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Page 211 of The Striker (Gods of the Game 1)

The air took on a surreal, hazy quality. After months of rehearsals, anxieties, and self-doubt, it was hard to believe the moment had arrived.

Three minutes.

I pictured the people waiting on the other side of the curtain. There were strangers, yes, but there were also people there forme. People who loved me, supported me, and would never judge me no matter how well or how poorly I performed. They were my rocks, and thinking about them quelled some of my nerves.

Two minutes.

A strange calm descended as everyone settled into their places. Of course I wanted to dazzle onstage, but at the end of the night, it wasn’t about the perfect performance. It was about the fact that I was here at all.

For years, I’d avoided participating in the showcase because I was scared I wouldn’t live up to who I used to be. I’d finally faced those fears and learned to appreciate my body in all its forms.

I had to scratch and claw my way toward this moment, but I made it. I washere, and that was an accomplishment in and of itself.

One minute.

That being said, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t pour my heart out on that stage. This performance was my swan song, and I was going to try my damn hardest to do it the justice it deserved.

The remainder of my nerves dissolved into a soft smile.

Showtime.

The curtains rose.

The music started.

And I danced.

CHAPTER 55

ASHER

Two months later

“Since it’s our six-month anniversary, I could technicallymakeyou tell me where we’re going,” Scarlett said. “I’ll say it’s my anniversary gift. You can’t deny me that, can you?”

“Nice try, darling, but if you waste your gift asking me about the surprise, you won’t get the surprise itself,” I said, amused. “And trust me. You’ll want the surprise.”

“This is torture,” she grumbled, but I heard the curiosity in her voice, even if I couldn’t see it in her eyes.

I’d secured a silk blindfold over them before we left my house and remained steadfast against her attempts to make me crack. I hadn’t spent months planning tonight’s date to ruin it at the last minute.

Our footsteps echoed against the marble floors as I guided her through the entryway and up the lift. Our destination was on the third floor, and I wasn’t going to risk taking her up three flights of stairs when she was blindfolded.

“Ooh, a lift.” Scarlett perked up at the sound of the doors sliding closed. “So we’re probablynotgoing to a restaurantunless it’s one of the ones in the Shard or something. Are we in a hotel? Museum? Harrods?”

I stifled a laugh. “None of the above. Stop trying to guess, darling. You won’t get it.”

“Well, now I take that as a challenge.”

Of course she would. Her competitiveness was one of the things I loved about her.

But, as predicted, Scarlett couldn’t guess correctly before we arrived. I wouldn’t have either if I were in her shoes. It wasn’t a place most people could access, and if Sebastian hadn’t helped, I couldn’t have pulled this off.

“You can stop guessing.” I grinned and placed a hand on the small of her back, bringing her to a halt in front of a set of arched double doors. “We’re here.”

A thread of nerves wove through my anticipation as I removed her blindfold and slipped it into my pocket. Tonight was a big night—it’d been six months since our date in Tokyo, when we’d agreed to make our relationship official—and I’d taken a risk by adding a little…flair to the traditional anniversary dinner.

But the greater the risk, the greater the reward, and Scarlett deserved something more special than just a fancy dinner.




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