02: alone again

Sally's POV:

The moment I woke up and rolled over in bed, I spotted two envelopes placed on my nightstand. Curious, I sat up and grabbed them. They looked rather plain, but upon opening them I saw what was inside.

“My goodness,” a gasp of surprise came out of me, my eyes widening with shock. I blinked, as if expecting the contents of the envelope to vanish.

Two tickets to watch the latest performance of Mr Armani.

Mr Armani?! A world-renowned dancer known for his superhuman flexibility and dance moves. Everyone who studied and danced ballet knows him. When I was younger I had built a shrine dedicated to him, and even now I still looked up to him. His name is gold in the world of ballet.

"Oh my goodness," I covered my mouth with my hands, shocked beyond words.

As far as I know, Mr Armani stopped performing in the past ten years. Even the few shows he held, buying the tickets were a struggle.

And now I hold two of his tickets in my hands, not just any but VIP front row tickets.

Excitement bubbled inside me like a volcano waiting to erupt. With a bright smile, I jumped out of bed and ran outside my room. Only one person is able to do this.

Right outside my room stood Derek. My smile faltered for bit. It's been a while since I last saw him.

"Here," He said and handed a mug of coffee over to me.

I took it, and for a moment I didn't know how to react. He made the coffee exactly how I liked my coffee. With loads of milk and cream on top.

My smile returned, and I felt my heart lighten up. "Thank you," I said. I showed him the tickets. "And for these too. Is it okay if I invite my friends to watch the show with me?"

"Why?"

"There's more than one ticket,"

"If you do that then what would I use to watch the show if you give the tickets to your friends?"

I pulled back, startled. Derek wasn't interested in these things. "It's dance, what's so interesting about it?" He had said when I tried to get him to like ballet. Back then his words had hit like a physical blow.

So hearing him say this right now had me backtracking.

Is this real? Or did I wake up in an alternate universe where Derek has been replaced by a clone?

"What's the matter?" He asked, sounding confused.

I could barely contain my excited grin. My cheeks began to hurt with how much I was smiling. "It's nothing. We can go together."

***

The grand opera hall was stocked to the brim with people. After the performance was over — a rendition of swan lake — Derek told me he had a surprise for me. He led me through the crowd of bodies till we got to a secluded area. Some staff hurried about, a few backup dancers catching up and laughing amongst themselves.

"Mr Armani," Derek said and the tall man in the room turned to us. His dark hair was brushed back and slicked, his eyes a sharp steely gray. He was dressed elegantly, an air of refined grace around him like a cloud. If I had to guess I'd say he was in his forties.

I felt excitement fluttering inside me like a million butterflies.

"This is Sally Xavier," Derek said. "Sally, this is Mr Armani,"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I greeted the man as we shook hands. His gray eyes twinkled with life, and as he smiled the corners of his eyes crinkled into crows feet.

"A pleasure to meet you, Sally. I couldn't help but notice you in the crowd."

I could barely stand still with how excited I was. This was like my biggest dream come true.

"You struck me as familiar." He said, sounding deep in thought. "Tell me, do you love ballet?"

"I love it! More than anything, I'm a dancer myself too! I studied classical ballet and now I work as a dancer.”

"Is that so? Which troupe were you a member of?"

"The unicorns."

His eyes widened and he chuckled. "My goodness. How impressive my dear, Unicorns are so selective you must be very good, the best even."

Hearing such praise from my idol made me feel suddenly shy. "Thank you, sir."

"Mr. Armani, this is your daughter, right? She looks just like you! Especially her eyes, which are exactly like yours!" A staff member suddenly appeared and said.

My cheeks heated up. I struggled for what to say but could barely get out a single word due to how flustered I'd become.

Me, his daughter? I could never have imagined I would be considered his daughter.

Quickly glancing at Mr Armani, I tried to see if we actually looked alike. His eyes met mine, and they looked so serious. Like he was trying to see right through me. I looked away, gasping in surprise.

Oh no. Now he's going to think I'm rude and proud! I can't have that! I finally get to meet my idol, I don't want him to get the wrong impression of me. Or worse, misunderstanding me.

“I—” I opened my mouth to explain, but a sturdy hand fell on my shoulder. Mr Armani patted my shoulder twice. I looked up sharply and instead of meeting an angry look, his eyes were soft and soothing.

He turned to the staff member who had been joined by three more staff all looking at me with awe in their eyes. “Sally is a new friend I just met, and she's also a very good dancer.” He said.

“He's right,” I added with a firm nod.

“We must have been mistaken then,” the staff members said.

"That's really strange, you really look alike, even your temperament is very similar..."

Another staff member said “it seems that she is destined to be with him, and he doesn't mind having another daughter.”

As if thinking of something, Mr. Armani sighed and said, “if I had a daughter as considerate and excellent as Sally, I would have less worries. I believe Derek has more experience than me, what do you think?”

“I'm sure your real daughter is all that.” Derek said.

His real daughter? Derek knows her?

“Very well.” Mr Armani replied. He didn't seem to intend to wait for the Derek's answer, and he greeted others after he finished speaking.

I turned to Derek, confusion swirling in my eyes. A flash of something unnatural crossed his eyes. I took a step closer to him, so I could see what that was. He seemed to notice this and his expression returned to normal.

He gave me a quick hug then he faced Me Armani. “Thank you, tonight was truly splendid. We must take our leave now.”

We bade each other goodnight.

Leaving the noisy backstage, Derek and I walked to the theater entrance. Surrounded by people gathered in groups after the show, the hush of conversation filled the air and soft lights danced on Derek's face. We held hands, leaning into each other wordlessly.

This felt beautiful. Peaceful and sweet.

Suddenly, a ringing sound filled the air. Like a sharp knife cutting through the warm atmosphere between us.

Derek took his phone out and frowned. He picked the call, his expression darkening.

Once the call ended, he turned to me. I could tell from his face that he had something he wanted to say or explain. I couldn't tell his expression, if he was happy or not. It was nearly impossible to read.

"I have something else to take care of." He said after a few seconds of silence. "Go home without me. I'll come later."

"But I—"

He walked away before I could finish my sentence.

I stood there, my hands clenched at my sides, confused. Why did it feel like something so out of my control had just happened?