Our song was from the Beast’s point of view, and it was one of my favorites. It was an atypical love song, and actually, rather sad. But we were banking on the raw emotion to captivate the audience, rather than the more common, sappy, romantic tunes that were likely to fill the other time slots. It had been a brilliant choice on Lisa’s part.
The Beast lamented over the fact that he finally fell in love, and now she was gone. He would never be able to go back to how he was before—a double meaning referring to becoming heartless again, as well as being human. But he took solace in the fact that she was lodged so deeply in his heart, he’d never lose her.
We started out in an embrace, but as the first strains of the music played, Lisa spun out of my arms and leaped away. I stood in darkness while she danced to the delicate strains of the intro. When the Beast began to sing, we danced in sync, although we were on opposite sides of the stage. Then we moved toward each other, and our steps weaved us together and apart. And though we came very close, we never actually touched. Each time I reached for her, she was no longer there.
She’d fully crossed the stage when the musical buildup to the chorus began, and she ran to me so that I caught her just as the music hit a peak, and we executed our first lift flawlessly.
For the next two minutes and two seconds, I lost myself to the movement and emotion. I was captivated by my partner and the music. Everything else faded away until the final lift, a variation on Around the World that started with her on the floor. After the dip at the end, I put her back on her feet and she began to spin away. The choreography called for her to disappear into the mist, leaving me alone and bereft under the spotlight.
For some reason, as she loosened her grip on my hand, I couldn’t let go. The song's final notes were as painful as they were euphoric, the Beast accepting that he would be physically alone but with a full heart.
My body was vibrating with energy, my heart pounding in my chest, and all I could think about was keeping Lisa. Never letting her walk—or dance—away from me. I wouldn’t accept a fate that didn’t include spending forever with her.
So instead of releasing her as I was supposed to, I spun her back into my body. One hand wrapped around her waist and the other cradled the back of her skull as my head dropped and I kissed her.
4
Lisa
I was kissing my celebrity dance partner on live television…and I couldn’t bring myself to care that the whole world was watching. At least not while his tongue was tangling with mine.
I dimly heard one of the judges say, “Aww,” while another whispered, “Damn, that's fire.”
“Definitely not rated G like the Disney movies we are highlighting tonight, that's for sure,” the third judge announced.
Their banter reminded me exactly where I was, and I pulled my head back to end our kiss. Hale’s dark eyes burned into mine, the desire in them impossible to miss. I shook my head to clear the sensual fog and stepped away. He didn't let me get far, lacing his fingers through mine and tugging me against his side as we turned to face the audience. The host of the show, Jenika—a former supermodel—joined us on stage with a big smile as she fanned herself with her free hand. “You two put on a heck of a show for us today, and I don't just mean that kiss. I know you covered this question earlier, but after that performance, it’s clear you're happy to have been partnered together.”
“Absolutely,” Hale confirmed, returning her smile. “Lisa is an incredible choreographer and did an amazing job getting me ready for tonight's show.”
Her focus shifted to me as she said, “Putting four lifts into your first routine was a daring decision.”
I grinned up at my partner. “I didn’t have that many in the original choreography, but Hale is a natural, so I was able to add some extra complexity to the dance.”
“The risk was definitely worth it because you were amazing together. Right, judges?”
The trio of dance professionals chimed in with their verdict on our performance, and I was thrilled when they all agreed. And looking forward to having an excuse to spend more time with Hale when they announced that we’d had the best dance of the night.
“It seems as though your trust in your celebrity partner paid off. Is it safe to say that your trust extends outside the dance studio?” the host asked.
I hated that our first kiss wasn't private, but I didn't regret what had happened between us moments earlier. I was in a tough spot, though. The last thing I wanted to do was minimize what that kiss had meant to me, but I also didn't want to talk about it on national television before we had a chance to discuss what it meant in private. I would have preferred to keep my interview to the dance techniques we had used, but I knew that wasn't what I had signed up for.