Though she did not have any classes on this particular day, Aimee still found herself at the Bear Valley Community Center working on a few routines. It was later in the evening and the building was mostly empty so Aimee decided to leave the door to the dance studio open and wasn’t as cautious about her music being too loud. Not that she would ever have it deafeningly loud but she got to turn it up a little more than usual and let herself get swallowed up in the playful chords of Frédéric Chopin’s Spring Waltz as it echoed off the walls. Her concentration was completely focused on her reflection displayed before her on the one mirrored wall, watching every inch of her body— from the very tips of her fingers to the extension of her foot with each chaînés turn she made across the center of the room. Her eyes stayed fixed on her form, making sure every step and position was perfected.
When she was dancing like this, alone and completely relaxed, she was in her own world and nothing else existed. There was no one else there and she could completely let her guard down and be herself. Though she had gotten better about opening up to people since she was younger, Aimee still never felt one hundred percent comfortable to let go unless she was lost in dance. It was even better when she knew there weren’t a million eyes on her watching and judging. However, being so caught up in the routine, calculating in her mind her next move and how she could improve her steps, Aimee had not noticed the other body that had entered the room and stuck close to the door frame.
It wasn’t until she found herself not completely satisfied with a certain turn and stopped to do it over again that she noticed she wasn’t alone as she turned back to do it over again. Her eyes had glanced over for just a moment as she was getting into position and spotted the other individual, her mind instantly being pulled from the running thoughts in her head as her focus now turned on them and the realization that they had been watching her, or at least had seen some small portion of her dancing. Her cheeks, already flushed from the exertion, reddened deeper and she quickly pushed a few stray curls that had fallen into her face behind her ear. She was sure she looked a bit of a mess, hair thrown haphazardly into a bun and breath slightly erratic.
“Oh, hi...” She chirped in obvious surprise. She turned and quickly moved over to where the radio sat, pressing pause on the track before she returned her attention to them. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you standing there.” She added, clearing her throat to try and push away any growing nerves. “Is there something you need help with?”