Chapter 16

The upbeat pop music blasted through the speakers around the dance studio as five young boys were dancing to the choreography of their new single. They were a new unnamed group that hadn't debuted yet but were scheduled to in the upcoming months. Their company had hired the talented Yuki as their choreographer.

He stood at the front of the room with his arms crossed and his thumb holding his chin. He paced back and forth as he kept a careful eye on all their movements. The song finally ended for the fourth time, and they all sighed as they laid on their backs panting. After hearing nothing, some of them held their heads up to look at him but he was still staring blankly with no change in facial expression.

"Yuki?" One of the boys named Jesse called out to him but there was no response. He shrugged his shoulders as he looked to his bandmates. Another one named Oscar stepped towards him and waved his hand in front of his face.

"What? Oh, did the song end already?"

Oscar nodded and gave him a puzzled look.

"Teach, you okay? You seem to be out of it lately. Is it because you're trying to figure out how to tell us we suck…"

"No Oscar, no! You guys are great, there's just a small personal problem I'm trying to work through. I'm sorry for making all of you work so hard. Tell you what, why don't we take 30 so you guys can rest, and I can clear my head."

They all readily agreed while Yuki stepped out of the room and up some flights of stairs. He pushed open a door and a cool breeze welcomed him as he stepped onto the rooftop. All the tension in his muscles were released as he looked over the rail.

He took a deep breath and tried to clear his head, but he couldn't. It was too clouded. The truth of the matter was, until he faced it head on and decided, he wouldn't be able to focus on anything.

He rummaged his hand through his hair in frustration and yelled out, something he had been doing a lot lately.

His mind told him to do the smart thing and quit before things got out of hand, but his heart said otherwise.

"Oh common, if she felt anything close to what I was feeling, it would've already happened by now…" he mumbled.

He decided, at this very minute, that once he left this rooftop, he was going to go back to living his life as if nothing ever happened.

"Em, why did you have to steal my heart…"

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Joel was finishing the finishing touches on a proposal he had been working on when his phone rang.

"Hey Cam, what's up?"

"Joel! Are you free today?"

"Yeah, I just finished."

"Do you want to join me and Rylie for a swim today? It's nice out and my parents are heading out."

At the mention of her name, he paused before saying yes.

"Sure, I'll pass by her house so I can pick her up."

"You know where she lives?"

'Crap!'

"Uhh, yeah. I was driving by one time and saw her walking in. It was pure coincidence."

"Oh…okay. Every time I ask her, she dodges the question, but I guess it's not a big deal after all. Thanks Joel, I'll see you soon!"

Cameron hung up and Joel sighed as he fell back into his chair.

Oh my god, he almost ruined everything. Why did he offer to pick her up? The mention of her name made him think of her and he just blurted it out. He snapped out of it and headed out of the office.

With Rylie in the passenger seat, he pulled into the mansion driveway and parked off to the side.

As they got out, she looked around and was flabbergasted. Her stomach started getting butterflies and her knees were getting shaky.

"Rylie? What's wrong? Are you okay?" He held her elbow up for support.

"Sorry, I'm just overwhelmed. Even though it's not my first time seeing it, it still gets me. What are…his parents like?"

"They're very nice people. They're just like any other parent out there. Just be polite and mind your manners and they'll like you just fine. You can find out for yourself since they're coming over now…"

"Wha-I…!"

She followed Joel's pointed finger to where three figures were making their way over. Two of them were walking at a regular pace while one was running towards them at light speed. Cameron gave them each a hug and stood back as his parents caught up.

"Mom, dad, this is Rylie."

His mother raised her eyebrows as Rylie bowed.

"Oh! I've heard so much about you! Our Cameron has been smiling so much lately and seems to be in his own little world…"

"Mom!"

Everyone laughed and they went inside while his parents left for the day.

The boys changed quickly and went back outside to sit on the deck chairs. As they were chatting, they heard a door slide open. Turning their heads, they say Rylie with a towel wrapped around her body.

"Is something wrong?" asked Cameron.

"N-no…" she replied nervously.

"Don't worry Rylie, you don't have to be afraid. We won't judge you," Joel gave her a comforting smile and she nodded in response.

Her hand on the knot loosened and the towel wrapped under her arms fell to the floor. The boys widened their eyes in disbelief at the sight before them.

Rylie was thinner than the average girl but had a very feminine appeal to her. She was wearing a pastel pink floral laced bikini that brought out her best features, or rather, her hidden features. She had done this many times in the past, but she was especially nervous today.

When the three of them first got into the pool, they were uncomfortable at first. Until Joel accidently splashed Rylie with water while he was aiming for Cameron. This started a water fight between them that lasted for quite awhile.

While Cameron and Rylie continued to chase each other around the deck, Joel smiled at the two of them.

He thought it was a good idea to swim a few laps while the two of them spent some time together. Rylie spotted him and challenged him to a race. Cameron stood at the other end to referee and of course, Joel won.

They all laughed and realized it had been a while since they ate. Joel got out first and turned around to offer a hand to Rylie behind him, the same time Cameron extended a hand.

Without hesitation, she grabbed Joel's hand and thanked him.

Slowly pulling his empty hand back, he looked on quietly as the two of them walked ahead inside. Everything was now silent and all you could hear was the motor of the pool filter.

Cameron didn't know how to describe it, but he felt as if he was being excluded from something, like there was a secret others knew, but he didn't.

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With a cocktail in hand, Emilia glanced around as she took a sip. The gallery was full of people young and old, decked out in formal wear and dressed to the nines. Feeling intimidated, she sighed as she looked down at her emerald-green frilly chiffon top, black skirt and high-heeled boots.

She looked around again for the person that invited her but couldn't him anywhere.

She suddenly felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. She turned around quickly to defend herself but smiled warmly as soon as she recognized his face.

"James! I've been looking everywhere for you! Sorry but I think I'm a little underdressed…" she pouted. He laughed in response and shook his head.

"It doesn't matter to me what you wear. What matters is that you're here. I really wanted you to see what I created."

Confused, she raised her eyebrows.

"Why?"

"You'll see," he said with a smirk.

"Attention participants, judges and guests; the competition is about to commence. Please make your way to Hall B and take your places."

"Oh! I guess it's time!" James exclaimed and led her to Hall B by the hand. She blushed as she felt the heat from his hand reach her heart. He found her a spot by the front and made his way backstage.

Other students unveiled theirs first and Emilia was amazed by all of them. This was the best of the best in the country and she couldn't believe some of the talent!

It was finally time for James' unveiling, and he turned everyone's attention to the side, where his had been the whole time under a white cloth.

As he swiftly pulled it off in one swoop, Emilia's eyes widened, and she let out a loud gasp.