Scream Me a Dream

Ville tugged the beanie over his head as he showed the security guard at the door his pass to get into the backstage of the theater.

“Some of the dancers and crew are still clearing out from the last performance, so it might be a while before you guys have your dressing room ready.” The man at the door said as he opened the door.

“It’s fine.” Linde said from behind him. “Is Soya still here?”

The guard shrugged. “I’m just told to check passes and let people in and out.”

“Right.” Ville muttered as they walked in, sure enough their crew was mixed in with the crew from the ballet company, as well as some of the dancers that Ville vaguely remembered from the night before.

“We’ll see you tonight, right Josef?” A girl asked as she talked over her shoulder.

“Yes, I’ll be there Amanda,” they heard the male voice call back from one of the rooms. Linde smirked as he went over to the room and stuck his head in.

“Josef?”

Josef turned and smiled kindly at them. “Hey, if you’re looking for Soya, she’s already left.”

“We were hoping to see her.” Linde admitted. “But we doubted we would.”

“She said she was going to spend time with Aida.” Ville said leaning against the doorjamb as Josef went around the room gathering his things.

“She did,” Josef looked at the clock above his makeup table. “Her parents left a good two hours ago, I think she went home after that to take a nap.”

“Resting up for the party tonight?”Linde asked. “I have got to admit I never did take Soya for a partier.”

“Party?” Josef asked stuffing his tights in his bag. “What party?”

Ville straightened. “Soya said she was going to the after party with you. You aren’t going?”

Josef frowned. “No, I’m going, I always go to the after parties.”

“Josef!”

“Oh fuck.” Josef sighed running a hand tiredly over his face as a blonde-haired woman pushed past Ville and Linde and into the room. “Hello Rebecca.”

“Where is the hell is Soya?!”

“Home is my best guess.” Josef shrugged. “She left with her parent’s right after the show.”

“Did you tell her I wanted to talk to her Josef?”

“I did, she probably just didn’t want to talk to you.” Josef pointed out. “You have a way of intimidating people Becca.” He gestured towards Ville and Linde. “Have you said hello to Ville and Linde?”

“Why would I?” Rebecca said with a glare. “You tell Soya to come into my office tomorrow morning Josef, she and I have to have a long talk about her lack of commitment the past two nights.”

Josef shook his head. “What lack of commitment Rebecca? Soya made the turns both times tonight, both our timing throughout the shows were impeccable, we didn’t miss a move. You’re overanalyzing a simple performance because of the critics who have no baring on the company.”

“Of course they have baring!”

“No, your father, the real owner of this company has a say on what happens, and since he loves me and Soya, it doesn’t matter what the critics say, it matters what he says.”

“Listen to me Josef…”

“No you listen Rebecca, for the next six months Soya and I are going to take a much needed break, I’m going home to visit my family and Soya is going back to her studio and teaching. I will tell Soya you want to talk to her, but it is up to her to go or not. You can’t fire us Rebecca, according to the contract you’re stuck with Soya and myself for the next two years. Also keep in mind without Soya you don’t have me.”

“I can always send you to the back of the line Josef.”

“Yes, that is possible but that wouldn’t please daddy would it?”

“I hate you Josef Kolar, I hope you know that!” Rebecca yelled before storming out of the room.

“Force to be reckoned with that one.” Ville said watching as Rebecca practically pushed everyone out of her way as she stormed out of the building.

“She had a bit of a problem,” Josef said zipping up his bag.

“Problem?” Linde asked.

Josef tapped the side of his nose. “Of the white kind, her father found out and handed her the company to keep her busy. Really he has all the power, Rebecca just likes to think she does.”

“She doesn’t seem to like Soya.” Ville pointed out.

Josef shrugged. “She doesn’t like me either, but like I told her she’s stuck with us for two more years and she can’t change much of that. Soya and I would willingly go to the back of the line again, give others a chance for the spotlight, but Mr. Miller would never have it.” Josef shook his head. “Anyway, before the wicked bitch of the west came in, we were talking about something.”

“The after-party.” Ville muttered.

“Oh, right, I go to them, Soya hasn’t been to one since…” Josef put a hand on the back of his neck and rubbed as he thought. “Jeez, I think the last time she went was when I got her drunk….so seven years ago? Soya’s never really forgiven me for that,” Josef laughed. “She’s convinced that if she goes to another one I’ll push her to drink again and trust me she admitted way to much that one night.”

“You saw Soya drunk?” Linde laughed.

“Most amusing night of my life.” Josef said with a chuckle.

“So she’s free tonight?” Ville frowned.

Josef nodded slowly. “She is,” he shrugged. “If she blew you off, don’t take it personally, after a long season she likes to keep to herself for the most part and unwind. We’ve been on the road for the last year dancing, we’re both wiped.”

Ville nodded. “Of course.”

Josef laughed. “She loves you guys, she wouldn’t just not show up to something without a valid reason. You should have seen her after she got off the phone with you before we went on stage. It was damn near impossible to wipe that smile off her face.”

Linde raised an eyebrow curious on two counts, the fact that Ville had talked to Soya probably after their own conversation about Soya, as well as Josef’s reaction to it. Josef seemed more amused and excited about the situation rather then a worried boyfriend or counterpart.

“You don’t seem upset by Soya’s relationship with us.” Linde said.

Josef shrugged, slipping on his Vans, definitely prepared to go home and rest before drinking the night away. “Why would I be?” Josef said absently, before looking up at Linde who looked amused then at Ville who seemed to be avoiding his gaze. Josef couldn’t help but laugh at the turn of events. “Trust me, I have nothing to worry about. Now I wish you the best of luck on your show tonight. I am going to go home, change, give Soya her damn cheeseburger, then drink the rest of the night away.”

Ville smiled. “Send our love.”

Josef nodded, before stopping near him. “By the way, Soya loved the tulips you all sent. Really made the rest of her night.”

“Good to hear.” Linde smiled, as Josef walked past them, shrugging his bag over his shoulder.

“He’s an interesting man.” Ville said watching as Josef smiled a little too kindly to one of the security guards, waving before leaving the theater.

“Very much so, but I can see why he and Soya get along.” Linde said before walking away and catching up with the rest of the band. Ville nodded slightly in agreement, shaking off the feeling of being blown off.

He really did understand the need to unwind, hell the fact that he was staying in West Chester for a month and not going home with the rest of the band was his own way of unwinding after the tour. He wasn’t upset with Soya, but deep down he knew he was disappointed at not being able to see her until the next afternoon and that feeling of disappointment mixed with anxiousness really did not sit well with him.

XxxxxxX

Soya sat cross legged in the middle of her studio, her eyes closed as she listened to the soft sound of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. With a quiet sigh she straightened her spine, keeping her eyes closed, stretching her arms over her head, before bowing them. Her fingers barely touching each other before she dropped her arms behind her head arching her back slightly and bringing her hands back up, dropping them to the right, her side arching with the stretch, before returning to the top. She repeated the process as she leaned down to the left, then back to the top, then to the front, finally stretching out her hands and resting her palms on the floor straightening her spine and breathing deeply before arching her back, groaning in delight as she heard each vertebrae pop.

She lifted up slowly, vertebrae by vertebrae, her fingers guiding her back as they tiptoed their way to her sides. Opening her eyes, she looked at herself in the mirror, before uncrossing her legs and stretching them out straight in front of her, flexing her toes. Though the music that floated through her speakers didn’t quite match the speed of the way she stretched, she had a fondness for Swan Lake. Probably because it was the ballet that had made her ask for parents for dance lessons at the age of five. Then at fourteen, it was the first big recital she had been a part of. Not as the lead, but still, Swan Lake held a part of her heart and would never let go.

“I can’t believe you still stretch to this.”

Soya looked up, and turned towards the door, rolling her eyes as she crossed her left foot over her right leg, twisting her body in the opposite direction. “I can’t believe I made the mistake of giving you a key.”

“That was mean thing to say, especially to the man holding your dinner.”

Soya sighed as she switched legs, this time facing Josef. “Salad with light dressing, no thank you, I’m done with the rabbit food for now.”

“How about a double cheeseburger with large fries and a large Coke, regular not diet?”

Soya lifted her eyes to meet Josef’s smirk. “In that case I say ‘welcome friend and have a seat,’”

“Thought so.” Josef laughed as he walked across the floor and sat down next to her, dropping the bag of food on her lap before setting the large soda next to her knee.

“Oh baby I have been dreaming of you.” Soya said, before moaning, as she smelled the grease mixed with the smell of beef and cheese.

“The ability to eat that after so many months of dieting and not get sick is amazing Soya.”

“Mmm.” She brought a fry to her mouth and grinned at him. “Impeccable metabolism, that and my body and I have an agreement.”

“Oh and what’s that?”

“I eat well and not slip throughout the season, and I don’t throw this up,” she said holding up the cheeseburger, “It’s taken years for us to be friendly and find a middle ground, but found it we have.”

“You’re crazy Soya,”

Soya laughed. “But you love that about me.”

They sat in silence, the only sound filling the room was the crinkling of the wrapper Soya had her cheeseburger wrapped in and the music still flowing through the speakers.

“I saw Ville and Linde before I left the theater.”

“Did you?” Soya smiled. “Did you tell them I loved the flowers?”

“I did.” Josef said, eyeing the pink blossoms that sat on the window sill. “They said a couple things that caught my interest though. Well one that caught my interest and the other just amused me.”

“Oh?”

“Apparently you told Ville you were going to the party tonight.”

“Oh.”

“Why did you lie Soya? I’m sure if you told Ville that you didn’t want to go to the concert he wouldn’t have minded.”

“I did want to go Josef, I still do, I just…” Soya sighed as she took the last bite of her cheeseburger, chewing slowly she thought about her words before swallowing and speaking again. “Seeing Ville even after this long,” she smiled softly at Josef. “I feel like a sixteen year old again you know?”

“How so?” Josef asked, though he knew what she meant he needed her to get it out in order for her to deal with the situation in the open instead of keeping everything bottled inside like she usually did.

Soya laughed as she started in on her fries. “When I was sixteen, it felt so wrong to like him so much, to trust him unconditionally and without reserve, never questioning anything when it came to him. I think my mother’s belief of him being too old for me became mine and I never did anything about it.”

“Four years isn’t that old Soya.” Josef pointed out.

“It is when you’re sixteen and he’s twenty going on twenty-one.” Soya laughed. “Now, though, now it isn’t bad in my mind, and these feelings are coming back full force and I don’t know what to do with them.”

“Act on them.” Josef teased nudging her arm with his. “You’re a grown women Soya, you’ve never had a true boyfriend, you don’t even like to get in relationships, the only reason we pretend to be in one is because our families don’t know I’m gay and it allows me to date the men of my choice without them judging me. What’s your excuse?”

“My excuse for what?”

“For leading Ville to believe that we’re involved.”

“I never…”

“You have,” Josef nodded, “The way they looked at me tonight, as if I should be acting the jealous boyfriend instead of the excited best friend, leads me to believe that you have led them to believe that we’re together. So what’s you excuse? How do you benefit from this fake relationship Soya? Because for the five years we’ve been at it I don’t see how you benefit at all. I have never seen you take lovers, I have never seen you even accept a proposition from another man. In fact, if I were to guess, Ville is the first man I’ve ever seen you take an interest in other then me when we first met.”

Soya groaned. “Ugh don’t remind me!”

“So, what’s your excuse, why do you stay in this?”

Soya shrugged before leaning over and resting her head on Josef’s shoulder, staring at their reflections. “I think….this is safe for me Josef.”

Josef laughed, “You’re getting nothing out of it Soya, just because we tell our parents that we’re in love and that we’re moving forward doesn’t mean we actually are. I’m gay miláček, and as beautiful as you are and as much as I love you, you aren’t enough to turn me straight.”

Soya raised an eyebrow, still looking at their reflections, meeting his eyes through the mirror. “You sure about that?” she smirked.

“Fucking positive.” Josef laughed, leaning down to kiss her temple. “We’re a quite a pair, you and I.”

Soya sighed tiredly. “We would make such beautiful babies Josef.”

Josef threw his head back as he laughed. “Yes, but I believe you and Ville would make much more handsome babies then you and I.”

Soya shook her head as she turned on the hardwood floor and looked at him. “What is it with your idea of me and Ville? We’re just friends.”

Josef sighed as he stood, stretching his back as he did so. “Soya, as much as I know you try to please your parents and part of you is also trying to please me and my parents by keeping up this pretend relationship when their around. I hope you know, that when you find that person you want to be with, I’ll step aside and come clean.”

“Josef.” Soya sighed.

Josef put up a hand to stop her. “No, I’ve thought about this, and I think deep down, I’m ready for my parents to know, but a part of me wants to keep you safe and that part is keeping me from saying anything.”

“You know you don’t have to do that Josef.”

Josef nodded slowly. “I know that, I do,” he shrugged “I think I just want to ensure your happiness before I start reaching for my own.”

Soya smiled at him. “That is unbelievably sweet, and I’m lucky to have you as my best friend Josef, and I hope you know that when you find that man of yours, I will willingly step aside for you and your happiness.”

Josef nodded. “I know Soya,” he shook his head. “Enough of this serious talk, I’m going to the after party, are you sure you don’t want to come with?”

Soya nodded “I’m sure, I’m just going to clean up here, go home and sleep.”

“You have your car?”

“Yes, I drove.”

“Okay then, good night and don’t wait up.”

“I never do.” Soya laughed, watching her friend walk out the door, before turning back to face the mirror.