****
Dancers strolled across the hall gleeful, chosen or not, there was a catch for every single person so it was not a total loss, and what was that catch? instant fame
The dance auditorium show aired every year especially in RayBurn, it hit over a billion views every year it aired, it was hard enough to be chosen for an audition and also hard to win the competitions, so every contestant headed home with enough fame to kick start a career or up their antes, in the end a win was a win.
Candice strolled across the busy halls of the auditorium, ofcourse a win was a win, but there were people who had none of that, they surely wanted to be first; just like herself she thought, a moment of failure which was unusual in her life made her feel like she was ran over by a truck, that's why at this moment it was so hard to breath for her
Always getting what she wanted, and putting the right amount of work made her optimistic about every deal she closed, every business she sought for, she was praised for her literacy, and it was that same literacy that informed her of a battle she had never won in her life, she had always lost but never noticed, and as the realization crept in into her bones and flesh; she felt like she was tied on the tracks of a train, stuck with no way to go for help, no motivation or skill she learnt played useful to her at the moment to help herself, she heard the train hooting from afar about to tear her to pieces; all she needed was help the right kind of help.
She was inlove with Christian, she did not realise early enough, how she always did things to please him and always sorted to be around him, not until one day she talked with him and she turned to look at her car mirror, she was shocked by the expression she met her eyes with, it was a smitten look, like it was over, that day she squeezed her sterring wheel and he saw him look at her bounded hands on the wheel, he didn't ask if she was alright or anything, he didn't say a word, that should've been the day she should've started counting his red flags, but again… she was smitten, and a state of smitten is a state of blindness
The events of earlier replayed in her head
His tie she bought for him and knotted on his neck this morning as his faithful secretary, she was all smiles because this was another season of the dance auditorium, a season where money rained in the scent of the sun, and entertainment was at it's peak, it was like christmas, him choosing that tie made her even happy, but when he laid it in her hands as the blind folds, that wasn't what caught her offguard, it was the look in his eyed when it left the pole dancers tantalizing seen and faced her
The look in his eyes were similar to hers, done, smitten, blocked blind, knowing fully well she wasn't that scene, it was obviously not for her.
In the hall, she was quite odd with her black mood, ofcourse she wasn't the only one with a bitter mood when some people who were winners like her lost, and some other people who were constant losers lived up to their names, the surrounding must've been clogged with anger and disappointment, but she was odd because she was one of the host, and this show was supposed to be an early christmas for her too. Noticing she was garnering so much attention she headed into an empty room, she couldn't hold the tears in her eyes anymore
Heartbroken and disappointed she locked the door and looked around her eyes blurred with tears, making sure there were no cameras around, after confirming with tear drops on her shirt, she sat slowly and sobbed till she was loud; but not louder than the effects the already loud music brought from the peoples soul, she sobbed for long minutes and curled up to a ball, she had never been this sad before; was this depression or was this just the beginning? she sniffed
Thinking of all the moments there were signs, and her silly brain had noticed it late, the bells did not ring in her head cause all that was in was close this deal and assist him to close that deal, it kept her mind so busy so that when love and abandonment crept in she wasn't immune
"Good job" he'd say "You're the best, if it weren't for you, Candice has done it again" but he always complimented her, what where the red flags? he always remembered her birthday, always cared, or was the red flag the fact he had showed no interest in her, or the fact he was emotionally intelligent and he probably had seen the gaze in her eyes but still kept quiet… honestly, there were no signs till Ines came and she was all he talked about casually.
Suddenly her phone rang, it read Chris. how she spelt his name, she cut the call, and texted him that she's not going to be available, then she texted her close friend Alice about all the things that happened and her friend called immediately, putting the phone on speaker she heard her friend say
"Candice, you've always been uptight and work focus, after a heart breaking moment like this, what you need is some drinks, you know to ge thigh"
"I- don't want to, I'm not interested" she said
"Think about it, I'm coming to get you, hang on" she said cutting the call to avoid arguments, she asked her to think about it knowing well she wasn't giving her any options.
Looking at her blank phone, she shakily kept it on the floor and curled back to her sad ball like she had a fever
"Hey" someone called out from the dark
"Fuck!" Candice screamed making her tear up again "What do you want, who are you, just leave me alone"
"It's okay, I'm Brian" he said coming out of the dark "I'm sorry I stayed there for so long, I just didn't know what to say to you, honestly I couldn't leave you here like this"
"Let me be" she said; it was hard to speak
"Did you lose the dance competition, the scores aren't announced yet and you've given up hope, you must've screwed up in your routine or something"
"I don't dance" she said barely a whisper making him to ask her "pardon"
"I said…" she said and paused, "I don't dance"
"Me too"
"Then why are you here"
"I came among a group of breakdancers, then what's making you upset?, did someone die?"
"Well…" she said and dragged on
"A breakup?"
"Not really"
"I mean, I'm in a stage where I found out I wasn't loved, and I'm detaching before my actual breakup" he shared and sat besides her, she didn't know when he walked this close to her "I was crying in the corner too"
"Well, I had a huge crush on this guy, and-I-can't-help-but-watch-him-fall-in-love-with-someone else" she said and the crying started again "I feel terrible, I feel unsure, like I lost my only chance at something great"
"We fail…"
"I don't fail"
"I fail alot" he said and chuckled "I fail so much I don't get pissed anymore, on the bright side I win too, my first breakup was like that, and this is about to be my third, the impacts been lessening"
"I don't think I can love again" she said
"Oh no, don't be like that" he said "I heard your friend call you over for a drunk night, how about I cheer you up instead, help you get over it" he offered "I mean, what I'm about to tell you would be better than a drunk night, that trust me, solves nothing much"
Candice had never seen a kidnapper, but maybe this was how they lured people, she didn't sense any danger from him, she felt she would be safe, these were the kind of people they warned about they said the devil is a gentleman, but she couldn't help but say
"What do you mean, a one night stand?"
"Ofcourse not" he said backing off "Your mind is so creative, I don't blame you anyway, the world isn't safe, okay, how about we exchange contact and send your location to your friend"
"I don't even know what you look like" she said and he got up to put on the light, the lights were yellow, signfying the room for break dancers, looking at him, the first thought that came into her mind was, he was real young and cute, a black guy, should be fine "What's your name again" she asked him as he walked up to her from the light switch
"Brian and you?" he said fishing his phone from his pocket
"I'm Candice" she said getting his phone and dialing her number then she called her friend with her phone "I'm here, where are you?" her friend spoke first
"I just left with someone else, I'll send a location to you"
"That's so unfair" she whined
"I'll make it up to you later, enjoy the show in the mean time"
"Who are you out with?"
"I'll tell you later, okay? bye" she said and ended the call "Make this worth it" she said and he stretched out his hands "I wanna stay for a while so my eyes won't look terrible"
"You'd have to stay till the next day" he said playfully and she sighed took his hand and got up, he opened the door and she bent her head walking out with him trailing behind, he opened the front door to his car with his spare keys, and left with Candice heading to the Will's cafe, as they arrived, he stepped out of the car quickly turning to the other side and opened the door to her car, she smiled, it did not often happen to her but she didn't find anything special in it apart from the fact that he was trying to do something mundane for her, cute.
"Hello Brian, how are you?" the waiter said
"I'm good Sandy" he replied, "get me my regular and her?"
"Menu?" she asked and got it then just got water, this made Brian wonder if she didn't find anything appetizing "so what where you promising?" she said
"A serious talk, an initiation into something that would give you new life and make you rethink the actions of your past"
"I don't make enough mistakes to be thinking about them" she said
"Who thought always winning would pose a problem?" he said and chuckled "You were the kind of kid to top her class?"
"basically"
"How about a game to give you a hint of failure?"
"I already failed in a relationship" she said, and took her glass off the table, drinking half the water that was in it and dropping it back on the table "But ask"
"Well, how ready would you have been for a relationship, what is love?"
"Fun things, few pains, sex, children, happy life with your boyfriend, or spouse, and my parents already loved him, love is affection, caring for people…" she said and paused "People you give the sentiments too
"So, you're making it exclusive?"
"Of course, for one I don't love you" she said rolling her eyes and smiling
"Really, you don't? but I love you" he said forging a frown, this made her wonder if he was love-bombing, but then it was high time she settled down before her parents started hinting it themselves
"That's crap, you just met me"
"Oh, but I have free will, and I'm not asking you to be in a relationship with me" he said "Who dates someone who finds love exclusive, I think love should be enough to go round"
"What are you, in kindergarten, either that or you're a womanizer?"
"You're the one in kindergaten, love isn't exclusive and it isn't sex, meaning you've failed my question, good for you"
"Yipee, you're counting my losses" she aid arcasm coating her tone
"I thought if you failed a little more you would learn how to fall and smile amongt the grasses, or fall in a heap of nsow and make an angel"
"Very poetic"
"I have a very romantic lingo, or vocabulary, lovely things attract lovely people"
"But not everybody is lovable"
"That's why I do the best I can"
"To sleep with everyone you meet?" she looked at him saying with her lips quivering, holding back a laugh at her dirty joke
"You might as well call me dumb" he said
"That's not what I meant" she said wondering if he didn't know she was joking
"I know, but then there's more to sex than pregnancies and plagues, again, love isn't sex"
"I find it hard to believe men aren't sleeping around, but I get that you're implying you aren't a hoe, but love eventually turns to sex when you're dating"
"Married" he corrected
"What are you a virgin?"
"Yeah and married"
What the fuck, she thought "Oh, to who?"
"Jesus" he said and she rolled her eyes
"You're sick" she said "The non-existent being that everyone gratify's for everything when everything is just as a result of them working hard, or simply being lucky, wait, are you a Christian?"
"You're smart, and you're an atheist?"
"Not on my parents watch, so I'll say technically"
"Then you're not, you're either in or out"
"Sounds like cultism" she tsk "I don't do Christian's" she said heart broken that her last crush Christian was named after his religion
"The fact you said you don't do Christians means somewhere in you, you considered us a couple"
"That's not…" she was about to correct as he smiled
"Want ice cream?" he cut her short
"Yeah" she responded and he ordered it for both of them
"What do you do?" she asked him
"Well, I'm an undergraduate and freelance pest" he said smiling
"That implies you're a child, do I pay for all this"
"Why?... wait, are you like a career woman, cause only they don't surrender to pampering?" he said and that irritated her
"That's really stereotypical" she said and he gave her a side glance, his eyes accused her of being a hypocrite
"Candice, anytime you want an Ice cream, you can come here and order it, you don't have to pay, and you can get for any friend of yours" he said and she smiled finding the offer cute
"No thanks, I don't want to be indebted to you"
"Just know your refusal doesn't matter, remember any day, any time"
"Why?"
"I'm trying to bribe you to do Christians" he said taking a spoon of ice cream and putting it in his mouth, she rolled her eyes and said
"Let's leave"
"Okay, where do you want me to take you to? would you like to come to my place? meet my mama?"
"You don't live alone" she said
"Yeah"
"Okay" she said, it made her wonder why she took the offer, but her alone at home was a no, she didn't want to go back to the state she was in back in the studio, her only friends where Christian and Damien, and their hands were full, her girlfriend Alice would shove vodka in her mouth while she's asleep so she could get over her issues and here was this apple of a man infront of her, disguising a one night stand so she taught; she'd rather
she got up with the cup of ice cream in her palm and he took her phone and his in his hands, he greeted the people around and they left, opening the car door for her again, she walked in and he shut it.
******
Ines P.O.V.
"Where's the Cardillac?" I said as I hopped off Christian's arms
"I could've sworn I parked it right here" Vivian said
"Hey, don't bother about it, I'll get you a new one" Damien said to Vivian and she squints at him
"I'll also check the security footage" he promised, just then the valet jugged up to them and told them Brian took the car
"Your cousin is a drunkard" Vivian said
"My families just matching my freak that's all"
"So dancers, Damien and I have to take care of a few other media coverage for this dance off, we would be to busy with boring stuff so, I won't tell you to wait"
I wanted to say I liked boring stuff, but that would be a very severe lie, the earth would rumble at it, anyway I wanted to spend time with Christian
"Excuse us" I said taking Christian's hand
"We will only take 30 minutes" he said and we walked off leaving Vivian and Damien behind
"After I go, you won't want to see me again" I said, I wa comfortable enough with him to not feel silly at my dependency "Everytime I turn to find you around, you disappear, I don't like it"
"Hey, not anymore, I'm only busy this week, and you will be pretty soon"
"Hey, I didn't sign up for any media coverage"
"I understand the troubles you have, I know who you are, and don't worry, I will protect you okay?"
He knew who I was? Did he know about Shawn and the fact that I wasn't feeling safe?
"You know about Shawn?"
"Shawn who?"
"Leonard" I completed, it seemed like he didn't know "I'm in real big trouble with this person"
"I'll take care of you, don't worry about all that, and how about we go out on sunday, on a date"
"I would love that" I said
"And take this" he said taking a card out of his pocket laying it in my palm and I accept it"This is my card, get anything you want, I would come with you but I will be busy in the week, and here"
He took out keys from his pocket "These are the keys to my Mercedes, you can use it in the meantime, is that fine by you?" he asked and I nodded teeths out with a blinding smile
"Okay, I'll call you, and I will see you on sunday, also, you were live in the dance hall area, I should've gotten your consent first but the time you sent in your resume we had already concluded the contracts and we didn't have time to send you one, I didn't know you weren't aware of the show, on the bright side, this evening you can go watch how amazing you were" he said, his words hitting nerves of fear, and I bet he could see it on my face
"Don't worry you'll be fine, I will protect you, okay?"
"Okay" I said breathing out a sigh, he took my hands guided me to where his car was in the lot, then walked me to Vivian and left with Damien, Vivian and I went to the lot and we drove back home, on our way home I recounted everything Christian said
On reaching our apartment, we go about our normal evening routine, and put on our tv, going to the right channel, we sat there with our eyes glued on the master piece we where in the dance hall, turns out they were cameras from every angle, and mostly an aerial view, also, after the dance hall, the individual performances in the coloured room started to air, and it was amazing, but Vivian's performance and mine wasn't shown, but then ony two of them showed, and in the next episode another set would be shown, immediately after the show ended, my dad called and I picked up immediately
"Ines, why is your face on television?"
"Umm…" I said and paused speechless "I didn't know it was a show that involved the media" that was all I could say, that was the truth anyway, he breathed out and said, on Wednesday, my lawyers will meet you, you have to sign everything they give to you, okay?"
"Yes dad"
"I see that you've quickly adapted to the place, how is Vivian?"
"She's okay, healthy and wise, and how are you daddy"
"I'm also okay, healthy and wise, don't worry about me baby, you'll soon come visiting okay?"
"okay"
"The documents are for company inheritance and for you to be the biggest share holder and the next chair woman" he said and I gasped, the responibilty was big
"Oh-okay"
"You're not to tell anyone about this okay?"
"Okay dad" , I responded, we said our goodbyes and he cut the call, I kept my phone by the head side of my bed and laid on my back, Vivian was very busy with what hadn't registered in my head yet, till she said
"Get down Ines baby"
"What?" I asked her turning my head to her direction, a pile of books on the table
"Let's study!"
Good idea, I thought.