Love Without Rules (Contemporary Romance) (8 page)

***

The two weeks passed quickly, and Sydney found herself incredibly busy with writing in her blog, and practicing with Drew or by herself in the practice room. The progress she was making was tremendous, and Florence and Drew both noticed that she had a happy glow around her.

All of a sudden, it was
the
class. It was time for Florence to pick the best couple for the Fireball Competition. “Alright, everybody, I’m announcing who I’ve chosen!” Florence’s usually excited face looked happier than usual, which Sydney had not thought was possible.

The dancers lined up in a straight line, all anxious. Florence walked back and forth in front of them, her eyes scanning all of them, making everyone, including Sydney, even more nervous. Christina smiled knowingly when Florence passed by her, seemingly sure that she was going to be chosen.

“All of you are definitely talented. And it wasn’t easy making a decision. I want you to know that you should be proud of yourselves! Anyhow… the winning couple is…” Florence paused for dramatic effect. “Sydney and Drew!” She began to clap happily. “Congratulations!”

“Oh my gosh!” Sydney exclaimed happily as she grabbed Drew’s hand. “We did it! It’s us!”

Christina scoffed loudly, showing her disappointment.

“You two can only be described as naturals. You’ve both worked very hard these past few weeks, and I’m so proud of you. I’m sure you’ll do fine in the competition.”

The rest of the class went on like normal, except at the end. Florence approached Sydney and Drew, who were still beaming about being chosen. “Do you guys have some extra time after class? Perhaps an hour or two? The couple I usually work with just canceled on me, and I think it would be nice to get some extra practice for Fireball. We can also set up more private classes later to prepare you for the competition!”

“Hmm… I’m free. Drew?”

“It’s fine with me.”

Though they were already exhausted from the earlier class, Sydney and Drew tried their absolute best. These private lessons with professionals usually did not come cheap, and Florence was now giving them this opportunity for free. Sydney wanted to make the most of it.

Time passed by quickly, and Sydney really enjoyed the way Florence taught. She wasn’t bossy, but had a certain commanding way of speaking. It was very effective, and Sydney felt like she had learned more in an hour than she had in three weeks. It was much easier to learn in a private lesson.

“You’re doing so tremendously well.” Florence said delightedly. “I do believe I have picked the right couple for the job! You two have so much good chemistry together.”

“You look so good with David too!” Sydney laughed. “I wish I could be as good of a dancer as you, Flo.”

“Keep at it! The competition is in two months, and if you win, it’ll be a big step forwards into the competitive dance world. And I will help you as much as I can,” Florence shared.

Sydney laughed. “Oh, no, no, no, I don’t want to become a professional dancer. I’m just here to have some fun! I am beginning to enjoy dancing very much, though. It is definitely a great, fun exercise.”

“That it is. I’d really love to stay and chat but I’ve got to go. Good work today! I am free tomorrow for a lesson too so I will see you very soon. Keep practicing!” Florence waved happily as she wrapped her scarf around her neck. “The doors have been locked. So make sure you’ve got everything before leaving because you won’t be able to get back in.” And with that, she headed out of the classroom, leaving the couple alone. Sydney packed up her things, and Drew threw an arm around her shoulders as they both walked out of the classroom, tired, but happy. “Do you want to go to dinner?” Drew asked.

“Definitely.”

Love Doctor Tip #90:
If you love something, be it person, an activity, or an item, don’t let it go. It’s always healthy to have love in your life.

For the next two months, Sydney lived and breathed dance. She practiced her squats and footwork in the bedroom. In the shower, she was working on her wrist turns. Even when she was eating dinner, she was humming the salsa music in between bites. Her entire body was moving, and shaking, ready to get dancing. It was a wonderful kind of feeling, and Drew could see the positive change taking place in her body.

Drew and Sydney’s relationship had grown even further, and the two were so in love. Though they had only been dating for around four months, they both felt like the length of the time they had spent together did not matter, but the quality of the time itself. They had both been through heartbreak, and both were mature enough to know exactly what they wanted.

Drew had even asked her to move in together, which she was considering. She had decided that she would give him an answer after the competition. But she knew that the likely answer was yes. She loved him so much, and definitely wanted to spend more time with him.

Sydney was using her experiences from the relationship to write her book. She had released small snippets of it on her blog to see if anyone would be interested if she published it, and she had received an overwhelmingly positive response. It was nearly finished, too. But still, the problem remained that Sydney could not afford the twenty grand she needed. But she had no time to worry about that now.

The time passed quickly and the day of the competition arrived. Sydney looked at her watch. The competition was in three hours, and even though she was incredibly prepared, Sydney still felt scared. She was so nervous. She had never competed in dance before. In fact, she had not competed at all before. Several local television crews would be there too, broadcasting this competition on the smaller channels. Sydney and Drew were waiting for the competition to begin in their own small dressing room.

“How do you think we’ll do, baby?” Sydney asked as she squeezed Drew’s hand.

“We’re going to win. Definitely.” Drew grinned, trying to give Sydney as much confidence as he could. “We’ve been practicing so much. It’s impossible for us to lose.” He winked happily. Though he had never been a dancer, he was confident that hard work paid off well.

“Oh, Drew, what would I do without you?” Sydney laughed.

“I’m going to get some snacks from the vending machine out front, alright?” Drew kissed her before slipping out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Sydney sighed as she practiced some of her steps once more. “One two three… One two three…” She murmured under her breath. Flo had had taken one of Sydney’s dancing dresses and added some sequins and other accessories to it to really make it pop, but she still didn’t come. “Ah… Flo, where are you?!” Sydney wondered out loud.

“Right here.” Flo giggled as Sydney whirled around, happily surprised. She looked good, and very calm. Even though it wasn’t that sunny out, she had sunglasses on her head and wore a sexy chain top. She was holding a black dry cleaner’s bag.

“Flo! You’re here!”

“Well of course! I wasn’t going to miss this.” Flo smiled as she handed Sydney the bag. “This is your costume, as promised. You’re going to love it!”

Sydney unzipped the bag, and audibly gasped. “Oh, my. This is gorgeous.” Flo had changed it from a plain black number to a beautiful dress covered with glistening jewels and a short skirt at the bottom. It felt so silky in Sydney’s hands, and looked so beautiful.

“Go try it on!” Flo giggled.

“Where is Drew?” Flo asked.

“He just went to get some snacks, he should be back any moment.” Sydney murmured.

The door opened, just on time. Drew’s smiling face appeared. “Hey Flo!”

“Hi, Drew, you look well-rested! After you two change, I’ll share some competition tips with you. I want you two to dance the best you can.

***

Sydney and Drew were to go second to last, after the couple from a studio called European Dance. Sydney pressed her hands together nervously as she watched from the shadows of the curtains. The couple onstage was good. Very,
very
good. The woman was so thin that she looked like she had just walked off a cover of a magazine. The man spun her around like she was a doll. Their dancing looked so effortless, and sexy. “I wonder if that’s what it looks like when we dance,” she whispered quietly to Drew.

“Nah. You look hotter,” he complimented as he gave her a light hug. “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

The music stopped, and the crowd cheered loudly. There was a pause to allow the judges to write down their personal notes. The announcer stepped onstage, ready to introduce the next couple. “Wow, that was some incredible dancing from Sonya and Silas! Our next couple promises to be just as good! Let’s give a warm welcome to Sydney and Drew!” There was a huge roar from the crowd. Anna and Derek were in the audience, cheering for their best friends.

“Here we go,” Sydney murmured as she stepped onto stage as confidently as she could. She took a deep breath, and smiled at Drew and the crowd. She struck her beginning pose, and Drew followed suit. She waited with bated breath for the music to start.

Her heart almost leaped out of her chest when the first tangs of the music played. She almost forgot all her steps, but then her body began to move on its own, acting out the moves she had practiced so much over the past months. Everything just flowed, and Sydney completely forgot that she was on a stage. It felt like she was on a cloud, only focusing on the art of dance, and Drew. It was a wonderful routine that Flo had created, and Sydney truly made it her own.

The music stopped, and Sydney actually felt upset about the dance being over. She really enjoyed dancing onstage. Sydney looked out at the crowd, half of which were standing, clapping for her and Drew. She had never received this kind of praise before and it was amazing.

“Spectacular! They’re so smooth! Sydney and Drew, amazing!” the announcer said.

Sydney was still in shock because she not only had faced her fears of dancing onstage, but also had actually done well. She shot Drew a small smile as they went into the dressing room, intending on watching the rest of the performers from the little TV that was set up in there. Flo was waiting for them in the room, and as soon as she saw Sydney, she ran towards her and hugged her tightly.

“You did so well!” Flo exclaimed happily. “You guys
have
to be in the top three, at least. If you’re not, I’ll personally march down to the judges and give them a piece of my mind! Now, there’s only one more dance to go. Then… It’s judging time!”

“You seem more excited than usual, Flo.” Drew laughed. “Is it because our dancing is so perfect?” He was right, she was giggling and clapping even more than usual, and it wasn’t just because of the competition.

“Oh…” Flo blushed. “My boyfriend’s coming over to pick me up after the competition. He couldn’t come watch, but he’s taking me for dinner and I don’t want to jinx it but…” Flo paused as she blushed crazily. “I think he’s going to propose!”

“Oh wow! I’m so happy for you, Flo!” Sydney squealed. She thought it was somewhat odd that Flo didn’t say David’s name, but to each her own.

“He’ll be coming after the winners are announced.” Flo smiled. “Oh, darn, we’ve been talking so much we almost missed the final performance!” Flo pointed at the TV, and all three of them tuned in to watch the last minute of the dance.

“Alllllllright!” the announcer yelled excitedly. “We’ll have a short five-minute break, then we’re going to bring all the contestants onto the stage and pick the top three!”

“And that’s your cue. Go, go, go!” Flo shooed them to the curtains. “Good luck! I’ll be watching.”

Sydney grabbed Drew’s hand and waited for the backstage people to tell them when to go up. There were four other pairs waiting on their side of the stage, with more on the other side, and they looked incredibly confident. Sydney recognized one of them as Sonya and Silas from the European Dance studio. “I really liked your dance,” she said nicely to them.

Sonya gave her a cold stare. “Thanks,” she said in a very annoyed tone.

“Sheesh.” Drew winced mockingly. “She’s friendly.” Sydney shrugged.

“One more minute,” a member of the backstage crew said quietly. “Then go on when the announcer tells you to.”

“Our judges have decided! Contestants, please come onto the stage,” the announcer said. Sonya pushed past Sydney, with Silas in tow. Sydney shot her a look before composing her face for the crowd, and walked on. She felt confident, and knew that Flo was watching from the back with her full support.

“In third place... Aaron and Fiona! Congratulations!” He paused to allow the audience to clap. “In second place…” Sydney held her breath. “Sonya and Silas! Very good job!” Sonya looked crushed. She definitely was expecting to win. “And first place goes to… the very lovely and very talented Sydney and Drew!”

Sydney was so surprised she forgot to smile. She had a shocked look on her face for way too long, until Drew nudged her. “Syd, we won!”

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed, the news finally settling in. “We won!”

The announcer chuckled. “You certainly did! Here is your trophy…” A nicely dressed woman held a big check for $1,000 and a very shiny trophy in the shape of a fireball that looked like it had been meticulously polished for a long time backstage. “Congratulations! Now the judges would like to say a few words.” Flo was clapping and squealing, so proud that Sydney and Drew had won. The entire award and ending process took a while, and Sydney made her way back to her dressing room, tired, but very, very happy.

A few minutes later, when Sydney, Florence, and Drew were busy drinking some champagne, the door to the dressing room opened. “Hey, Ivy?” a familiar male voice called. “Oops, I mean Florence.”

Sydney’s eyes widened in surprise.
No… It can’t be… Not now…

Scott walked from behind the door, and the first thing he noticed was Sydney, looking very much like a deer in headlights. “Oh…”

Sydney’s mind was whirring.
Ivy? Scott? Florence Flame, stage name…?
She was beginning to connect the dots. And then she got it. “Scott… This is…” Sydney’s brow furrowed as she realized she had become close friends with the woman her ex-boyfriend had left her for.
I feel like I’m in a soap opera.
She realized that Flo was the woman she had seen in those photos all those months ago.

Drew realized that Scott was Sydney’s ex-boyfriend. He remembered him from
The Debby Show
. Drew wrapped an arm around Sydney’s waist instinctively, in a protective manner.

“Sydney…” Scott murmured.

“Oh, you two know each other?” Florence said, not sure why the atmosphere in the room grew suddenly incredibly tense.

“Scott is my ex-boyfriend,” Sydney said as the look on Flo’s face turned into one of realization.

“Oh…” Florence, or Ivy, whispered. “I’m… going to go to the washroom,” she said wisely. It was clear that they had some talking to do.

“Um… Me too,” Drew said. “Just call for me if you need me.” They both exited the room, undoubtedly going to discuss it outside.

“So… Flo is going to be your fiancée?” Sydney muttered, trying to decide how to feel. It had been months since she had last seen him, but it was still a little annoying that he was going to be proposing to Ivy so soon.

“I was going to ask her tonight, yes.” Scott looked extremely uncomfortable.

“Scott…” Sydney thought back to all that she had learned in the past few months, and realized that she had no more anger left. There was no point in being upset, or mad at Scott. Truth was that Ivy had become one of Sydney’s good friends, and she liked her. “This. All of this. Us. I’m okay with it.”

“Really?” Scott looked incredibly surprised.

“Yes… I think that what I went through after us… really helped me grow,” she reflected honestly. It felt good to get it out in the open. She really had grown, and she wanted him to know that she was no longer upset. In fact, she was kind of glad it had happened. If it hadn’t, she never would have met Drew. “So… Yeah.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Sydney. I felt really bad for leaving you but… It just didn’t feel right to lie to you about my feelings. I am sorry,” Scott said.

Sydney knew that he wasn’t a bad man. She wouldn’t have fallen in love with him if he was. “Thank you, Scott.” She smiled and he stepped forwards. Sydney mirrored his movements, and he pulled her in for a familiar, comforting hug. It was nice to know that it was over. Completely. They had both moved on, and their relationship was just a part of the past.

There was a small knock on the door. “We’re coming in!” Flo called as she pushed open the door. “Hi. Everything okay?”

“Everything is good.” Sydney pulled away from Scott with just a hint of a tear in her eye. But it wasn’t one of sadness, it was one of happiness. Finally, she could start a new life with Drew, without any ties to her past. A clean slate. That was all she wanted.

“We’re going to head off to dinner, what about you, Sydney? Drew?” Ivy asked kindly.

“Dinner sounds about right.” Sydney grinned as Drew took her hand in his.

“I’ll see you at class next week then. Once again, congratulations, you beautiful dancers, you!” Ivy grinned as she grabbed her bag, and after Scott said a quiet “goodbye” and “nice to see you again,” they left.

Sydney began to pack up, and Drew helped her. “So… That was the ex-boyfriend, huh?”

“Yeah,” Sydney said, grimacing. “Sorry you had to meet him. Must have been awkward.”

Drew sighed. “It’s okay. That’s all in the past now anyways. Now, focusing on the present, do you want to get dinner?” He kissed Sydney’s cheek.

“I would love to.”

Love Doctor Tip #41:
Believe in yourself. Always. You’d be amazed, the things you can do. So go ahead, talk to that girl at the bar, or text that cute guy first. Confidence is key.