Bonjour mes petits croissants!

We reached 125k reads!!! WHOOOP WHOOP!

I haven't had much time to respond to comments so sorry about that. I hope you guys like this chapter hehe.

Question: Will you be taking the COVID vaccine once it's approved in your country? (Do you feel safe taking it?)

I personally feel like I might take it, but I'm still hella skeptical so maybe after a few months 🤷‍♀️

I love you ❤

Have a good day and stay safe😊!

Third Person's POV

"One more round. Ready and 5,6,7,8!"

My mother said I'm too romantic.

She said, "You're dancing in the movies"

I almost started to believe her

Both Mila and Ajax held their breaths, waiting for the cue. Their faces stoic, their attention fully focused on perfecting the moves.

They had been goofing off nonstop while stretching and warming up. Every time their eyes met they would end up laughing. Mila didn't know if Ajax felt the same, but she felt as if she was even closer to Ajax now. Like they had a closer bond.

Ajax was feeling other things.

Pure adoration.

He didn't know where it came from, but every time he looked at Mila he felt warm and happy. He just wanted to hug her forever.

And the craziest thing was that Ajax hated hugs.

With only 6 weeks remaining till competition, the stakes were high. There was no room for failure.

"You both look constipated, relax. Show emotion. Pain, sadness, grief, anything but whatever that is," Adam spoke, watching the duo's movements carefully.

Every time they danced, Adam was blown away by their synchronization from the very start. Right of the bat, both of them were in tune with each others movements, even if it was their first time performing the routine.

He watched Mila leap onto Ajax's shoulder without any hesitation. A smile tugged at his lips as he saw how far she'd come from her first dance with Ajax.

"Good, perfect timing," he nodded. Mila smiled to herself, not losing focus for a second.

Ajax was aware of how seamless their dancing had become. At first Mila would always match her movements to his. But now they both executed each leap and turn without having to glance over at each other. As if they already knew who was doing what.

Mila grinned when her dark chocolate eyes clashed with Ajax's vivid green ones, a smirk appearing on his face. She tore her eyes away from his captivating gaze to enter the last piece of the dance. The final movements had to be clean and precise.

She moved her body to the beat, knowing Ajax would be carrying out his part even though she couldn't see him behind her. Their fingers intertwined as they stood, catching their breath.

"Brilliant, you've done it. I think that was perfection," Adam clapped, impressed by the two young dancers.

"Sweet, can we go?" Ajax asked, already itching to head out the door.

"Mila, you can go. Ajax do some pushups. Your gains seem to be lacking recently," Adam said in mock distaste, gesturing to his biceps.  Mila snorted in amusement, sticking her tongue at him as he shot her a glare.

Oh the joy Adam felt messing with him.

"Catch ya later loser," Mila waved, stepping out the door. She knew they would be meeting later that evening so she hurried  to catch up to Lena as she came out of her studio room.

"Ready to turn into a hooker?" Lena smirked, unlocking her car.

"I'd rather not," Mila laughed, shaking her head.

"You're no fun," the blonde pouted, despite knowing all too well she'd have her way in the end.

The two girls had about 2 hours to get ready before heading to the club. Guaranteed it would be packed on the Friday evening.

-------------------------------------------

"Hello?! Anyone home?!"

Silence.

Lena grumbled under her breath, pulling out her phone to call Mila yet again.

You have reached the voicemail box of...

"My goodness she sleeps like a rock. MILA!"

Lena leaned against the door, listening for any signs of movement. She was concerned for a moment, Mila hadn't told her she would be out at 9 in the evening.

Relief ran though her when she heard footsteps coming towards the door. The lock turned and the door swung open to reveal the disheveled brunette.

"Jesus, looks like you did 4 world tours in the few hours since I last saw you," Lena muttered, taking in her appearance.

"Thanks," Mila grumbled bluntly.

"What happened? I thought you'd be ready by now."

"I just have a massive headache, I don't know why. I fell asleep after you dropped me off"

"You were fine earlier?"

"Yeah I know, it's so weird. My head feels like it's about to explode and it's so heavy," the brunette sighed, pressing her palm against her forehead.

"Did you get enough sleep?"

"Yeah I was tired after all that skiing," Mila replied truthfully. Lena glanced at her worriedly, already dressed for the club.

"Are you pregnant?"

"What?!" Mila blurted, her eyes wide.

"Just asking," she shrugged.

"No there's no way," Mila denied, shaking her head despite her heart racing.

"Do you think Ajax would mind if I skipped out on this one?"

Lena winced before responding truthfully.

"He was really hyped for it. It won't be the same without you. But I'm sure he'll understand if you're not feeling well."

"No you're right. I already made a commitment. I'll just take some cold medication and I'll be fine."

"Alright, but you can always say no if you really want to," Lena reminded and the brunette nodded.

Downing a glass of water with the pill, Mila rubbed her temples and started getting ready.

She didn't want to let Ajax down after he'd been quite excited about it. Apparently one of his friends worked at the bar and wanted to introduce Mila.

By the time Mila got in the car, the hammering in her head had reduced ever so slightly. Instead, a feeling of drowsiness replaced it.

A shiver wracked her body and Mila realized she was most likely coming down with a cold. Although she was fine yesterday, she had spent an entire day out in the freezing snow after all.

Lena glanced over at her friend who leaned her head against the window with her eyes closed.

"How bout you just pop in and say hi. Then we can go back so you can rest."

"No that's okay. You should enjoy yourself, it's been a while."

Lena didn't have a chance to argue as Lotte knocked on her window excitedly. 

"Let me park woman," Lena mumbled, turning into a parking spot.

Mila was in no mood to get out of the toasty car but she forced herself out of her seat. She spotted Ben's figure disappearing into his restaurant as she followed Lena into the club.

It was loud inside. Much louder than necessary.

Ajax waited patiently for the brunette to show up. He'd gotten a text from Lena saying they'd be a bit late which was odd.

"Finally," Dean sighed dramatically when he spotted the two girls enter.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ajax asked immediately, kissing Mila's temple gently. He noticed how her eyes were drooping and her usual smile was replaced by a thin line.

"Just not feeling 100%," Mila replied, forcing a smile as she kissed his cheek.

"Alright, let me know if you want to leave alright?"

"I love you," she smiled, genuinely this time.

"I love me too," he replied earning an eye roll.

A typical Ajax response.

Mila didn't feel like drinking at all especially after taking cold medication. Alcohol and meds were never a good combination.

"Mila this is Thomas. Do you remember Ruben? He came that night with Pia and Felix to watch the football match?"

"Oh yes," Mila nodded politely.

"Thomas is Ruben's boyfriend." Ajax explained and Mila's brain clicked in recognition.

"Nice to meet you. Ruben talked a lot about you," she smiled, shaking his hand.

"I've heard a lot about you darling. Ajax you never told me she was so hot," Thomas winked, trailing over my outfit.

A pair of black jeans with a dark navy blue lace bodysuit that Mila would never wear for an ordinary occasion. But she knew Ajax would be with her so she agreed.

Mila blushed and mumbled a quiet thank you, her self esteem definitely boosted for the night.

"I'm going to go find some people if that's alright," Ajax spoke and Mila nodded absentmindedly, taking a seat at the barstool.

Ajax hoped she didn't notice how jumpy he was.

She didn't know something.

He'd invited Anna.

And now he was weary of the two bumping into each other. He was hoping the two would reconcile tonight, but now he was starting to doubt if that was a good idea.

There were so many ways things could go wrong if the two met face to face. He knew Mila wasn't one to hold back if Anna said something snarky towards her. Her patience had run thin and she wasn't going to tolerate her disrespect any longer.

Thomas offered Mila a glass of orange juice after she politely declined an alcoholic beverage.

She sipped on it slowly, forcing her eyes to stay open. Everything around her sounded muffled, as if she was underwater. All she wanted to do was rest her head on her arms and fall asleep.

Her gaze landed on a familiar blonde figure pushing through the crowd. I followed the direction the girl was going, spotting Ajax standing by the doorway. Squinting, she tried to make out if it really was who she thought it was.

Anna.

Mila was so lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice the empty seat beside her become occupied.

"So we meet again princess."

Her heart dropped at the gravelly voice she'd been dreading. The same voice she heard that night on New Year's Eve.

Turning to her left, Mila came face to face with the very same man. Heart racing, she turned away, frantically trying to find Lena in the crowd. She couldn't see her anymore and Ajax was no longer standing in the doorway.

Whipping her head around, she tried to locate Thomas be he too was gone.

Hoping ignoring the creepy man would make him go away, she turned away from him and took a big gulp of her drink.

In that moment, she knew she was in trouble and her eyes widened in fear. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as blood rushed through her veins.

Her previously tangy orange juice was now salty.

Meaning only one thing.

Her drink was spiked.