Instinctively, I knew that life was never so simple. However, I was on firm ground for the first time in weeks and I had my month’s rent in my pocket. Against my better judgement, I decided to let sleeping dogs lie. I pushed the matter to the back of my mind and willed it to stay there.

On my way home, I stopped by Kai’s workplace. To speak frankly, it was a rundown studio. That was the barebones truth, no matter how many times Kai insisted that the studio’s dinginess added to its charm; dirt and dust, Kai explained, was really a form of grunge, and so was incredibly hip and avant-garde. He was convinced that I would come to see it that way eventually. I said that it was a good thing he didn’t have asthma.

There was a large group of people standing in front of the main window when I got there. Most of them were high school students, but I also saw some older people dressed in suits – working men and women finishing their long day at the office. Everyone was crowded around the window, even though the door was open and they could easily have walked in for a better look. I slipped past the horde into the cold and dank entryway of the studio. A bored girl looked up from her phone at the front counter. She perked up a bit when I approached her.

“Are you here to sign up for a class?” she asked. I shook my head and she sank back into a slouch.

“I’m just here to see my friend,” I said. “Kai.”

“Oh, him,” she said. “Yeah, the kid’s practicing with our competitive team right now. He’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Kai’s going to compete?”

“Well,” she said, slightly surprised, “he’s pretty good and he keeps up alright, so I guess he’ll compete.” I rolled her words over in my brain. Kai had never mentioned that he was doing more than just teaching. The girl took my silence for disapproval. Hurriedly – and rather defensively – she added, “I mean, he’s great and all. Great dancer, great kid. And a good addition to the team, especially for someone with his background.”

“Background?” I asked confusedly. “What do you mean?”

“His dance experience,” she said. “He teaches ballet here since he’s been classically trained. We didn’t even offer ballet classes here until he showed up. We were that impressed.”

I was floored. I couldn’t believe that Kai with his loud music and free flowing rhythms was a ballet dancer. “He’s not competing with a ballet team is he?”

She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “No, we only do hip hop at competitions.” She looked me over skeptically, as if doubting I was really Kai’s friend. She probably pegged me as one of his crazy fangirls who had stalked him to his workplace. At any rate, she turned her attention back to her phone.

I wandered past the counter, a few steps down the hall to the door of the showcase classroom. I could hear laughter as the practice began to wind down. The laughter abruptly stopped as a firm clap sounded. “Okay, one last time before we break for the day.” Through the small glass window that offered a look into the room, I could see five or six boys getting to their feet. All of them were shirtless or in the process of taking off their shirts, Kai included. Kai caught sight of me and waved. Quite deliberately, he locked his fingers together and stretched upward, pulling his stomach muscles taut. Showing off, as usual. I shook my head at him. In response,  he stuck his tongue out at me and then scrambled to join the rest of the group in a simple geometric formation.

As soon as he stepped into place, he seemed to shed a skin. Gone were the all traces of childishness and naivety he usually displayed. Kai exuded confidence. And it was different from his usual brand of confidence, which was almost indistinguishable from pure obliviousness. Kai wasn’t floating through life on the dance floor. He was dominating the space with the finesse of a born artist.

When the music started, I couldn’t stop staring at Kai. He so completely lost himself in the sound that even his breathing seemed to be in time with the music.

Kai was not the best dancer in the group. The other boys had much better technique. Their moves were sharper – so sharp at times that it seemed like they could cut you if you stood too close.

Kai had a warmth when he danced. He radiated a vitality and raw passion that reminded me of sunshine.

             The first time I saw Kai dance,

                      I started to fall in love.