Chapter 3 The Blue Iris

• The sun went down. Lights flickered on across the venue.
• The winter festival hall looked like a grand palace.
• The show started at seven. The ballet department's masquerade number was the fourth act.
• The auditorium filled up fast. Every seat was packed.
• Nora sat in the backstage dressing room.
• She spent three hard hours practicing. Her legs felt weak. Pain shot through her body.
• Her muscles trembled with every small move.
• She did not care. Tonight's performance had to be flawless.
• Dylan and Zoe were nowhere to be found. Ms. Taylor rushed around to check on the cast.
• Nora waited until the instructor walked past her station.
• "Ms. Taylor," Nora said, stopping her.
• "I have a quick idea."
• "It's about the ending of the dance."
• The long opening speech finally ended. The first act kicked off with a loud rock band.
• The music blasted through the speakers. The crowd went wild.
• A few rows back, Jace shook his head in pure shock.
• "Dude, I asked you so many times to come," Jace said, leaning toward his friend.
• "You always said no. Why did you change your mind tonight?"
• Miles sat back in his seat. He hated crowded places. Too many people tried to talk to him.
• Walking down the aisle took forever. Girls kept waving at him.
• Last month, Jace dragged him to a student dance recital. That was the first time Miles saw the delicate ballerina.
• He fell hard on the spot.
• "There are only two dance acts tonight," Jace said, checking his phone. "And your little swan isn't even on the list."
• Jace looked up the roster early. He checked every name on the program. Nora's name wasn't there.
• "Be quiet," Miles said.
• Jace talking non-stop was a full-time job.
• Miles only came here on the off chance.
• When he went back to his suite at noon, the small swan was already gone.
• Her wild passion from that morning still burned in his mind. He felt hot and confused.
• He sat alone with his thoughts. The loud music and the screaming crowd meant nothing to him.
• He waited until the host stepped onto the stage.
• "Next up," the host announced. "A special performance by the dance department. The Masquerade."
• The host walked off. The digital screen lit up with the song title and the dancer names.
• Trixie, Kael, Zoe, Ray, Elaria, Jones.
• Soft music started to play.
• Three pairs of dancers stepped into the light.
• Ms. Taylor choreographed the whole routine. Every dancer wore an ornate mask.
• The three male dancers wore sharp British-style suits. Their partners wore long, flowing gowns.
• The dresses were snow white, dark red, and gold.
• The music swelled. The ballet dancers moved like spirits through the trees.
• Every step looked light as air. They spun and leaped. Their skirts bloomed open like flowers.
• Miles locked his eyes onto the center couple.
• The white swan looked soft yet strong. She moved like a pure mountain flower.
• Her partner's hand supported her waist. She bent and rose with the rhythm.
• "Man, that lead dancer looks amazing," someone whispered in the row behind them.
• The crowd grew quiet. Everyone stared at the stage in total awe.
• Even Jace stopped talking. He watched the stage with wide eyes.
• The seven-minute routine reached its final act.
• The three male partners dropped to one knee. The women struck their final pose.
• Then, the men reached up and pulled the masks from their partners' faces.
• It was a bold move. It made the ending hit even harder.
• The three masks came off. The music stopped.
• The auditorium exploded into thunderous applause.
• "Wait a second," Jace yelled over the noise. "Isn't that the girl you liked? The one named Nora?"
• "Why did the program say Zoe?"
• Miles didn't answer him. He stood up fast.
• "I'll be right back," he muttered.
• Nora walked off the back of the stage. Her legs felt like lead.
• Her lower body throbbed with sharp pain. She wanted to collapse right on the floor.
• She forced herself to stay upright so she wouldn't draw a crowd.
• "Hey, Nora, someone dropped this off for you," a classmate said.
• The girl shoved a massive bouquet of red roses into Nora's arms.
• "Dylan sent them. He dropped them off and just took off again."
• "Thanks," Nora said in a flat tone.
• She took the flowers. She turned away from the backstage area.
• She walked down a quiet, empty side hallway.
• She looked down at the roses. She didn't hesitate.
• She tossed the entire heavy bouquet straight into a metal trash can.
• The flowers were gone. But the heavy, sweet scent of roses still stuck to her skin.
• "Don't like roses?"
• A deep voice cut through the quiet hallway.
• It was spoken in smooth Mandarin.
• Nora jumped. She spun around fast.
• Miles stood a few feet away. One hand sat deep in his pocket.
• In his other hand, he held a single flower.
• It was a striking blue iris. Nora saw pictures of them online before. But she never saw one in real life.
• It had a very rare name.
• Absolute Treasure.
• Miles stepped closer. He held the flower out and twirled it between his fingers.
• "Do you like irises?" he asked.
• Nora didn't wait a single second. She reached out and took the stem from his hand.
• "Yes," she whispered.
• "I really like them."
• The clean scent of the blue iris washed away the smell of the cheap roses.
• "You—" Nora started, looking up into his eyes.
• Footsteps echoed down the hall.
• People were walking toward them. Voices grew louder.
• A utility closet sat right beside them. The door hung open.
• Nora didn't think twice. She grabbed Miles by the wrist.
• She yanked him hard into the dark, dusty closet.
• The room had no lights. Heavy boxes and brooms lined the walls.
• Space was tight. They had to press their bodies together just to fit inside.
• "Zoe, slow down. Someone might see us," a familiar voice said.
• "So what if they do? The show is over!"
• Zoe's voice lost all its sweet, innocent tone. It sounded sharp and ugly.
• They walked back from the main hall, talking as they moved.
• Dylan grabbed Zoe's hand. They stopped right outside the utility closet door.
• "My name was on the program! But Nora took off the mask!" Zoe hissed.
• "Everyone out there saw my face missing! They're going to think I chickened out!"
• Dylan wrapped his arms around her waist. He spoke in a tired, soothing tone.
• "It was just the routine, Zoe. The instructor changed it."
• Zoe shoved her elbow hard into Dylan's chest.
• "Ms. Taylor didn't plan that ending at all! I asked the girls in the dressing room!"
• "Nora suggested it herself!"
• "She did that to humiliate me on stage!"
• "Calm down. Think about the baby," Dylan whispered. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
• "You know how Nora is. You've been roommates for a year."
• "She always takes care of you. She brings you food. She runs errands for you."
• "She does everything for you and the baby. She wouldn't try to humiliate you. It was just a coincidence."
• "She doesn't know I'm carrying your kid yet," Zoe snapped back.
• "If she knew, she'd never lift a finger for me."
• Zoe's voice softened a bit as Dylan kept rubbing her back.
• "Whatever. I'm still mad. You sent her flowers earlier."
• "You have to make it up to me tonight."
• "Fine, fine. I'll get you whatever you want."
• "Let's go to the Riston hotel," Zoe purred.
• Footsteps shuffled as they embraced right outside the door.
• Inside the pitch-black closet, Miles couldn't see Nora's face.
• But he heard every single word.
• Nora's fiancé cheated on her behind her back?
• With her roommate? And got her pregnant?
• Miles frowned hard. His chest tightened.
• He remembered how she acted this morning. He remembered her sudden heat and her silence.
• Did she already know about the affair?
• Did she break her heart into pieces, lose all hope, and throw herself at him instead?
• If she still cared about that trash bag of an ex—
• Dark rage spiked through his blood.
• In the dark, Miles reached out. His large, rough hands grabbed her arms.
• He cupped her face with his palms.
• A wave of frustration hit him. He leaned down and smashed his lips onto hers.
• "Mmh—?" Nora gasped in the dark.
• Her mind raced. She planned to catch the cheating couple at the Riston hotel later this week.
• She didn't expect Miles to kiss her out of nowhere right now.
• He didn't care that the cheating couple stood a few feet away. He trapped her against his chest.
• His kiss was heavy and demanding.
• Nora's breath hitched. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
• She couldn't see a thing in the dark. Every sense went into overdrive.
• Her hands moved on their own. Her fingers gripped the fabric of his jacket.
• She let him open her lips. She let him take her breath away.
• Outside the door, the couple kept talking. Their voices dropped to a lower pitch.
• "I want you tonight," Dylan murmured.
• "You're so impatient," Zoe giggled. "We'll do it later."
• "Just don't be too rough. Don't scare the baby."
• The words sounded sickening.
• Nora lost her temper. She bit down hard on Miles's lower lip.
• "Ouch—" Miles hissed.
• "What was that noise?" Dylan snapped, freezing in the hallway.