Choreography

Chapter 5

The rest of the filming finished without a hitch. After their short conversation they'd returned to finish the scenes with just the two of them. They knew the moves so well that they could concentrate solely on each other, never breaking eye contact unless they absolutely had to. At the end of shooting everyone had complimented them on their dancing, claiming that they looked like a real couple and that their entire performance had been flawless. Even Jade-who knew of their secret not-quite-relationship-had said a few nice things about the performance. She'd said them mostly to Andre, but it still applied to both of them since they were dancing together.

After seeing her perform, whatever prejudice everyone had against her seemed to disappear into nothing. in the face of her talent, it was hard to believe that she hadn't gotten the part solely because she was an amazing dancer. The only one who looked upset about that was Lindsey, and Trina instantly connected the dots to understand who had started the rumor in the first place. Rather than call her out like she would've done only a week prior, she decided to simply ignore her. She didn't have the time nor energy to deal with things that in the end didn't matter.

Initially, Trina had been upset that the project was for the most part over. She'd thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Andre and had really felt like she'd found her thing with dancing. Thankfully, her sadness was short lived. The amount of respect she received at school had grown exponentially. She was no longer known as the talentless girl who couldn't sing for shit; she was now known as the amazing dancer who couldn't sing for shit. In fact, people were coming up to her at least three times a week to ask her to choreograph or dance in things for their own productions, so her plate was full of projects-some paid, and some just because they sounded like a lot of fun.

The thing she was most happy about, though, was that she and Andre were still close. Actually, scratch that. A week after filming had ended, he'd officially asked her out for a burger and a movie which she'd happily agreed to. As weird as it sounded she'd dressed down for the date, wearing a simply pair of tight black jeans, a purple blouse, and sneakers, and as she expected, he'd complimented her on what she had on. She still felt as though his brain was broken for not finding her six-inch heels sexy, but she didn't mind wearing something simpler for him. Besides, she sort of liked having him be so much taller than herself.

He kept her laughing all throughout the movie and at Karaoke Dokie afterwards, and when he walked her to her door at the end of the date, he'd given her a small, sweet little kiss on the lips before leaving. Or, well, he'd tried to leave. She'd dragged him into the house and up to her room and kissed him until she was satisfied-which took awhile, because she was pretty much insatiable once she got going.

By the time she was done with him two hours later he could barely see straight, and getting from her room back to his car proved to be one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. She'd thought about helping, but it pleased her so much more to watch him struggle knowing that she was the one who'd done that to him.

The best part? He'd come back over to her house the very next morning and asked her to be his girlfriend.

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her backwards, drawing her attention away from her thoughts.

"Kojeezy's on his way," Andre said into her ear, tickling her slightly. The excitement in his voice was obvious. The video had been edited and mixed with the soundtrack, and despite the fact that only eight people total had seen it, he had little doubt that everyone else in the school would love it.

"Mmhm."

He stepped back and turned her around, frowning at the lackluster expression on her face. "I thought you'd be a little more pumped for this."

"I am, I just..." she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." And it was the truth. She had no idea why she wasn't jumping up and down with joy. Maybe it was just because she was no longer so interested in being a pop star, or maybe it because she had someone who actually believed in her and she didn't need the validation of stardom-though it'd still be pretty nice.

Misinterpreting the reason for her quietness, he hugged her again. "Well, he's gonna love you after he sees you in the video. I promise."

"Yeah," she replied, pasting on a smile to hopefully put him at ease.

Andre bit the inside of his lip. He was still a little confused about her lack of excitement, but he decided to chalk it up to her nervousness for the time being. "Come on, lets get to the theater."

Ten minutes later the producer strode into the room surrounded by an entourage of models, bodyguards, and lesser rappers. He took the front seat directly in the middle of the auditorium, looking as if he wanted to be anywhere else but there.

Andre jogged up the short steps to stand in front of him. "Hi, Mr. Kojeezy, sir," he said, rubbing his hands together nervously in the center of the stage. "Let me start by saying that it's a great honor to have you here today. We've worked really hard on this, and I hope you like the video that-"

The man yawned and waved his hand at the screen. "Just roll it."

Trina crossed her arms from her position on the side of the stage. She was trying not to look upset by Kojeezy's rudeness, but it was a quickly losing battle. They'd poured so much time, effort, and creativity into this video and he was acting as though none of it–or they–mattered. She caught Jade's eye from the audience and noticed that she had a similar look on her face. Her boyfriend had been neglecting her somewhat thanks to the video, and if it was all for nothing, she had a reason to be pissed.

Andre looked towards the back of the auditorium and raised a hand to his mouth. "Sinjin! Roll tape!" He ducked off of the stage and joined Trina, holding her hand for support.

Despite her anger, the older Vega couldn't stop looking at the screen. This was her second time seeing the video altogether, but she couldn't stop smiling at how amazing it looked. They looked so in sync with each other, and she had to feel a little proud of herself at how well her moves fit the theme of the song.

Her face soured when the chorus started and Lindsey appeared on screen along with her. When Andre had found out she'd been the one to spread the rumor about her sleeping with him to get the role, he'd been livid. He'd wanted her cut from the video entirely by doing re-shoots, but she surprised even herself by being the bigger person and telling him to drop it. She didn't regret her decision, but that didn't mean she had to like watching her get screen time.

The lights lifted a minute later and everyone in the room snapped their heads around to study the producer's expression. While he'd been somewhat slouched and bored looking before, he was now leaning forward and slowly nodding his head, eyes still staring at the now blank screen as Andre, Trina, and Beck stepped onto the stage.

"I like it," he said after a few minutes. "Great direction, great camerawork, great editing, and great dancing. Who choreographed the video?"

Grinning, Andre nudged her forward. "She did, sir. Trina Vega."

He looked at her from over the top of his shades, and she felt vaguely uncomfortable being put on the spot like she was. "Good job." He stood up and snapped his fingers, motioning for his entourage to follow him out. "My people will be in touch with you. I think we have a spot in our talent development program with your name on it."

The entire room broke out into excited whispering and a few cheers, but Trina was the first to wrap him up in a happy hug. She was glad that his dreams of becoming a singer were well on their way to becoming a reality.

"What about Trina?" Andre called from the stage, shocking her into silence.

The man paused at the doorway, holding up his hand to signal his entourage to also stop. "Who?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at Andre.

"My choreographer. I want her to work on my stuff too. You know, if you sign me."

Trina gaped at him. While she definitely appreciated him talking her up, the last thing she wanted was for him to blow his shot just because he was trying to make his girlfriend happy. She'd never be able to forgive him or herself for that matter. "Andre!" she hissed, hitting his arm. "The man's a world famous music producer. You can't just-"

"If that's what you want," the man shrugged, continuing out the door.

Both Trina and Andre were dumbstruck. Neither had expected such an easy answer. "See? Doesn't hurt to ask," he finally said, long after Kojeezy had left.

Before he could react she kissed him passionately, ignoring the gasps from those in the room who hadn't known that they were dating. She didn't care about rumors, or Tori, or even the fact that she'd been five feet away from one of LA's top music producers. She knew who she was and she knew what she loved, and really, that was all she'd ever wanted.

Andre pulled into the garage of his condo and shut off the lights on his brand new 2017 Camaro. It was located on the outskirts of Hollywood, and though the mortgage was cheaper, it was an extra fifteen minute drive. He didn't too much, though. The ride gave him time to drink on his way to and from the Neutronium Records studio, and it wasn't like he had to go in everyday. Sometimes he wouldn't go in for weeks at a time since he'd converted one of the three bedrooms in his condo into a private recording studio. It was just one of the many benefits of being a multi-platinum recording artist.

The young man sighed tiredly and he hopped out of his car, feeling the day's fatigue begin to catch up with him. Kojeezy had him working around the clock to finish up his album. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem, but lately, he'd had a bit of a distraction.

He slipped his key into the lock and opened the garage door, a little shocked at seeing the lights on when he was certain that he'd turned them off before he left. After momentary panic, he saw a pair of four inch heels and smiled. His smile grew wider as he saw the trail of clothing leading to his bedroom, and tossing his bag and keys on the counter, he wasted no time in following it.

The lights were dimmed as he entered his bedroom, but he could clearly see the half naked woman lying lazily on his California King bed. Her chin leaning on her hand, she boredly kicked her legs back and forth, eyes glued to his 60-inch television. Personally, he'd never found Trina more attractive even though they weren't technically together.

After a little over two years of dating, they'd broken up two months after he graduated from high school. Since he was moving on with his music career working with Kojeezy and Thornesmith and she'd decided to attend Julliard for dance after a year of working as a Junior Choreographer, they'd mutually decided to end it while it was still good instead of letting their relationship die a slow and painful death due to the distance.

At first, they'd called or video chatted with each other every night and sent multiple texts throughout the day. Over time that number dropped to once a week, then once a month, and then only on special occasions like birthdays or holidays. Even after they stopped calling regularly they'd still usually meet up whenever she came home to see her family, but it was usually only once or twice a visit and not for very long since they were both always extremely busy. Funnily enough, they spent most of that time sleeping together.

The first time had been pure accident. She'd come by to see his new apartment over Winter Break and had somehow ended up naked in his bed. It had felt great to be with her again–to feel her arms around him and her familiar lips on his. He was always depressed for weeks after she left his bed, but eventually he learned to deal with the absence and just appreciate the time he did have with her.

Unfortunately, in her last year she'd been too busy with being a senior to come home to see her family. When he'd been unable to get a hold of her by phone or through Skype, he'd thought she had found someone else and wanted to end things. He hadn't been happy about it, but he accepted it as a part of life.

At least until she'd suddenly shown up at Neutronium Records to work on his video as the choreographer. The moment their eyes met it was like they'd never been apart. At the end of that day, he'd brought her back to his condo to 'catch up.'

And boy, did they do a lot of catching up. They didn't leave the apartment all weekend, living solely on the meager snacks he had in his cupboards and food ordered in from nearby restaurants.

Which brought him back to the present. Their 'arrangement' had been going on for three months now with no signs of slowing down. She'd either show up at his condo or he would drop by hers for a few hours of fun. It wasn't a relationship, but to him, it was better than nothing. His eyes ran over her body, and he couldn't stop himself from licking his lips. Her years of intense dancing in college and professionally had only sculpted her figure since high school.

"I knew giving you a key was a mistake," he joked, pulling off his jacket and unbuttoning his jeans.

Turning off the TV, she smiled and leaned back on the bed, stretching her arms above her head. "Then it was the best mistake you've ever made."

Andre laughed and tugged his shirt over his head before tossing it in the corner. He took his sweet time kicking off his shoes, and growing impatient, Trina grabbed him by the belt and pulled him onto the king-sized bed with her.

A full hour later they lie next to each other, both enjoying the afterglow of 'meaningless' sex. They'd both had other partners in the four years she'd been away, but it wasn't even close to as good as it was with each other. He took a deep breath and turned over to look at her, unable to believe what he was about to say next.

"I'm tired of this arrangement," he finally said.

Trina sat up on her elbow to look down at him. "What?"

"I want us to be official. Like we were in high school."

The brunette sighed and lie back down, staring up at the ceiling. "Andre..."

He knew what she was about to say next, but he wasn't about to let the conversation end just yet. Not until he'd said his piece. "Why not? What's stopping us from dating?" When she didn't answer him, he frowned. "Trina?"

"I don't want to get my heart broken again," she said, not quite meeting his gaze.

His eyes widened at that. "I...I broke your heart?"

"You broke up with me three weeks before I left for Julliard after we'd been doing so well. How was I supposed to feel?" she grumbled, fully sitting up. Her afterglow was officially over.

Andre shook his head, refusing to take full responsibility for their break up. "But you agreed! I figured you wouldn't want me to hold you back while you were all the way across the country studying at the best dancing school in the world. It didn't feel fair."

Feeling herself begin to get angry at his excuses, she scowled. "Well, what else was I supposed to do? If I had said we should try to stay together, would you have even wanted to?"

"Yeah, I would've."

It was her turn to gape. She looked into his eyes, shocked at how serious he seemed. "Huh?"

The young man sighed. He didn't really have any problems with sharing his emotions, but this was still somewhat of a sore spot for him. "You broke my heart, too. You agreed so easily so I figured you didn't really care, and then you constantly came back on your breaks to remind me of what I didn't have anymore. Do you know what it was like watching you leave the morning after sex?"

"Do you know what it was like leaving the morning after sex?" They both laughed at that, the tension that had been growing immediately dissipating. "We're idiots, aren't we?" Trina chuckled, leaning into him.

Andre nodded, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Definitely."

They were quiet for a few minutes, relieved that they were completely wrong about each other. Feeling like nothing more than a booty call wasn't fun for either of them, but they were both just so desperate to be with the other that they'd swallowed their feelings to keep their arrangement going. It sounded so stupid in retrospect.

"Me too," Trina finally murmured, breath soft against the skin of his neck.

He curiously glanced down at her. "Huh?"

"I think we should be official. I think we should go on dates again, cook dinner together, be disgustingly cute, and let all of those groupies who flock to you know exactly who you belong to."

He couldn't stop himself from smiling at her words. After a full four years, he finally had her back at his side.

It might take months–or even years–to get back to where they were when they were teenagers, but they'd taken that first step together.

AN: Well, that's the end! I originally had a different ending written, but it felt too perfect. This ending isn't great either, but I'm tired of staring at this file. It was mocking me and I felt like I'd never finish. Honestly, thank you guys for sticking with this story. It wasn't that long and had a rather obscure pairing, but you liked it anyway.