Page 90 of See Her
Mayzie
I’m laughingmy ass off, my body is charged and glowing with endorphins as Annie and I bust our way through MMMBop. We’re completely unsupervised at Dance It Out, letting our bodies do what they will to the poppy beat. All the tension from the tour is finally being released from my body, dissipating like particles in the air around me.
“Shit, I’ve got to get going,” she mutters breathlessly as she looks at the clock. “I have to get out to Mason, and there’s supposed to be more snow coming,” she reports, opening her arms for a goodbye hug. I close in and snuggle her as we will probably be back on tour before she comes back from spending the holidays with her family.
“Drive safe.”
“You’ll be okay?” she asks, backing away towards her bag.
“Yeah, Jack will be back to pick me up soon,” I nod. “I’m just going to have a nice little cool down.”
“Okay,” she winks, slinging her bag on her shoulder before exiting the studio.
After taking a slug of my water, I switch my music over to some rock ballads and return to the center of the studio to fall into aslower pace, easing myself back down. I move around the room in sweeps and glides, jumping slightly when Jack pushes the studio door open. His phone in his hand, he struts in with a sneaky smile on his face.
“Good phone call?” I ask, standing.
“I talked to George and he pulled a few strings. The dogs are coming with us when we go back on tour.”
“Stop it!” I say, crossing my arms in disbelief.
“We have two bunks on our bus that aren’t being used, and if it comes down to it, he and Erin have plenty of room on theirs, and they’re good with it. George spoke to the tour managers, so it’s a go.”
“Oh my gosh, that is so amazing!” I clasp my hands together in excitement. I can’t believe he did this. “Oh, that is going to make that last month so much easier.”
“I know. I can’t wait either.” He pockets his phone as he nods and looks around the studio, for what, I don’t know.
“You okay?” I ask, tilting my head and taking a couple steps in his direction.
“Yeah,” he nods, but the look in his eyes is a far-off one. “I just thought of something…” he trails off in a murmur before walking over to the light switch on the wall, lowering the lights to a dim glow.
“What are you up to?” I say, playing coy and trying to keep the tremble out of my voice.
“I never gave you a first dance.” He quirks a serious eyebrow at me as he struts over to where my phone rests atop one of the speakers.
“Baby, it’s okay. It’s not like we had a reception to do that at.”
“No excuse,” he says, scrolling through my music app until I see a hint of approval relax his features. The opening chords of All That You Are drift through the studio, and I feel that spot deep inside my chest grow warm. I love that this is the part of him that I get. His fans see him go nuts on stage, but I get to see how romantic he can be. I stand there like a giddy teenager as he slowlypaces towards me, the look of all things sensual romance in his eyes, and I drop my head back in a giggle when he gives me the Johnny Castle finger crook. His strong, calloused hands glide down my arms before taking hold of my wrists, to wrap behind his neck.
“I’m sorry, baby, but I never learned anything other than the junior high sway and shuffle,” he says, wrapping his arms around me.
“That’s all I need,” I say, putting my arms around his neck and resting my head on his chest, letting him sway us back and forth, getting lost in the beautiful moment of our first dance.We keep holding each other and moving as the song turns into another slow one, and Jack gets experimental with some turns and dips.When a more upbeat song comes on, we start to let loose and play. He chases me while I dance around him, and I show him a couple of lifts and turns. Christmas is around the corner, and I couldn’t ask for a better gift than tonight, than this time.
43
MAYZIE
The two weeks off really helped us reset and gear up for another month of life on the road. We spent a lot of time relaxing, but also mingling our families and getting them to come around. My dad has even spent a lot of time with Jack and his dad, Bill, in his garage, drinking beer and getting to know each other.We weren’t disturbed once by any road managers or producers, and we managed to look at a few potential properties, as much as I hate to leave our little house where we first lived together.
The next month was hard, like the rest of the tour, but we did it. Having the dogs along for the ride made it feel just a little bit more like home.I even bonded individually with the rest of the guys, including Josh, making me feel more like I belonged. Whenever there was down time, we’d watch movies or play cards, shooting the shit.I managed to finish my article and have submitted it to several news sites. Now I just cross my fingers and wait, hoping that maybe it will open the door to a serious writing career.
I did get a call from the producers of America’s Next Top Dancer. It’s a reality dance competition show where aspiring dancers compete for the title by learning and performing dance pieces. The See Her video alone has garnered so much attention, but when I occasionally turned up on celebrity news sites alongside the band, the two were easily put together. The producers asked me how I felt about making guest appearances on the show as one of the choreographers. I think Jack was more excited than I was, and pretty much took the phone away from me and told them that I’d do it.It starts shooting in the spring, and it looks like we’ll be spending a lot of time in L.A.
And now… now I’m trying not to go blind, or grab at the little purple spots floating in front of my face.I blink rapidly against the flashing lights going off all around me like thousands of twinkling, bursting stars. Photographers are shouting out all the guys’ names, and some just shout out the name of the band, trying to get their photo. It’s overwhelming, but it beats being ambushed when you’re just trying to live your life on a normal day.
We’re at the AMAs, and all the guys are dressed up in fashionable suits, all in shiny metallic shades. Jack’s shiny gunmetal looks sharp next to the long-sleeved black lace gown I feel so privileged to wear. Erin wasn’t wrong when she gave me a heads-up that all the big name labels would be scrambling to dress me as I’d be accompanying the hot new band that’s up for two awards: Best Single, and Best New Band.They’re also one of the performing acts of the night.
My short diamond necklace and diamond drop earrings reflect the flashing lights, and my hair is swept to one side in sleek waves that cover one eye a little bit. I feel like this, paired with my eye makeup and bright red lipstick, give me a classic Hollywood look.