I head over to my bag and dig for my phone.Austin would make a brilliant emcee, I think,as long as he stays away from metaphors.I propose the idea to Rafa and, when he agrees, I put him on speaker.
‘We still need a partner for you, though, Evie,’ he says, his voice crackling through the phone. ‘You’re too good not to hit the stage.’
I smile as Kye leans in closer to the speaker. ‘Do you have any other celebrities who can do it?’ he asks.
‘Actually, I was thinking ofyou, Kye,’ Rafa says.
Kye’s brows lift. ‘I’m not a celebrity.’
‘No, but you’re one of the most natural dancers I’ve ever had in my class, and if you do the routine with Evie, I can add in some harder, more spectacular moves.’
‘I don’t know,’ Kye says, his cheeks flushing. He blinks down at the polished floor and then his gaze flickers to mine.
‘Please?’ I say softly.
I want to dance with you.
His eyes melt into a chocolate glaze. ‘Okay,’ he says.
My smile widens.
‘Fantastic,’ says Rafael. ‘If you guys can work on the existing routine first, I’ll sex it up with some fun stuff over the weekend and run you through the changes next week.’
‘Thanks, Rafa,’ I squeak.Sex it up?
After we end the call, Austin asks Kye if he can drop him off in town; he says he’s got someone to meet.This late?I wonder, but the thought goes no further than that.
Once we’re all outside with the studio locked up, I pull out my phone and tap open my Uber app.
‘You still don’t have a car?’ Kye asks, sounding surprised.
‘Nope. My mechanic got the part in, but it didn’t fix the problem. It’s a whole thing.’ I shake my head. ‘I don’t even want to know what all of it will cost. I should’ve just bought a new car.’
‘Come on; I’ll drive you,’ he says, nodding towards his Audi.
‘You sure? I’m over the other side of the Anzac Bridge.’
He throws me a look that says,Of course, and I smile and climb into the back seat.
After we drop Austin off in King’s Cross, outside a door he says leads to an underground bar, I move into the front seat and Kye pulls out onto the main road.
‘What do you feel like listening to?’ he asks, tapping on the dashboard screen.
I coil my hair into a top knot. ‘Oh, I’m good with anything.’
He pauses, then says, ‘Hey Siri, can you play “La Quiero a Morir” by Dark Latin Groove?’
I stare at Kye in disbelief. ‘You know DLG?’
‘Do I know DLG,’ he repeats sarcastically, shaking his head.
‘Wow.’
One corner of his mouth tilts up. ‘Why “wow”?’
‘They’re just really…old-school.’
He spins the wheel left, his brows lifting with amusement. ‘I think you’ve forgotten I’m an old man.’
