A few days later, Holly was back at the restaurant early, and I took a break, sharing a new dish with her. She soon became my favorite taste tester and friend. We didn’t hang out often, but she was always bringing her friends into the restaurant. Being a chef, I worked long hours from mid-afternoon until almost midnight, so I missed the regular hanging out times.
I didn’t mind, I love my job, and I enjoyed the fact that Holly came by the restaurant and was willing to try out new concoctions. I valued and trusted her opinion.
“If you are nervous now, just wait until Friday when you get ready for your dance dates.”
“Oh, my god! Don’t remind me, Holly. It’s too early in the week to pass out!”
She grinned as she spoke and hooked her arm with mine. “Come on, let’s get you to makeup. No passing out; you’ll be fine.”
After a whirlwind of makeup and hair, I returned to the studio, and we started taping. For the first few minutes, I was extremely uncomfortable knowing the camera was on me but was able to put it out of my mind pretty quickly. The only time that I was reminded they were there was when they wanted us to redo something from a different angle.
When Tarin turned on the music, I laughed, and Cal stood in front of me. “This is a bold song, full of energy. You’re telling these men to prove themselves without words. To show you that you can trust them and that they can be there for you and that you can both have fun.”
“I can’t believe I’m doing this!”
“Do you want to see the routine?”
“Yes, show me what kind of trouble I’m getting myself into.”
I watched the dance with ever-widening eyes. I was out of breath by the time the dance routine finished, and I wasn’t doing anything but watching. How the heck was I going to be able to do that, not once, but three times with three different men?
“What do you think?”
“Holy—cow! It’s fun and sexy and full of energy, and then there are moments when it can be so much more.”
Cal clapped. “Yes! That is exactly what we are looking for. Are you ready to get started, Ali?”
“My knees are shaking, but yes, I’m ready to get started.”
As Cal, and Victor, my dance partner for training, showed me the first few steps, I thought briefly of the man I’d run into coming around the corner the other night in the storm. Is that what this was going to feel like? Would the electrifying moment when we look into each other’s eyes be as intense as that moment had been?
A second later, that thought was gone, and I was waist-deep in counting beats, kicks, turns, hips swivels, and body waves.
“Ali, when you look at him here, you want to take a moment to let him in. You’re not just trying to find out more about him, but you are allowing him into your soul. You want him to see that you are this incredibly loving and sincere person. Since it’s so hard for you to talk to strangers, you have to let your body do it for you.”
I couldn’t imagine my body telling anyone anything, but I wanted it to. I genuinely hoped that this whole experiment worked. For it to do that, I had to give it my all. “Okay, if you say so.”
“Let’s try it again.”
It ended up taking another four times before Cal and Tarin clapped their hands excitedly. “Yes! That right there showed your vulnerability; it was perfect!”
“That is crazy scary,” I told them.
“Oh, there is no doubt that it is,” Tarin said. “It is frightening to open yourself up to strangers and let them see the real you, but it’s going to pay off.”
“I hope so.”
Tarin took my hands. “I know so!”
“And cut!” someone called from off to the side.
“That’s a wrap for today,” Holly said and approached us. “How are you feeling, Ali?”
“Good! I’m excited, and I do love this dance, but I’m exhausted too.”
She chuckled as I glanced at the clock on the far wall. “Oh, no! I need to get going. I’m already late to work. I told them I’d be a couple of hours late, but eek, I’m later than I thought I would be!”
“Go, we will see you tomorrow, and you did fantastic!”
I gave Holly a quick hug. “Thank you, Holly.”
I rushed out of the studio, grabbed my things, and was out