So...I, um, made a trailer. It's after 'a little note.' Check it out if you haven't. Here's a long one for ya!

♬ ✥*

Serenity.

The moment Harry left, I'd scurried off to the showers, knowing that my friend would understand. Of course, he had to make an amusing comment about how wonderful I smelled.

In return, I mentioned that his sweat wasn't entirely flowers and sweet candy. He simply chuckled at my remark, his joyous sounds echoing into the space. It put a smile on my face, reminding me how much I missed my best friend.

"So what company do you have to prepare an audition for?" I asked River while sitting crosslegged on the floor of my studio. He was laid down on his stomach in front of me, his elbows propping his body up slightly.

He remained quiet for a while before a massive grin appeared on his face and said, "Ballet BC."

"Get out of town. You're joking."

"S'the real thing, Ren. So I also want to ask you a favour."

"Let me guess..." I tapped a finger to my chin. "...you want me to help you with the choreography."

"Yes — and I want you to dance it with me." A smile tugged at his lips. "I know you danced with them, and I don't want your name to be associated with mine, but you know we have chemistry. I want to do a pair dance."

"I know. It's one of the best ways you dance."

Riv was an incredible dancer and a phenomenal choreographer — we both were. Some people say that when you dance solo, you showcase every asset you have in your skills and talent; but not River. It was strange, but whenever he danced in pairs, the sun shone emitting every amazing ability he had, was proven in artistry and brought into the greatest masterpiece of a performance.

In my eyes, he was truly one-of-a-kind.

"Exactly. So will you 'elp me?" he asked with pleading eyes.

I only laughed and pushed him slightly before responding, "You know I can't say no to you. Plus, I'd love to actually dance for a purpose."

"Why? You 'aven't done that?" His brows furrowed at my reveal. There were a lot of things that I kept hidden from him because we didn't live in the same city. He was the type of person who worried about his friends and those he loved; I didn't want to be on his mind with that.

"Not really, no." I sighed. "Only just to let out my emotions and to relieve stress. I miss choreographing and showing my dancing to people. I love showcasing what I'm capable of. Which is why I wanted to expand my studio further to a company, but plans changed."

"Why 'ave you been lying to me? You said your studio was doing great."

"I just didn't want you to worry about me, Riv. You looked out for me for years and knowing you, you would've jumped on the next plane to help."

"Okay, yeah, that's true. I get it." He nodded with a truthful expression. "So are you in?"

"Of course I'm in!"

"Ace!" He said with a grin. "So what's the deal with Mr Snooty?"

"Oh, don't mind him. He just woke up on the wrong side of the bed — every day, that is." I chuckled.

He wouldn't leave me alone until I explained more about what was actually happening with it. River was never pushy, but he somehow had some sort of radar that told him when it could be too much. I loved that about him.

When I finished clarifying what Harry's purpose was, I got the chance to ask him what I was curious about, "When did you arrive?"

"Today. I booked at a hotel not far from 'ere."

"There's no way you're staying at a hotel when you're here. First, that's ridiculously expensive, and second, you're staying with me. Sure my place is tiny, but the couch is pretty comfy."

"Sounds like you're ripping me off," he teased, "I need the queen's palace!"

"You're so full of it. What was it, wait? Oh right, you're a proper git." I smirked, and he smiled.

"Oi, you remembered. I'm a proud Brit. I've done my job well," he spoke with glee.

"So, I'm going to drop you off at my place and let you rest for a bit, while I go meet with Amara. We're supposed to get a late lunch together. Sounds good, eh?"

"Wait, you're friend?"

"Best." I grinned, and he frowned. "Shut up, Riv. Her and I are childhood friends, she's basically family — as are you."

"You think she'll mind if I tag along?"

"Of course, not."

"She's the one with those golden eyes, right?"

"Impressive, Riv." A smirk appeared once more on my face. "Interesting how you remember her eye colour when you saw her once, but you thought my eyes were green for the many years we practically lived together."

"I just —"

"River Desjardins, do you have a crush?" I questioned, locking up the studio. The sound of his suitcase rolling being louder than his own footsteps. I would swear, Riv was much more gracious than I was.

"Shut up. She's fit, that's all." He shrugged, a lie hidden beneath his words.

It wasn't rare that River was surrounded by a bunch of girls. He never hid what he did, and of course, some women thought it was strange — which clearly didn't understand emotion, creativity, nor talent — and others, thought it was the most beautiful thing. He did have flings here and there, a couple of girlfriends, but he said that none of them were really serious.

But the twinkle in his eye when I mentioned Amara's name, definitely assured me she was one of those girls that caught his eye. I knew that it wouldn't be soon if he ever decided to even consider anything between them, but if it happened, it would be on Mars' terms, not his.

The poor girl had a few major heartbreaks and decided to — almost — never trust a guy again.

Yeah, right.

Her radar for eye candy was always on.

"Right, I'm sure that's all. I'll bite."

"Rennie, we going to 'it up a Timmies?" He asked, walking alongside me to my car.

"Your love for Boston cream doughnuts didn't disappear, have they?"

"Never."

"I don't 'ate on your love for cookie dough ice cream."

"I would never." I laughed, holding up my hands in surrender. "We'll grab one after we meet with Mars."

"Pardon?" He looked at me with disbelief evident in his expression.

"Oh, right, I'm sorry. We'll pick up a dozen. That better?"

"Much." A wide grin of satisfaction graced his beautiful face.

♬ ✥*

"You're late!" Amara called out as soon as I entered the cafe.

"I have good reasoning this time." I held my hands up in defence, watching as a small smirk tugged at her lips when she saw who else had come with me.

"I see a very familiar face to possibly be one of those reasons."

River followed behind, wrapping an arm around my shoulder when we reached the table Amara was sat at. We stood while she tapped her fingers around her mug, grinning wide.

"River, right?" She was messing around, and I was well aware of that. I knew that she remembered him very well.

"In the flesh."

"It's kinda hard to forget the man that twirled circles around me and ended up slipping over a slice of cake." Her laugh emitted in the cafe. River brought a hand up, scratching the back of his neck, and let out a nervous chuckle.

That story tends to be thrown at the back of my mind at times, though, it was one of the most entertaining times I'd experienced with my two friends. It was my twentieth birthday, and Amara had come to visit so we could celebrate it together. River had stopped by that day, bringing along his mother's famous triple chocolate cake. We made the unfortunate decision of going to sit in one of the empty studios.

Amara wanted to see a male ballet dancer in action, so he got up from the floor and began to do pirouettes. She timed him to see how many he could do in a minute, and on the last few seconds, he lost his footing and fell face-first into a very delicious slice of cake.

At least it was a "soft landing," he'd said.

Undoubtedly, it was one of the greatest moments that I'd had for birthday memories throughout my life. River didn't want to embarrass himself further, so we didn't see him for the rest of her trip. She stayed in my place for the remaining four days, enjoying spending our girl time together.

"I was 'oping you didn't remember." He chuckled.

"Oh, I remember alright." That smirk was still prominent. "It's nice to see you again, River."

"You'll be seeing a lot more of him lately. Riv's moved here," I said while grabbing a seat. My preferred choice of drink was already placed on the tabletop. My male friend still remained standing, unsure if he was entirely welcome to sit with us — if he was honoured enough. A smile made its way on my lips as I watched the conversation happen in front of me.

"Well damn, guess I'm going to have some competition. Stealing my best friend and all."

"We could be a trio and call it a day," he reasoned, and she raised her hand up to her chin, cupping it with her fingers. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she went in deep thought.

Of course, I knew what her answer would be, but she always loved to keep people on her toes for a little bit.

"I'll accept that..." she paused, "...but only because I know you'll never take Ren away from me."

"I'd never." He grinned.

It was almost as if he was nervous about getting her blessing on sharing me as a friend.

"What do you want? It's on me this time, you know, as a welcome to Vancouver drink," she spoke, getting up from her seat, as she gestured for him to take the empty spot beside me.

"Surprise me," he said, and my eyes widened.

"Riv, think about that. Telling Mars to surprise you she'll come back with a coffee mixed with carrot juice," I explained to him, then looking at Amara who nodded her head with an innocent smile.

"Well shit, okay, scratch that. Is a mocha an extra espresso shot a good option?"

"Perfect," she answered with a grin, then walked away to order his drink.

"She's a 'andful, that one," Riv said, letting out a deep breath.

"Meh, you get used to her after knowing her for years. She's the most loveable person I know."

Amara came back with River's actual order, taking a seat. It was then that she started to bombard him with several questions, never giving him that chance to truly breathe; but being the person he is, he answered all of them with a smile on his face — mostly.

I remained quiet while I watched the two, knowing that she was trying to understand him better, but there was one question that was left which I was waiting for. One that she asked almost everyone she knew.

I was the exact same way.

"You're an Aquarius, aren't you?"

"Um, I guess," he said with a shrug. "What is January 28th?"

"Aquarius," her and I answered at the same time.

"He's a happy person, very kind, and easily trusting. At the same time, he's also protective, especially of his friends and family. You hold on to your passion, loving it, and always want to succeed with the best of your ability."

"That pretty much sums me up." He smiled.

"So Ren, what's the second reason you were late?"

"Harry."

"Ah yes, the man more attractive than Adonis." She smirked. "Tell me more."

"There's nothing to really tell. He came by Starlight and just wanted to check out the place. He didn't do that yet."

"Sounds like he wanted to see you, not the place."

"I highly doubt that, but whatever floats your boat," I said, taking the final sip of my tea.

"Did he tell you he was coming?"

"No."

"Yeah, he definitely came to see you."

"Maybe in another world, sure." I let out a short laugh.

"He definitely acted quite strange when I showed up," River added in, and Amara's grin widened. 

"We all know what that means."

"Yes. A man who came by to see a business was rudely interrupted mid-conversation by me greeting my friend. I don't think that's what he normally deals with. Probably the first time that's ever happened to him."

"You two have had a lot of firsts. Not surprised if that bothered him on a business aspect.

"Like you said to me, I highly doubt that, but whatever floats your boat," she replied, and I looked at her with narrowed eyes, as she just grinned. My gaze reverted to Riv, who only shrugged, seeming to agree with Amara.

On my boat, all I wanted to do was continue my question in the starry night sky to find the heart of Antares — and I was determined to do that.

♬ ✥*

Monday morning, I was up at the crack of dawn, and did a run in the nearby park. The air was still crisp, with a slight cool breeze to it — refreshing and wonderful.

Back in the day, River and I would do a morning run together, but he seemed 'knackered'. At least, that was the word he mentioned the second his head hit the pillow. So I left him sleeping on the couch, being as quiet as I possibly could.

From what I could remember, he was a light sleeper, but on the days when he was exhausted, he could sleep through anything. It seemed to me that this was one of those days.

When I got back home, I found him up, with the blanket and pillow neatly folded on the edge of my couch. He was in the kitchen cooking up some eggs and blended together his favourite powerhouse drink. As much as I loved River, seeing him in his boxers always made me a bit uncomfortable. So I searched through his suitcase, finding a pair of sweatpants, throwing it at his face. He only laughed and said he did it for the sake of annoying me — it worked every time.

It was shocking when I went to check-in at security, they gave me a pass that I could just scan to get into the building. They explained to me that Mr Styles ordered them to do so. I guess he figured that he didn't want me to express my bubbly personality with the world — or to save me the hassle of doing it each time.

I wasn't entirely sure of how many times I would actually need to meet with him. Nothing was stated or defined in the contract; nor was it in our previous meeting. From what I'd seen on television shows, the investors only met a couple of times, to give them the money, and to check up on them several months later.

But it seemed that Harry was doing things differently and that he physically wanted to help.

I didn't understand why he would, though. As a CEO of a multi-million dollar company, with branches in various cities all over the world, how would he even have time to personally help me?

I'm just a contemporary ballerina with a dance studio. What makes me so special that he's managing to fit me into his schedule?

Several deep breaths were taken, numbers were counted until I let out a relieved gasp when I stepped foot onto the fiftieth floor.

Almost tripping my over my two feet, I hastened to the desk, knowing that I was running behind. The bridge of my glasses were sliding down my nose as I moved as quick as I could. As punctual as I was in the earlier morning, I was sure that I would make it on-time — but clearly, that was a major fail.

This time, I had good reasoning — so I tend to say.

I need to work on that.

"Good morning again, Iris," I greeted with a smile, and she returned the same. Pushing my glasses back up with the back of my hand, I continued, "I know I'm late, but the elevator was full, and I may or may not have stopped by a café earlier and picked up a drink for Harry and I. Thought I'd just justify my —"

"Miss Hayes," Harry's voice was loud and firm, as he stood a distance away. "You're late."

"Um — I'm sorry?" A nervous chuckle left my mouth. I wanted to attempt to explain why, but he raised his hand, and my mouth immediately shut it.

Silently, he gestured two fingers for me to follow him, then turned his back to me. His strides were long, powerful, and strong — that confidence never failing to leave his intimidating demeanour.

I felt like a student in a school being disciplined by their principle. I thought I past that stage in my life.

I took a quick glance towards Iris who flashed me a smile — but a worried one. That helped ease my anxious veins immensely.

My sarcasm was simply on pointe today. Ha! I made a funny.

A quiet snicker escaped my lips at the thought.

"Something funny, Serenity?" Harry suddenly turned to face me with a challenging expression. I wasn't even aware that he'd even heard me. "Please feel free to share it."

"I'm free to share it, but I'd prefer not to." I smiled, and his glare was evident, yet remaining soft.

He wouldn't get it anyway.

It seemed to me that Harry had never been provoked by anyone before and that he was new to whatever this was. Then again, everything was new.

First time investing in a dance studio. First time making an investment in a broken-down elevator. First time being challenged by a person who he'd probably never have spoken to in his past life.

Yes, I firmly believed that even there was a second life or world out there, the simple concept of 'being nice' still wouldn't exist within him.

Or maybe it did.

It all made me think about what Amara told me the other day. We did have a lot of firsts.

Hush your mind, Serenity. It's meeting time.

But first, it's tea time.

With a small kick of my foot, I shut the door behind me, then took a seat on one of the contemporary chairs that were in front of his desk. Just how everything was the past few times, nothing changed. This time, I noticed that there weren't any picture frames atop of it. The English man was an incredibly private person, and he chose to let it remain that way.

Harry shrugged off his suit jacket, hanging it on the rack nearby, loosening his tie slightly before he took a seat in his chair. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the edge of the desk, both of his hands clasped together. A couple of silver rings adorned his forefinger on his right hand, the other on the middle of his left. I was curious to know what they meant to him — or if they genuinely had no purpose at all.

His suit, and tie, today were black, with faint dark grey lines in the muted shade. A crisp white button-down that showcased the muscles of his upper body more. Swirls of ink painted on his skin, but they were too diffused by the shirt that I couldn't see them.

Not once were there any colours in his wardrobe. The only hue that existed in his entire building was of what his employees decorated their offices were, and the vibrant green from the plants within the company.

He cleared his throat, getting my attention away from his body up to his face. I knew that he practically caught me observing him since a faint glare was on his face. He wasn't arrogant nor smug about it like some guys would be when they found out a woman was checking them out.

But of course, it's not that he wasn't smug or arrogant, because he definitely was.

The scruff that was on his face was now a well-groomed light beard. The fact that he put so much effort into looking immaculate and handsome every day, it was something that made me smile.

Before he managed to get a word out of his mouth, I jumped in by putting the paper cup in front of his face, "So, I got this for you — well, for us. I guess."

He seemed taken back from my action, leaning slightly back, blinking twice before he examined it carefully.

"It's not poison," I commented.

"What is it?" he asked, finally grasping hold of it.

"Try it and