Dance (2 page)

“I’m
Jared Hartley. Welcome to Queen Victoria, Fenix,” Jared said smoothly, letting
go of Fenix’s hand. “I have to admit I haven’t seen your show. But judging by
all the excitement it’s caused around here, it should be pretty good.” Jared
inclined his head to the side studying him. Fenix felt exposed under the man’s
inquisitive gaze but couldn't look away. There was something about Jared – you
didn't just dismiss him and avert your eyes. You stayed captured in those navy
blue depths until he took pity on you and released you.

Since
Fenix had apparently lost the ability to speak, he just grinned while Jared
proceeded to show him around. He showed Fenix his vanity table, his side of the
wardrobe and where everything was. There was a small fridge Fenix hadn’t
noticed before where water and energy drinks were usually kept. The dressing
room wasn’t too big so the whole orientation lasted no longer than a few
minutes.

“So, any questions?”
Jared
inquired. Fenix shook his head and stuffed his hands in his pockets, starting
too
feel claustrophobic in the small room, considering
Jared’s presence took so much space. “I have some time before I have to start
getting ready. Do you want me to show you around the theatre?”

“That’ll
be great, thank you,” Fenix said as they headed out of the dressing room.

Jared
led him through a maze of corridors, twists and turns, pointing at doors
bearing names, little nooks with coffee machines, restrooms, and yet more
doors. He showed him the rehearsal room, which was bigger than the main stage
at
Cutty
Sark. Fenix couldn't wait to put on his
dancing gear and try it out.

“Is
there some kind of schedule to use the rehearsal room?”

“Usually,
no,” Jared said, raking a hand through his hair. A few strands fell immediately
back into his eyes. Fenix had to suppress the urge to reach out and push them
gently away, caressing Jared’s cheek along the way. “Both shows have very
different time schedules, so there was no need for that. You guys would
probably use it more often, especially if you’ve made any changes to your show.
We don't use it that much anymore since
Of
Kids and Monsters
has been running for a year and we pretty much know it in
our sleep.” Jared chuckled and Fenix let the sound envelop him like a caress.
Jared had a beautiful voice – low and smooth and comforting. Fenix wondered
what it would be like to fall asleep listening to that voice. What it would be
like to hear that voice whispering his name.

“Fenix?”
Jared asked, frowning
slightly. “You OK?”

“Yeah,”
Fenix replied and blushed.

Great, just
great.
Keep giving him the impression you’re some awestruck aspiring
performer.

“I
said that you could use the rehearsal room any time you want. I know you
probably dance daily, so it’s OK to do it here.”

“Thanks.
I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Do
you
wanna
see the stage?” Jared asked and smiled
wickedly.

“God, yes!”
Fenix
exclaimed and beamed. Jared’s stare turned from polite and friendly to
something... else for a second. His eyes flashed and he licked his delicious
lower lip. Fenix zeroed in on that pink tongue sliding across Jared’s mouth and
had to force himself to look away. If he didn’t, he might do something
extremely stupid.

Like
kiss Jared until they were both flushed and panting and grinding against each
other.

Yeah, extremely stupid.

“Lead
the way,” Fenix croaked the words past his dry throat. Jared nodded and headed
down yet another corridor.

Chapter two

Jared

Jared knew he
was screwed the moment a pair of pale blue eyes fell on him.

The
man was exquisite! Jared stared at him, captivated – he was sprawled on the
sofa in his, or rather
their
dressing
room, his head dropped back on the cushions, lost deep in thought. Jared had
never in his life felt such instant attraction to anyone. He’d never,
ever
, wanted to tackle someone, rid him
of all his clothes, feel every inch of his skin under his tongue and fuck him
until they both dropped of exhaustion, without so much as a ‘hello’ first.

“Hi,”
Jared said and smiled. There. The ‘hello’ was out of the way. Could they move
on to fucking now?

After
an awkward introduction and tour of the theatre during which he tried to remain
as polite and unaffected by Fenix as possible, Jared excused himself and headed
back to the dressing room. He needed to start getting ready soon.

“Hey,
Fenix, have you seen
Of Kids and Monsters
?”
Jared asked, stopping midstride and turning back to face Fenix.

“Yeah, a few months ago.
I wanted to see it again because I loved it, but it’s sold out for weeks in
advance...” he trailed off, his blond bangs falling in his eyes adorably.

Bingo.

“You’re
not officially in until Monday, right?”

Fenix
nodded. Jared knew everyone was supposed to move in on Monday and was quite
surprised to see Fenix in his,
their
,
dressing room today. “Come, I’ll get you a backstage pass for the weekend until
you get your own on Monday.”

Fenix
beamed as his eyes lit up like a child’s. Jared’s chest felt tight and
uncomfortable, and he rubbed it absently. What was this guy doing to him?

Whatever.
He was not going to
analyse it. He liked Fenix, and he felt pleasant warmth spread all over his
body as the man caught up to him, excited grin still in place, and they
continued walking side-by-side again.

Jared felt
different performing that night. He always gave his all on stage – he might be
saying those exact same lines for the hundredth time, but for most people in
the audience, it would be the first time they’d seen the show. He loved the
reaction he got from the kids every single night – their laughter, their
excited squeals,
their
applause. It was what made the
show what it was, and what inspired everyone on stage to act as if it was their
first time.

But tonight...
Jared could
feel Fenix’s eyes on him the whole time. He knew the guy was backstage. Jared
had seen him right before curtain call. He knew Fenix was absorbing every word,
every movement,
every
dance move. It was a bit
unnerving because Jared had heard that Fenix was an amazing dancer. He hadn’t
had the chance to see
Poison
for
himself, but if Queen Victoria had gone out of their way to get it, it must be
pretty damn good.

Of Kids and Monsters
was Jared’s project, his baby. He’d teamed up with his best friend and fellow
classmate at
LAMDA
, Adam Fischer, and they’d created
it in their spare time just to gain some experience. They’d done everything – the
script, the songs, the decor, the auditions. It had been a gruelling, yet
incredible experience. Of course, ever since it had been commissioned for Queen
Victoria, the show had gotten a makeover in terms of better songs, lavish
decor, professionally created and fitted costumes, more experienced actors...
But in its core it had stayed the same.

Every
line, every song, every dance move was ingrained in Jared’s very being. And
yet, tonight, with Fenix watching, he felt nervous.
Unsure.

He
needed to get a grip. This was ridiculous.

Jared
shook his head subtly to get rid of thoughts about Fenix and cleared his mind
of everything but the performance. It was almost time for his first solo song
and he needed to get into that head space. Taking a deep breath and feeling all
the lights but the one trained on him die
out,
Jared
began singing, his strong, clear voice filling the hall:

Looking back in time

I don’t know how it
started

But it doesn’t really
matter

‘He’s fearless,’ said
my mama

‘He’s reckless,’ said
my dad.

‘He’s brave,’ she kept
saying

‘We’ll see,’ was all
he said

I’m not a kid anymore,
but I believe in monsters

Fear is overwhelming

It will rob you of
your freedom

How do you fight the
monsters under the bed?

The
kid that played one of the lead characters, Sean, ran on stage just as the
music started dying down. A light found him and lit up his steps until he
collided with Jared. He put his arms around the kid and tried to calm him down.
Sean was shaking and distraught – man, that kid had a bright future in acting.
At ten years old he performed that demanding role to the T every single time.

“How
do you know?” Sean whispered, turning his huge brown eyes on Jared. “How do you
know about the monsters under the bed?”

“Because
I used to be one,” replied Jared, and began singing softly:

When all is said and
done

When you don't want to
fight anymore

You’ll see the
monsters are not under the bed

The monsters are
inside your head

By the time
Jared got home that night, he’d made up his mind. He needed to do something
about Fenix. He’d known the guy for barely a day but he couldn't stop thinking
about him. When the show had ended tonight, Jared found himself incredibly
disappointed when Fenix hadn’t been backstage. He wanted to talk to him, ask
him what he thought about it,
just
... be in his
presence. But he hadn’t been there and, frustrated, Jared had gone straight
home without even taking a shower.

Home.
Right now, home was
an almost entirely empty studio flat on the fourth floor of an old building,
just off New Bond
street
. Jared had seen the ‘FOR SALE’
sign when he’d gotten lost one day, about four months ago, looking for a pub
where he was supposed to meet some friends. Something about the old, but
well-maintained four-storey building caught his eye and drew his attention. The
apartment was close to the theatre – a fifteen minute walk to be exact, and
Jared moving out of Adam's place had been long overdue.

Adam
might be his best friend, but they’d been roommates ever since their first year
at
LAMDA
. They both needed a change, especially
considering their history. Adam had been Jared’s first and they’d dated for a
while. Although dated wasn’t the correct term. They’d been friends and
roommates and they fucked occasionally. But they’d always been friends first,
fuck buddies second. Jared loved Adam, but he’d never been in love with him.
He’d never been in love with anybody, actually.

So,
this flat had seemed like the perfect opportunity to move out; to give Adam his
own space and stand on his own two feet for the first time in his life. The
studio was in bad shape and in desperate need of renovation, but it was large
with high ceilings and great potential. Nobody had lived there for years and it
showed. The owners – an elderly couple with no children to leave it to – wanted
to get rid of it as quickly as possible and spend the money on travel and
little luxuries. However, their plans had turned south when the property had
been on the market for over a year with no interest from buyers. This was a
very expensive part of London, but when nobody showed any real interest, they
were forced to lower the price.
Considerably.
When
they met with Jared, he managed to charm them into lowering the price even
further. On top of that, it turned out they were massive theatre fans, had even
seen his show, and when he offered them as many free theatre tickets as he
could get, he had himself a deal.

And
it was a great deal. He would have to invest a lot to make it habitable, but it
was worth it. Jared spent all his savings, including what was left of his
father’s life insurance to buy the place, so he had nothing left for
renovations. All he could manage were the essentials – a cheap bed, a second
hand wardrobe, and sofas that didn't match, and an
Ikea
coffee table and kitchen utensils.
Some rugs, curtains,
sheets and towels.
Thankfully, the kitchen was intact with decent
cupboards, a washing machine, and an oven that actually worked. The electricity
probably needed rewiring, but it worked for now, so did the gas boiler and the plumbing.
There was damp everywhere – on the ceiling and on the walls, which definitely
needed
replastering
.

It
was a huge project Jared had neither the time nor money for. But he’d get
there. He was thinking of taking out a loan, because he could not live like
this much longer.

Jared
flopped down on his bed, which creaked under the assault. He hadn’t had a guy
in here ever since he’d moved in almost two months ago, and he doubted the bed
would hold if he decided to invite someone over.
Thinking of
inviting someone over reminded Jared that he was horny as hell.
He
hadn’t had sex since... Jesus, he couldn't even remember. He’d gone home with a
guy he’d met at a bar probably about three months ago. No wonder he was so
taken with the first attractive guy he’d met since then. Jared needed to get
laid.
Pronto.