people have arrived. I practically sprint across the room to Liam and Tammy as soon as she’s gone.

‘I think I’m having a panic attack,’ I announce by way of greeting. ‘I’m hyperventilating.’

‘Whoa, girl, take a breath,’ Tammy says. ‘It is mad finally being here, isn’t it? I think we’re all feeling the pressure.’

‘I brought some Dutch courage with me,’ Liam confesses, showing us the hip flask in the top of his rucksack.

‘Liam!’ Tammy exclaims. ‘You can’t get pissed before you go on TV.’

‘I won’t be pissed. Just a little looser around the hips. I might as well tell you now – I’ve got the salsa.’

‘Nice,’ Tammy nods. ‘I’ve got the merengue. What about you, Kate?’

‘Kizomba. It’s going to be so weird doing it in front of an actual audience.’

‘It will, but I’m excited,’ Tammy says. ‘Elijah seems happy with what we’ve rehearsed and he knows what he’s talking about.

That’s my pro partner, by the way. When he’s not doing this he’s teaching classes at Bar Salsa on Charing Cross Road, so this is a big deal for him. He can’t wait to get out there.’

Beth comes running over, out of breath and sloshing her coffee over the side of her cup.

‘My bloody train broke down – I thought I was never going to get here. That was not what I needed this morning. How’s everyone feeling? What have I missed?’

‘We’re all fine, and you haven’t missed anything,’ Liam assures her. ‘We’re just waiting till everyone is here then we’ll find out what happens next. You’re not even the last one.’

‘Oh, phew.’

She turns to scan the room to see who we’re still waiting for and I do the same, although it’s really only Merle I’m looking for.

And there he is. He has his back to me but there’s no mistaking his broad shoulders and pert bum.

He’s talking to a guy and a girl I don’t recognise, but they must be two of the other pro dancers judging by their physiques.

I don’t know whether he’s seen me or not, so I try not to feel upset that he hasn’t come and said hello. God, I hope I don’t let him down today.

There’s another group who look like pro dancers chatting by the drinks machine. And Emilia is standing nearby with Theo, although she’s ignoring him and scrolling through her phone. It looks like only Dean is missing.

‘That’s my partner Valentina,’ Liam says, pointing towards a dancer with long brown hair.

‘And mine, Gabriel, the one next to her,’ Beth says. ‘That’s not his real name though – he’s really called Clive but he’s using Gabriel to sound more exotic. You can’t tell anyone else though – he’d kill me.’

Before I can point out Merle, Clipboard Girl arrives with Dean, and once he’s joined Theo on the other side of the room the day officially begins.

She introduces herself as Olivia and explains how the schedule is going to work.

We’ll go to hair and make-up two at a time and while some people are there, another person will go to the costume department and someone else will head to the studio for a dress rehearsal with their pro partner.

After each element, we’re to return to this room so she can tell us where we need to be next.

‘It’s a strict timetable, so we all have to be where we’re meant to be when we’re meant to be there,’ she says.

‘She’s fierce,’ Liam whispers. ‘We’d better do what we’re told.’

‘Shh!’ Tammy nudges him with her elbow.

‘The reason we’ve got you in so early today is because we’ve got a lot of prep to get through,’ Olivia continues.

‘But you will find there’s a fair bit of hanging around, because we have all the pro dancers to get ready too, so we ask you to wait in this room whenever you’re not due to be anywhere else.

Please don’t stray too far in case we need you for something – and because this building is a bit of a maze, it’s easy to get lost. A light lunch will be served in here between one p.m. and two.

If you’ve got any food allergies please come and let me know. ’

‘I’m already starving,’ Liam mutters, patting his stomach.

‘Shh!’ Tammy and I whisper simultaneously, making us giggle.

Olivia sends a stern look our way then continues. ‘And now I’m going to introduce you to all the dancers. You’ll obviously know your own, but over there we have Gabriel Romero, who’s dancing with Beth Atkins, and there is Daniele Sala, who’s partnered with Theo Edwards.’

They raise their hands to identify themselves as their names are called out in turn, and my heart flutters when she gets to Merle.

‘Next up is Merle Picard – give everyone a wave, Merle!’ Olivia instructs.

‘Holy crap, is he real?’ Tammy mutters.

‘Jesus,’ Beth whispers. ‘Someone got lucky.’

‘Merle is dancing with Kate Wareing,’ Olivia announces, and my cheeks flush as they both turn to look at me.

‘Is he single?’ Tammy asks. ‘He’s a god!’

‘Hands off, he’s all mine,’ I laugh.

After introducing the rest of the dancers, Olivia calls out my name and tells me I’ll be first to get my hair done.

Theo is coming too, ‘so his skin can be made camera-ready’.

Olivia tells us she’ll come back to collect us when we’ve both been beautified.

I guess I’ll have to catch up with Merle later.

For the next hour, Theo and I make small talk while Hannah the hair lady backcombs some volume into my hair and Layla from make-up buries Theo’s face under layers of foundation and powder.

‘It’s so the lights don’t wash you out,’ she explains.