As he finished tying the lace of his dance shoe into a perfect double knot, Sam looked up towards the door to find a leggy wide eyed brunette making her way into the dance studio, dance bag in hand. The gleam in her eye, and the amazement that read in her smile hinted at one thing: she was new to this process. Sam chuckled lightly remembering what it was like for him entering his first workshop so many years ago. The nerves and excitement that coursed through his body as he entered the studio, with the feeling around him that whatever he was about to be apart of was going to be the start of something fresh and new. In that moment he felt a slight tinge of jealousy for who ever this bright eyed girl was. She was experiencing a rush that it wasn't until he saw her face he knew he hadn't felt in years.
"Why what's wrong with-"he began to question his long time friend, when he looked up to find her storming off towards Bobby and Jessica to voice her concern. Sam shrugged as he rose to his feet to warm up.
He couldn't understand what the big deal was about this girl that would cause Ivy to react in such a dramatic fashion. Sure she was pretty, but obviously green to her surroundings, and as Sam slowly observed, the process in general. During chorography the brunette, who he later found out was named Karen, shined in certain spots, but stuck out like a sore thumb in others. She seemed easily confused by the staging and spacing and at times Sam wondered how she even got invited.
By the lunch break he was sure that Karen wouldn't last the few weeks that was required to pull a viewable showcase of the project for interested investors. What amazed him even more was the fact that during the normal round of lunch time gossip between him and the other dancers, he learned that Karen and Ivy went head to head in a series call backs for the lead role of Marilyn. How could this novice put up such a fight against Ivy when she'd never been on stage before he wondered? He couldn't understand what it was about this girl that made Ivy so unsettled.
That was until vocal portion of the day. He had the fortune of sitting right next to Karen as they learned some of the original works for the possible play including a sweet soft song titled History is Made at Night. And as she sang, Sam's ear was instantly drawn to her clear and powerful voice. He watched as she closed her eyes and rocked to the music provide by studio's piano. In that moment Karen transformed into an instant attention grabber, as she showed off her raw pure talent. Sam couldn't help but to be impressed by her.
"You have a really great voice" he found himself compelled to point out once the initial run through of the song was finished.
"Thank-you" Karen smiled with a slight blush, as if she were surprised to hear of her obvious talent. It was a genuine reaction that made Sam smiled back at her, until he caught a glimpse of Ivy's big blue eyes. She shot him a look indicating that she heard his complement and it was the last thing she wanted or needed to hear. Sam quickly turned forward in his chair, straightening his smile.
By the end of the day, everyone in the studio was exhausted but happy with the material they'd learned. Sam lounged with a group of dancers afterwards including Karen as they packed their bags to head home. They all joked and laughed about the day's events until they saw Derek walk over to Ivy across the studio. Sam quietly observed as Derek stepped into Ivy's personal space, much closer than a star and a director normally speak, when it hit him why he got such an icy reception earlier that morning.
"Huh?" Sue, the leggy brown skinned dancer huffed lightly as she noticed the proximity between Ivy and Derek. "Wonder what they're talking about?" she chuckled sarcastically.
Karen quickly turned her head to catch a glimpse of Ivy girlishly giggling as Derek whispered in her ear. "What you mean Ivy and Derek?" she questioned innocently. "You don't think that they are sleeping together… do you?" she wondered in a concerned tone.
"I seriously doubt there is very little sleeping going on" Sue quickly laughed
Sam normally would defend this kind of talk especially about Ivy. However all the signs where there: the flirtation, coolness towards a male friend. Even now how Derek gently touched Ivy's arm as he walked away indicated that they were indeed sleeping together. Sam sat quietly as he processed this new information. Sure he'd been through loves and losses with Ivy, always being there in the end when they fell apart. But for some reason, finding out that she was seeing him in particular caused Sam's stomach to drop.
He quickly said his good byes to everyone, adding that he would see them tomorrow. He grabbed his bag and headed quickly for the elevators. As he stepped on he heard a small voice sing out to hold the door. He quickly pushed the open door button to find Ivy.
"Hey, thanks" she huffed, which indicated although she had dance and sang all day she still had enough energy to make a dash to the elevators.
"No problem" Sam said quietly look at the metal doors as they shut. They stood in silence as the lights indicating the floor numbers moved from right to left.
"So what do you think so far?" Ivy questioned after a moment of silence.
"I think they really have something" Sam shrugged in non committal fashion "What they have is pretty good so far"
"It really is" Ivy beamed "Thom and Julia are amazing together. I knew this would be amazing when they asked me to do the initial song. You know the one I sent you the link to?"
"Yeah" he smiled "You were fantastic in that by the way"
"Thanks" she beamed.
They stepped out of the elevator and quickly crossed the lobby out into the loud and busy sidewalk.
"Hey Ivy" Sam stopped her feeling compelled to protect her "you and Derek are-"
"Look Sam, I didn't sleep with him to get the role" she huffed in a defensive tone.
"No" he quick jumped in "I didn't think that at all. I just want to warn you to just be careful with him"
Ivy sighed as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "Don't worry Sam, I know what I'm doing" she smiled.
"Ivy" a male voice gruffly called to the blonde.
She and Sam both turned their heads to find Derek looking at Ivy. She nodded and began to walk towards the scruffy man. Turning on her heels to faced Sam adding "See you tomorrow" before she reached her intended target
Sam granted her a weak smile and light waive, indicating that he heard her. He watched in silence as the duo walked off in the opposite direction, getting lost in the crowd of pedestrians. "I sure hope you know what you're doing" Sam sighed to himself as he head towards the closest train.