A.N - Sorry for the delay, guys. I finally got my hands on a copy of Eclipse. And I read that instead of writing. I'm sorry. I tried to make this a good chapter anyway, to make up for it. I like it. Hope you do too.

xD

Suze Simon's To-Do List :

1. Stay calm.

2. Stay focused.

3. Apply lip gloss.

Chapter Five

The clock on my hotel's bedside table flashed eighteen-forty-seven. In normal time, that would be 6:47. In the evening. Meaning I had thirteen minutes before Jesse would be picking me up. No more, no less. Jesse had this thing about punctuality.

Thirteen minutes and I had nothing to wear. It's that number - it's jinxed. I bet by the time the clock clicks forward to forty-eight minutes past everything will suddenly become clear.

Or, maybe not.

I groaned in the empty room, clothes strewn everywhere. Twelve minutes to go.

It didn't help that I was delayed about half an hour. Gina had been waiting in my room when I got back from the hospital.

"Nice accessory." She had laughed, pointing at my nose. "I hear that they're in this season - perfect way to win Jesse's heart."

Well, yeah. He's training to be a doctor. He should love my not-quite-broken nose.

"Ha ha." I said dryly, turning my attention to my wardrobe.

"Straight for the clothes?" Gina whistled. "Wow, hot date tonight?"

I smiled. Gina, seeing it, squealed.

"I knew it!" She whooped. "Bryce, right? He asked you out?"

I flushed bright red.

"Gina," I hissed, throwing a pair of jeans to the floor. "Keep it down. No, I'm not going out with Bryce."

Her pretty face scrunched up in confusion.

"But, he asked you out, right?"

"Well, yeah." I told her. "He said he'd call me later."

"Oh."

Gina flopped back down on to my bed, eyeing me critically.

"So," she began slowly. I sighed. "What's all this about."

"Extra practise with Jesse." I sounded cool about it. "Make up what I missed earlier."

Gina's eyes bulged.

"No way!" She exclaimed. "You and Jesse?"

I nodded.

"Our choreographer?"

I nodded again.

Gina held up her hand for a high-five.

"Wow, who knew you had it in you." She mused. "So, you're going where? The studio?"

My eyes flittered back to my wardrobe.

"Not the studio," I muttered keeping my attention on my clothes. "More like his apartment."

I winced, waiting for the screams of excitement to come. I turned around when there'd been silence for at least a minute - which was quite extraordinary, for Gina to stay quiet that long.

"His apartment?" She spoke the words slowly, coming out of her catatonic state. "You and Jesse are going to be alone in his apartment?"

Her voice raised on the last part of the question. I braced myself again. I could feel it coming.

"Oh my God!"

Gina started jumping enthusiastically on the bed.

"Suze!" She attacked me in a hug. "I'm so proud of you, girl. You scored an invite to the apartment that belongs to the hottest guy any of us has seen in years. Why are you still letting me stay here? You have to be ready by - when, exactly?"

"Seven." I muttered. I think she burst my eardrum.

"Suze!" She scolded. "It's six now! You let me waste half an hour of your primping time?"

She raced out of the room.

"I'm leaving now," She called. "Have fun tonight. And I want every single detail the second you get home!"

The door slammed shut behind her.

Which left me here, fifty minutes after her exit from my room, with nothing to wear.

I knew I was being stupid. It's not like this was a date, or anything. I should just pull on my dance sweats.

I resigned myself to the task with a sigh. Okay, dance sweats it was. Teamed up with my favourite black tank top and I was set.

My shoes were on, ready to wait downstairs in the lobby, when I caught sight of myself in the mirror.

My hair. I hadn't done anything about my hair. Why had I wasted so much time on clothes?

It took me longer than it should have to decide to pull my hair back in a ponytail. I was being ridiculous. These were all simple decision that I did for every dance rehearsal. It just so happens that this one time I was going to be alone. With the hottest dance instructor around.

My heartbeat picked up.

Calm, Suze. I told myself. Calm.

I criticised myself in the mirror. I had five minutes until Jesse would pull up to the hotel. I glared at the mirror, cursing silently as I pulled out my mascara and swooped it on as professionally as I could in a rush. Next came out my lip-gloss and I applied it to my lips, smacking them together before smiling when I was finished.

There, finally ready.

I caught sight of the clock.

Ready, but two minutes late already. In the time it took me to call an elevator …

I switched off the light and locked my door. I had a choreographer to meet.

--- --- ---

Jesse was waiting downstairs for me, sitting on a couch in reception, arms spread out along the top, attracting too much attention from the female receptionist. He smiled when he saw me.

"Hey," he greeted, standing up and walking towards me. "There you are. Ready?"

I nodded, my eyes catching glimpses of the white bandage on my face as I moved my head.

Grimacing, I realised how I must look. There was me, dressed in sweats with a bandage on my face, and there was the receptionist, blonde, busty and extremely attractive.

"Don't worry," Jesse whispered, misinterpreting my grimace. "It'll heal soon enough. You'll be fine when it comes to Paul's video."

I smiled tightly.

"Yeah," I choked out through the lump in my throat. "I know."

"Good."

He took my hand and squeezed it gently as he led me to his car, opening the door for me to get in.

I thanked him and took my place in the passenger seat as he jogged round to the drivers side.

"Ready?" He asked, strapping himself in.

I nodded.

As ready as I'll ever be.

Jesse started up the car and pulled out onto the road. I swallowed. Here goes.

--- --- ---

Twenty minutes later, we were still driving. We'd left the city of Los Angeles ages ago.

"How can you drive this far to work every day?" I asked him.

We'd been more or less silent in the car. Occasionally I'd change the radio station, turning the volume up when I found a song I liked.

"I don't." He told me. "I rent an apartment in the city. My family owns where I'm taking you now. It's not far away, only another five minutes." He shrugged. "This just has more room for us to dance."

"Oh." I breathed. "That makes sense."

Jesse laughed.

"I'm glad you think so."

It seemed that everybody was laughing at me today.

We fell into another comfortable silence as the car drove up quite a big driveway. My mouth fell open as I saw the building.

It wasn't big, not by any means. A small house was all it was. But it was beautiful. The small white house was surrounded by brilliant green shrubbery, all of which stood in front of the setting sun.

Jesse chuckled again.

"I know," he stated, cutting off the engine. "I love this place. It's just a little get-away. My family live further south, they're not here, don't worry."

I breathed out a breath I'd been holding since he told me his family owned this place. I didn't realise that I was that scared about it.

"It's just a place for me and my sisters to use, if we want to get out of the city."

I nodded, returning my attention back to the house.

"Come on." Jesse took my hand and walked up to the front door, opening it and letting me inside ahead of him.

"The studio is towards the back of the house." He let go of my hand. "I'll meet you there. Do you want a drink?"

"Water." I said. "Please."

All I received as an answer was a chuckle. I shook myself out of my daze and walked in the general direction he'd pointed me in.

"Dance studio," I whispered to myself. "Dance studio."

Jesse was behind me again.

"Next door on your left, querida." He whispered in my ear, handing me a bottle of water.

"I was going to look there next." I blushed, revealing my lie.

"Sure." Jesse smiled. "Go on in."

I walked through the door he'd told me to, and was met with a studio that was probably way better equipped than the one on Paul's set. This dance studio looked very professional.

"Wow." I breathed, taking in the mirrored walls, the bars running parallel alongside them, the dance mats on the floor, and a few extras piled up in the corner.

"My whole family likes to dance." Jesse told me, taking in my awed expression. "My mother was a well-known ballerina, my father a composer of many of the ballets she danced in. All of my sisters have taken after her - in the dancing aspect, at least. Only Josefina -"

Jesse cut himself off, looking away from me.

I gave him his privacy and looked out of the French doors that led behind the house. I caught the sun glinting off the ground. Grass didn't sparkle like that …

My eyes widened as I realised what it was. There was a lake out there!

"Only Josefina did ballet." Jesse finished his sentence, turning my attention back towards him.

I stepped closer to him.

"Thank you." I whispered.

"For what?" He seemed confused.

"For bringing me here." I shrugged. "For sharing this with me. For caring enough to help me practise, even after I have this thing on my nose."

Jesse chortled deeply.

"It's the least I could do. It was in my class that you hurt yourself. My voice that made you fall …"

He trailed off as I rolled my eyes.

Why could no one accept that this was my fault?

My hand rested on his arm.

"Thank you." I repeated before kicking my shoes off towards the corner of the room where there was no equipment lingering. "Now. Can we start?"

Jesse's eyes sparkled in amusement as he shrugged off his jacket and shoes, leaving him in a black tank top that matched mine and jeans.

"We can."