ballerina freesia; /ˌbæləˈriːnə ˈfriːʒə/; trusted feelings

“the best proof of love is trust”

The annual school festival was fast approaching. With two weeks left to spare, the dance club has decided to practice not only on Thursday, but on Monday and Tuesday as well. They have six rehearsals remaining before the big event next Friday.

Their first out of six practice was finally over. Not only did they increase the amount of days, they increased the hours as well. With the additional ninety minutes, the dance club ended their practice session at nearing seven.

Each member made their way out of the dance studio as they stated their farewell to one another. Everyone headed home after an exhausting day but to Mark and Mi Joo, it still was not over. They were the only ones left in the dance studio and were not leaving at any time soon.

Mi Joo decided to stay a while longer beforehand, wanting to make her moves smoother and sharper. After noticing the girl has no intentions to go, Mark, on the other hand, changed his initial dinner plan with Jackson and Yu Gyeom.

Assuming he wanted to practice some more, Mi Joo did not make any comments as she proceeded on her own. She did not want to waste her time by being snarky towards him. She had already stated her fair share of remarks to him during class and during the rehearsal just now. In which Jackson, by hook and by crook, managed to break the bickering duo apart yet again. He still has five more to go so good luck to the poor guy.

Without any heads-up, Mi Joo started the music whereby Mark who was initially taking a sip of water, quickly joined her.

The whole performance was fifteen minutes long, breaking it into three segments. The first part was a group choreography, leading to the second bit whereby everybody was paired up with their respective dance partner. The final piece was when they showed off their individual style, wrapping the whole performance up.

Currently, Mark and Mi Joo were at the second part. And luckily for them, they were each other’s partner. Though she loathed him, she must remain professional and not let her bitter feelings get the better of her. To do so, she would always picture him as her celebrity crush during this specific segment instead to overcome this hurdle.

There were several steps that required close contacts. Of course, Mi Joo did not mind as this was all just an act. She was used to this type of physical contacts when she was still in her dance academy. The intense eye contact or the sudden grip of the waist did not bother her one bit.

Beside those moves, they needed to hold onto each other’s face. Whenever this part came around, Mi Joo had the urge to slap him instead. When a good opportunity arises, one should use it to their benefit. But she obviously could not do so.

And even after countless of dry runs, it was only this time that they were facing so close to each other. Mi Joo let out a soft gasp at the sudden intimacy and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. Her eyes widened as her heart began to palpitate against her chest. Somehow, both of them halted their movements, not letting go of their hold as the music continued running at the back.

She could hear her own rapid heartbeat pounding loudly as she was catching her breath. Her cheeks were now tinted red as Mark was now gazing at her softly with those intense eyes. A weird tingling sensation appeared in her body as she noticed his eyes fleeting from her own to her lips. His touch was gentle and warm as she felt his thumb caressing against her cheek. They were inching closer and closer with only a few centimetres away that Mi Joo suddenly placed her hands against his chest, slightly pushing him away.

“U-Um, we should take a break.”

“O-Oh. R-Right.”

Mi Joo immediately released her hold on him before resting against the mirror. The music had come to an end and even though she was away from him, her heart was still thudding wildly with her full-face blushing.

There was a distance between them when Mark took a spot next to her. For a good five minutes, it was of a total silence. No words were spoken and the slowed breathings were the only things that could be heard. With this sudden shift of atmosphere, they were also avoiding eye contacts with each other.

“U-Um –”

Both started at the same time while looking at each other. They immediately stopped and turned away, staring at the view ahead of them instead. The blushing resumed on Mi Joo’s face and it was more intensified than before.

“I-I wonder how