Say it with Sequins

Fuck these impossible restrictions imposed on his career. He’d have to make a move soon, or lose Julia. He’d just have to chance it. He just hoped it wasn’t too late.

Step Seven.

The rehearsal wasn’t going well.

Daniel had kept his promise and had come in to help practise the rumba with Julia and Harri. Jan and Eva were in the studio next door and, at first, Julia thought this would mean a more relaxed session – she was even looking forward to it. But she was wrong. Harri was tense and wasn’t taking kindly to Daniel’s suggestions. He seemed more reluctant to let go than ever and it was making the dance seem stiff. Even Julia could see it.

“Let me show you,” Daniel said finally, after the third run through. He took Julia into the beginning hold and backed her gently down until she was almost touching the floor with her head.

“See, you have to make love to her, caress her.” At this, Daniel held her with one arm and rubbed his hand electrifyingly down over Julia’s breastbone.

Julia let out a startled yelp – Daniel’s hand was hot and perilously near her breasts.

He lifted her up slightly and pulled her to him until they were nose to nose. His green eyes were mesmerising. “You never break contact, do you see Harri? You’re always connected physically or, most importantly, emotionally. You’ve got to make the audience believe you’re in love with this woman. And don’t rush through it, take your time, linger over her.”

Daniel pulled a disorientated Julia back to her feet and left her side. “You have a go.” He placed Harri and Julia close together, far closer than they’d ever been.

Julia stared into Harri’s dark eyes and willed her sympathy over to him; he must be finding this excruciatingly embarrassing. She was so close to him that she could feel his breath hot on her face; it smelled of toothpaste. She felt his strong arm come round her back and it seemed to burn right through her ballet top.

“Right, good, that’s better.” Daniel’s calm and encouraging voice broke into the moment. “Now, back her down. Julia, you have to trust him like you trusted me, he’s just as strong, he’s not going to drop you. Release her hand now Harri and take yours down her body, that’s it.”

Julia could feel the muscles in Harri’s arm tense against her back.

“Look at him Julia, don’t let him break that contact.”

Julia did as she was told and was held in a spell cast by the warmth in Harri’s brown eyes, he’d never ever looked at her in quite that way before.

“Now take your hand Harri and stroke it slowly down her. No use your whole hand, flatten the palm out.”

Julia felt Harri’s hand sear her body and felt it tremble slightly. And then, because she couldn’t help it, because it was too much like bliss, she let her head arch back in ecstasy. Desire pulsed through her. She heard him whisper something in Welsh and let the husky words caress her – just as his hand was caressing her body from breast, over her stomach, to the where her legs met.

A beat began in the very core of her being, where Harri’s hand lay. God, she was turned on! If she didn’t have this man soon, she’d combust. Did he know the effect he had on her? She couldn’t help herself; she bucked against his hand, making it press more urgently against her sex.

“Good, good,” Daniel sounded surprised but pleased, “that’s a good line. Hold it, then lift her gently up Harri and bring her back to the standing position and be ready to break away … now!”

Julia found herself coming to without really knowing quite what had just happened. She was dizzy and her legs trembled. She still fizzed with unspent desire. Then she saw Harri breathe heavily and run a hand over his forehead, and she came back down to earth. He was sweating. Damn, she didn’t think she was that heavy!

Daniel looked at both of them curiously: “We’ll take a break now folks, but we’ve done some good work here this morning. Take twenty.”

“Good idea,” Harri mumbled and walked out.

Julia frowned at the towel she’d just picked up and muttered into it as she wiped her face: “I didn’t think dancing with me would be so much of a hardship for him.” She gazed up at Daniel in appeal. “I thought we got on so well.”

He passed her a fresh bottle of water. “I think that’s the problem, babe.” He nodded to the door. “Think our Welsh friend likes you more than just a little bit.”

“No!” Julia looked at him startled. “He can hardly bear to touch me. Today’s the first time anything like that’s happened and that’s only because you were coaching us.”

“Didn’t look like that to me. Think he’s gone to cool himself off, if you know what I mean.” Daniel gave her a bawdy wink and grinned. “Don’t sweat it – it made the dance hot, hot, hot!” He came nearer and swiped the bottle from her. “It’ll be a showstopper.” He saluted her with the water bottle and drank thirstily. Screwing his eyes shut, he clamped down on his own burgeoning feelings for Julia. He’d seen the longing in Harri’s face and knew he couldn’t, maybe didn’t want to, compete.

“Maybe he has to be careful,” he added. “You know, in his line of work. People can be funny about the image children’s television presenters give off. They have to appear a bit innocent, don’t they?”

“What, still, in this day and age?” Julia glared at him.

Daniel shrugged. “Well, maybe. It’s just a theory and Harri’s serious about his job. He said the other night how much it means to him.”

But Julia wasn’t really listening, she stared at the door through which Harri had exited so swiftly and wondered what he had just said to her in Welsh.

“So, what did you say to me?” They were sitting in the pizza place again. Neither of them really wanted yet another pizza, it was simply a quick way to refuel their starving and hard worked bodies. The place was again packed with people celebrating Christmas. This time, Mary’s Boy Child played on the sound system.

“What? When?”

“When we were doing the rumba this morning with Daniel.” Julia, disconcerted by Harri’s unusual disinterest, prattled on, mainly to fill the silence. “He was brilliant, don’t you think? So encouraging and kind. He’s exactly what I need. But what did you say in Welsh, during training?”

Harri looked down at his beer and reddened. “It was nothing.”

“No, it was something. What did you say?”

“I said …”

“It sounded beautiful. I had no idea the language was so beautiful. What did you mean?”

A large group in the back of the restaurant erupted into laughter and began a chorus of We wish you a merry Christmas. Harri’s eyes strayed to them and Julia thought she could see longing in his face. Was she really such dull company? “Well,” she said a little huffily, “if you don’t want to tell me I’m sure it’s not important.”

Harri flashed his eyes back to hers. “I said I loved you,” he said abruptly. They held one another’s gaze.

“Oh,” Julia spluttered. There was a silence and the remains of their easy friendship fled. “You were obviously, erm, just getting into the mood of the dance then.” She tried to say it without an ounce of hope or expectation.

Harri gave a huge sigh. “Yeah, that’s it.” He seemed deflated she thought. “Duw, I need another drink! Oh, look, it’s Abi again, wouldn’t you know it. Another Becks and more wine?” He busied himself with the order and the moment passed.

In the cab on their way home Julia tried to resurrect the companionship they’d shared by discussing Daniel’s coaching skills. But Harri remained taciturn and, as it was so unlike him, she too lapsed into silence. The atmosphere between them was as frosty as the weather outside.

Step Eight.

Quarter-final week. Of all the dancers who had started only Harri, Callum, Suni and, unbelievably, Julia remained.

The show had begun to hit the papers, with Julia’s story featuring prominently. As Lavinia said, it was all good publicity, even the focus on Julia’s appalling dancing, but Julia wasn’t happy being in the full glare of the tabloids. She and Harri remained friends but he continued to be distant with her. She blamed the increased publicity; she knew he had to be careful with any press coverage.

Daniel was as attentive as ever and, now that so many contestants had been voted off, it was good to find solace in his and Erica’s friendship. They often went out as a threesome and her cosy pizzas with Harri became a thing of the past. Harri’s position as favourite was slipping, the public were, in true British fashion, going for the underdog and Callum and Julia were increasingly tipped to win.

Julia, under Daniel’s kind and patient tutelage, was blossoming. She was in no way as good as Suni but was really improving; even Jan had muttered reluctant words of praise.

It wasn’t all rosy though. Now that Casey had left, Callum had fewer victims for his letching and Julia found herself constantly having to dodge his roving hands. Fortunately, Daniel acted as a type of bodyguard and had the ability to diffuse tricky situations with an enviable grace and skill.

Julia wondered about Daniel. He was a quiet man, incredibly lithe and good looking but always seemed to be on his own. She had no idea if he was straight or gay; he seemed almost asexual. But she enjoyed his company and appreciated his friendship.

Bob, the producer, decided to throw a Christmas party on the night before the quarter-final show. Everyone had been working hard and the atmosphere was increasingly tense. He’d hired a ballroom in a local hotel and had invited all the original contestants, plus their partners and families.

The production team had gone to town. A host of purple and silver sequined banners fluttered from the ceiling, a tree stood to one side, groaning with purple lights and waitresses, dressed as silver mini-skirted fairies, dotted about, dispensing mulled wine and mince pies.