I Spiked His Drink, He Drank It Anyway Chapter 04
Iris held out her hand with a warm smile.
“Hi, Tamsin. It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve seen clips of your performances—I really admire your work.”
The comments lit up again.
[Iris’s so gracious. She’s the one who truly belongs beside Stellan.]
[This time, she’s taking back everything that should’ve been hers.]
[The side character needs to step aside already.]
“Nice to meet you too, Iris.”
I shook her hand.
Ramona walked over with a smile.
“Tamsin, Iris, you two will be partners going forward—dancing Moonfall together.”
Moonfall was one of The Aurelia Dance Collective’s signature productions.
Before Iris came, I danced Luna, and another dancer was my Solis.
But she was on maternity leave now, so it looked like Iris would be stepping into the role of Solis.
That afternoon, we ran through rehearsal several times.
Personal feelings aside, purely from a dancer’s perspective, Iris was top-notch—exactly the kind of partner every performer hopes for.
—
The comments flooded in.
[Honestly, I think Iris fits Luna way better.]
[Her vibe’s pure Luna. She even danced the same role at her last company.]
[Tamsin’s beauty is too bold. She fits Solis much better, but she’s been here longer, so she’s holding onto Luna.]
[Even if they’re co-leads, Luna is still the principal role. Of course she’d refuse to give it up. She’s way too competitive.]
[Seriously? She took Iris’s man, and now she’s taking the role that belongs to her too.]
[It’s okay. Iris can make any role shine. Even as Solis, she’ll outshine Luna.]
I’d spent years earning my place as principal dancer.
No one had handed me the role of Luna. I earned it.
Iris fixed her gaze on my waist, eyes bright.
” Tamsin, your waist is so supple. I’m honestly jealous.”
I laughed politely. “Thanks. Your hands are gorgeous, though. I’m jealous too.”
Her face lit up.
“Really? I’m pretty proud of my hands too.”
She held one out. “Here, feel.”
—
I hesitated for a second before lightly touching the back of her hand.
It was unbelievably smooth.
At the same time, she slipped an arm around my waist and gave it a playful squeeze.
We both burst into laughter.
The comments lost their minds.
[???]
[What are you two doing?]
[Hold up. They’ve run through the routine like twice and they’re already hands-on with the waist-touching?]
[Something’s off.]
[Why are they getting along so well?]
[That’s just on the surface. Deep down they’re definitely competing.]
[Can we talk about how tiny Tamsin’s waist is? Even I want to touch it.]
[Right? It’s practically legendary in the dance world.]
—
[Solis has all those seductive movements. Tamsin would absolutely own that role.]
[Meanwhile, Iris has such graceful, refined lines. She’d look even more natural as Luna. Making her dance the seductive role is kind of unfair.]
[Iris is seriously the sweetest. She knows she’s new here, so she accepted Solis without complaining or trying to compete. I love her already.]
I had no idea what Iris was really thinking.
But after that little icebreaker, I couldn’t bring myself to dislike her.
If anything, I actually kind of liked her.
I had a feeling we’d click. For a dancer, finding the right partner is rare.
After work, Iris and I walked out of the studio together.
In the distance, I saw Stellan stepping out of a Rolls-Royce.
The comments instantly erupted.
[The male and female leads are finally reunited!]
[Hasn’t it been ages since Stellan last picked Tamsin up from work?]
[Iris joins the company on day one, and he suddenly shows up. What a coincidence.]
—
[He’s obviously here for Iris.]
I froze. Our marriage wasn’t public. No one outside our families knew we were husband and wife.
Stellan almost never came to pick me up.
Even when Martin drove over, Stellan usually stayed in the back seat until I got in.
But today, he walked straight toward Iris and me without the slightest hesitation.
Was he planning to tell her the truth?
Before I could think any further, he was standing beside me.
He and Iris exchanged a brief glance.
Then they both looked away almost at the same time.
“You work together?”
“Your friend?”
They spoke in perfect sync.
I blinked, confused.
The comments immediately chimed in.
[LMAO. They’re both testing Tamsin, aren’t they?]
—
[But seriously, they’re so in sync it’s almost cute.]
So they were pretending not to know each other, testing me.
Fine. Two could play that game.
“Want to grab dinner together?”
Both of them shook their heads at exactly the same time. “No.”
The comments were relentless.
[Classic clueless side character. She actually suggested the three of them have dinner together.]
[If anyone’s having dinner, it’ll be Stellan and Iris.]
[Who wants a third wheel tagging along?]
[She isn’t embarrassed, but the leads sure are.]
[That synchronized rejection was amazing.]
Iris checked the time.
“I’ve got plans. See you tomorrow.”
She waved and walked away.
I watched her go, then got into the car with Stellan. I stared out the window, lost in thought.
His eyes fell on my left hand.
—
“Why aren’t you wearing your wedding ring?”
I came back to myself.
“I forgot.”
I always wore it at home.
I didn’t wear it at the dance company, but I kept it in my bag.
Why was he suddenly bringing this up?
The comments answered first.
[Because he doesn’t want Iris seeing you wear it at work.]
[He’s worried she’ll get jealous.]
So that’s why he came today—to check if I was wearing my ring.
Keeping my tone casual, I asked, “What do you think of my new coworker?”
The comments were instantly back.
[Here she goes again. Testing him.]
[Like he’d tell her the truth.]
[She’s acting casual, but she’s dying to know.]
Stellan looked slightly confused. “Who?”
When I didn’t answer, he added, “The woman from earlier? I didn’t
—
really notice.”
“It’s nothing.” I shrugged. “She’s my new dance partner.”
He gave a slight nod and said nothing more.
I couldn’t tell if he was dodging the subject or just being guarded around me.
The comments had an opinion.
[Oh, he’s definitely on guard around you.]
[He’s probably wondering how to ask Iris out to dinner now.]
[The real female lead’s back. Why won’t the stand-in just step aside?]
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Stellan idly twisting his wedding band around his finger.
He was actually wearing it. Wasn’t he worried Iris might see?
The comments answered again.
[Why would he be? It’s all part of his plan.]
[He’s hoping she’ll notice it and get jealous.]
[That way, maybe Iris will finally make a move.]
So even the wedding ring was part of their story.
As we passed a shopping center, Stellan suddenly spoke, “Want to
—
stop by the grocery store?”
“Huh?” I looked at him in surprise. “Sure, I guess.”
As far as I knew, Stellan had never gone grocery shopping himself.
Mrs. Gable always handled it. So why did he suddenly want to go today?
He turned to the driver. “Martin, take us to the grocery store.”