Chapter Nineteen:
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Bleachers were placed outside and its lights were set up to illuminate the stage for the evening. Camera crews from various international television stations were recording the performances — some would air the showcase live and others would edit a highlights reel for a primetime television slot.
"Thanks for saving us a spot," Sora said. She slid onto the front row next to Anna on the right side of the stage. Leon settled in beside her. They wore casual clothing, their performance wasn't for several hours yet.
"Of course!" Anna said. She handed Sora the program schedule and pointed out May and Felipe's names. They were scheduled to go fourth.
"We're leaving as soon as their performance is over," Leon whispered, leaning close to Sora's ear.
She nodded. "I know." She patted her hand over Leon's thigh. "You were very clear about that earlier."
"Cotton Candy?" Ken held a bag of pink and blue swirled fluffy, sugary goodness towards them.
Leon pushed it away with a grunt of disgust. "Are you trying to sabotage us by with that processed junk?"
Ken's cheeks heated in embarrassment. "That wasn't my intention," he mumbled, snatching back the candy.
"He was just being nice," Anna huffed, folding her arms over her chest, and glaring at Leon.
Leon looked away pointedly and stared expressionless at the stage.
"Thank you for the offer," Sora said, smiling awkwardly at her friends.
The master of ceremony started the showcase with his announcements and the first couple was introduced and began their dance. Sora leaned forward, her elbows braced on her knees and her eyes unblinking. She had not expected to see a square dance that included a Do-si-do. The costume of overalls and prairie dress reminded her of an old Western movie.
"This is ridiculous," Leon scoffed under his breath.
"Just because you don't appreciate it, doesn't make it ridiculous," Sora scolded.
Leon's eyes flickered towards her and he pressed his lips together tightly, keeping his thoughts to himself.
The next pair hailed from Argentina, wore flamboyant lime green costumes, and performed a very impressive Tango. The third couple rotated around one another in the time to tribal drum beats while juggling fire and leaping through flaming hoops.
Sora laid her hand on Leon's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "That would be a real hazard with your hair."
His lip twitched faintly in amusement.
The announcer presented May and Felipe and Sora straightened attentively. Their costumes resembled the gypsy style and were bright red, yellow, and green. May's bright red dress shown brilliantly in the afternoon sun while her jet-black hair was loose about her shoulders adding an attitude of delightful abandonment. Felipe's yellow vest was a sharp contrast over his green pants and shirt, normally the combination would have been tacky, but for some reason it worked. They performed a medley of dances from Felipe's homeland of Spain — the Flamenco, Bolero, and Jota.
"I would expect no less from May," Leon murmured quietly. He turned towards Sora, his eyes twinkling in excitement. "Looks like we have some competition, ma chèrie."
Sora shrugged, keeping her expression schooled. "Someone has to come in second."
Leon's eyes widened at her response and she couldn't contain her giggle of amusement. "I love it when you get competitive." Leon took her hand. "Come on, we need to get ready."
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OoO
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Leon laid the garment bag across the bed and took a deep breath while his fingers paused over the zipper uncertainly. He looked across the room at Sora. "The costumes are different than what we'd discussed originally."
"Oh?" Sora's eyebrows rose in interest. "We're not wearing fifties style American outfits?" She walked over and stood at his elbow and peered back and forth between him and the garment bag.
"No," Leon said with a nervous smile. He unzipped the bag to reveal a French army uniform from World War II. "This was my grandfather's back in the Second World War," he explained. He took the uniform out and draped it over the back of a nearby chair.
Sora whistled. "That's amazing Leon!"
"I found it in storage at the condo while I was moping about my face. I had completely forgotten about it." He turned back to the garment bag and start to pull out the navy blue dress. "My grandparents met during the war. My grandfather was an officer and my grandmother was a nurse."
"That doesn't look like a nurse's uniform," Sora commented, eyeing the dress.
Leo chuckled. "Good observation, ma chère!" He held it out towards her. "It's a replica of what the USO girls used to wear."
Sora grasped the dress out of Leon's hands and scanned it up and down. "This will work perfect! One of the movies I watched with Marie when we were first learning Lindy Hop took place during the war. I remember the main actress played a USO woman. She was so amazing to watch!"
A fond smile crossed Leon's lips. He remembered her talking about that movie a great deal, who is where he got the idea. "If you would rather wear our original costume, I did pack them too."
"No way!" Sora clutched the dress possessively against her bosom. "Go! Put on your hot soldier uniform!"
"Yes, ma'am," Leon murmured in amusement at being ordered around by his girlfriend. As he began to change into the woolen army uniform, he couldn't help but hope his planned proposal would go over at least half as well.
After they both dressed, they stood side by side admiring themselves in the mirror that lined the wall of the suite. "It's Iike we stepped out of time," Sora whispered I awe.
Leon leaned over and pressed a kiss against Sora's temple. "It's not a Hollywood movie, but it is an International Showcase."
"Let's go create magic and inspire the audience to dream," Sora said, taking Leon's hand and starting for the door.
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The crowd buzzed with activity, until Leon and Sora were announced. As they walked onto the stage absolute silence descended upon the audience. Everyone's attention was focused solely upon them. Sora caught a young girl with her hand over her mouth, eye wide in excitement. Sora flashed her a smile and the girl looked near tears of joy.
"Let's give them a performance they'll tell their grandchildren about," Leon whispered in her ear.
The music started and they began rock-stepping, swinging in and out, twirls, and alternating between eight-counts and six. Sora sashayed her hips sending her skirts whirling and Leon looked so handsome in his grandfather's uniform.
His strong hands clutched Sora's hips and he lifted he in the air, his grip was then on her hands as Sora slid under him and back up to land lightly on her feet in front of him. Their routine displayed impressive athleticism, but it also looked fun and carefree.
Leon had told her before, if you do it right, you make the most complex and difficult feats look easy.
The audience remained silent, aside from awed gasps and relieved sighs. By the time they finished with Leon tossing Sora on the air, catching her, and the swinging her out, the silence erupted into roars of approval and cheering.
They bowed to the crowd and walked off stage hand in hand while flowers were thrown after them. "I think they enjoyed our performance," Sora said breathlessly, smiling at Leon.
"I suspect our performance will end up on television without being edited," Leon confirmed. He pulled a pink rose out of his hair and held it out for Sora.
"Merci," Sora said, accepting the rose and sniffing it's sweet fragrance. "Shall we go and watch some of the other performances?"
"I think we can spare another hour, then we'll need to rest up," Leon said. "Our Trapeze is one of the earlier performances in the morning."
Sora laughed. "Do you really think we need that much rest? We were performing Swan Lake twice a day before we even started our serious training!" She clenched the rose stem between her teeth and moved to stand in front of Leon ad block his way. "Please, can we watch the rest?"
Leon sighed, his hard expression softening. He leaned down and brushed his lips again her cheek. "Okay, you win. We'll go change and then watch the rest of the dances." He snatched the rose from Sora's teeth, catching the stem between his own teeth.
Sora smiled brightly and looped her arm around his waist, snuggling against his side. "Thank you, Leon."
They hadn't traveled far when Jacques and Marie caught up with them in route to their hotel suite.
"That was magnificent!" Jacques had tears of emotion glittering in his dark eyes.
"Tres beautiful!" Marie agreed, hugging them both. "Seeing you dance on the little computer screen did no justice compared to your live performance!"
"Thank you," Sora murmured, her cheeks warm from all the praise.
"I cannot wait to see what else you will do!" Jacques clapped his hands together in enthusiasm. "You two were leagues beyond you competition." He slapped Leon on the back. "The prize will certainly be yours."
Leon's pale eyes flashed with anger.
"Prize?" Sora asked quietly. "This isn't just exposure for the televised audience to the art?"
"There is a monetary prize for the best overall performed," Leon confessed with a sigh of frustration. "I didn't want to tell you, because I know how you are. If we win - great. If we don't win, we're still giving the audience a performance to remember and enjoy."
Sora touched the back of Leon's hand. "It's fine, Leon. If I really wanted to know, I could have easily contacted the event coordinators and discovered the details for my own. This is our job, getting paid is natural." She smiled up at him reassuringly. "I'm not as naive as I once was."
"No, I don't suppose you are," Leon murmured.
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That evening, Sora and Leon sat side by side on their bed, legs stretched out before them. Jacques and Marie stood across from them, talking excitedly about the various dances from the competition.
"Your costumes!" Marie smiled broadly, clutching her hands together over her heart. "They were so perfect and romantic!"
"Thanks," Leon said, his voice bland as he tried to hide his irritation. He just wanted a few moments to relax with Sora in peace before they enjoyed some of the nightlife with the other performers.
Jacques sharp eyes recognized Leon's ire. "My dear, we should let them be," he said, taking his wife's elbow. He nodded his head at Leon and Sora. "We'll be downstairs at the hotel bar if you want to find us later."
"Okay!" Sora said, smiling cheerfully. As soon as the older couple left the suite, the door clicking shut behind them, Sora turned towards Leon, her eyes narrowed. "Why are you being rude?"
Leon stretched out completely and laid his head on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling. "Because, I just wanted a few moments of peace."
"Because months alone with me hasn't been enough?" Sora teased, reaching over and tickling Leon's ribs.
He squirmed under her touch, resisting a grin. He could feel the weight of the ring box in his pants pocket and his nerves were ablaze in anticipation. He was going to propose to Sora and he wanted to do it that night. "Never enough."
Sora leaned over him and planted a soft kiss to his forehead. "I feel the same." She leaned back and laid alongside him. "I got a text from my grandparents."
"Oh? What did they say?" Leon tensed, anxious to know if Sora's grandparents spoiled his surprise.
"They met Fuu and Rick at the airport. They'll be here tomorrow." Sora explained.
"Ah." Leon breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know that Chikara, Midori, and her baby sister would also be in attendance the next day. The Naeginos couldn't really afford the expense, but between Leon and Sora's grandparents, they'd covered the cost.
Sora sat up abruptly, buzzing with excitement. "I can't just lay here." She grinned over at Leon. "I heard there are fairy lights in the street and live musicians." She grabbed Leon's hands and yanked him into a sitting position. "Let's not waste anymore time."
"Waste time?" Leon frowned. "It's not a waste to enjoy quiet moments together."
"You just don't want to run into any more ex-girlfriends," Sora teased, winking at him. "Best way to deal with them is with me on your arm."
Leon's lip twitched into a grin. He liked confident Sora. "Will you wear the silver silk dress?"
"What silver silk dress?" Sora asked.
"The one that is hanging in the closet," Leon answered. Marie had helped him purchase the dress and he suspected that was the real reason she'd been nosily lingering about earlier. It was snug and the skirt ended mid-thigh. It was going to look great with Sora's lithe frame. He watched while Sora found the dress, her fingers caressing the material in awe. "Do you like it?"
"I'm starting to suspect you were a fashion designer in a previous life." Sora flashed him a heart-warming smile. She pulled out another clothes hanger with Leon's dark gray slacks and silk lavender button up shirt. "I kinda like being that couple that wears coordinating outfits."
Leon pushed himself off the bed and closed the distance between them, his hands falling to either side of Sora's hips. "I like being that couple too."
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A jazz band played on the streets, the female singer sent goosebumps down Sora's arms with her raspy, heart-wrenching voice. Sora threaded her fingers through Leon's as they strolled along the sidewalk, Marie and Jacques walking behind them. The street corners were rich with activity — jugglers, illusionists, and people covered in metallic paint imitating statues.
"Is that what I think it is?" Sora asked, stopping and staring to the far right. There was an area partitioned off. She could feel a chill in the air from there.
"An ice rink," Leon answered. He pointed towards a dark haired couple on the ice skating, doing rotations in the air, and dancing around one another in intricate patterns. "Looks like May and Felipe have drawn quite the crowd."
Sora inched towards the walls of the rink and watched in awe as her old friend and rival skated gracefully on the ice with her partner. "It's hard to believe she ever left the ice."
"I don't think she left it," Leon protested. "I think she just wanted to broaden her experiences." He wrapped his arm over Sora's shoulders and hugged her to his side. "Just like we have done with our silks routine."
"Is this part of the showcase?" Sora asked. She could see spot lights, cameras, and a few of the other competitors with skates around the rink.
"The free dance and the trapeze are the only definitive portions of the contest," Leon explained. "The second portion can be a variety of athletic endeavors."
Sora leaned her head against Leon's shoulder and sighed dreamily. May and Felipe looked so magical together in their routine. "I'm glad she's found a partner she works so well with."
"I agree. Finding the right partner is very important," Leon said. He cleared his throat. "Which is why I'm so grateful that you and I are partners."
May and Felipe finished their performance with a resounding applause. Sora cheered loudly like the rest of the audience.
Leon cleared his throat and Sora turned towards him. Her eyes widened in surprise at the shimmering ring in his hand. The bright square cut diamond at its center had four amethyst gems at each corner. "Which is why I want to ask you to marry me."
"Leon," Sora whispered, her gaze shifting between the beautiful ring and his loving eyes. Tears began to cloud her vision.
"I sincerely hope those are tears of joy," Leon said, his voice uncertain.
"Yes, of course. I'll marry you, Leon." Sora smiled at him brightly, stood on her tiptoes, and brushed her lips against his.
Leon slipped the ring on her finger.