The Player novel Chapter 30

Brielle

10:54 PM

6 Years Later

"Where are we going!" I squealed as Christopher rounded yet another unknown corner. "This is definitely not the way to the restaurant."

Christopher and I were on our way to meet Nicole and Sam for our celebratory dinner. Christopher had just landed his first role as a stunt double in a major movie and both Sam and Christopher had just graduated.

Sam received a degree in Therapy and Counseling from NYU, which I advised her to get. After Christopher and I's debacle in high school, I figured that she had a real knack for giving advice.

I anxiously checked my watch. We had already left our apartment late, and if we kept up with this pace we wouldn't reach there until I was sixty.

He shushed me. "Don't worry about it, it's a surprise."

I gave him a knowing look. "You and I both know that I hate surprises."

He answered me with silence.

I let out a huff, choosing to just wait and see. If there's one thing that I learned about Christopher, it's that he never cracks.

We made our way through the wet New York streets, the usual crowded sidewalks now deserted in comparison.

After Christopher and I graduated from high school, we both moved to New York. I moved to go to the Joffrey School of Ballet, and him and Sam attended school at New York University. Ever since the ballet showcase, Christopher and I had been happily together. We even moved in together last year.

My ballet school was amazing, and I was already offered so many amazing opportunities. While Christopher was at school, he was also attending different auditions to pursue his life-long dream of being a stunt double. He had just landed a major role in a superhero movie, and I was so proud of him.

I never expected us together to be this easy. When we first started dating, it seemed like there would never be a time when someone or something wasn't in-between us. But somehow, things grew simpler, and now I had no doubt that we would be together forever.

"We're almost here," he said after we walked for a few more minutes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a blindfold, placing it over my eyes and securing it behind my head.

"Why are you doing!" I cried, taken aback by surprise.

He laughed at my jitteriness. "Don't worry, I just don't want you to know where we are going yet." I rolled my eyes, my curiosity growing.

"I know that your rolling your eyes," he laughed. I crossed my arms.

How did he know!

After we walked for another block, he paused.

"We're here," he said. "Are you ready?"

I nodded my head viciously. The curiosity was killing me.

He reached behind my head and untied the knot, causing the blindfold to loosen and fall off my eyes. My eyebrows bunched in confusion.

We stood in front of the David H. Koch Theater, one of the most premier ballet theatres in the world. All the great ballerinas had performed here, and it has been one of my long-time dreams to do the same.

My confusion, however, stemmed from the fact that it was closed. All the lights in the building were turned off, and it looked deserted.

"Why are we here?" I asked, turning towards Christopher. "It's closed."

A sly smile that I knew all too well crept onto his face. Before he even spoke I already knew what he was going to say.

"We're sneaking in."

I stepped away from him, shaking my head. "No way." I did not feel like getting arrested today.

He lightly tugged on my arm, pulling me close again. "Don't worry, we'll be fine," he whispered into my ear.

"Just think about how much fun you will have dancing on the big stage all by yourself."

I chewed on my lip, thinking it over. It would be cool to dance in the theatre. After deliberating for a few more moments, I threw caution to the wind.

"Fine," I said, making my way toward the locked iron rod fence. "But you should figure out why I always seem to be breaking into things when I'm with you."

A smile crossed my face, remembering when we broke into our football field to have a field goal contest. I still remember the look on the security guards face as Christopher slung me over his shoulder, carrying me towards his car.

I also remembered the buckets of gum that we had to scrape from underneath the bleachers as punishment too. I shuddered at the thought.

I placed my hands at the top of the iron poles and hoisted myself up, swinging one leg, then the other over the fence before jumping to the other side.

I smoothed over my blouse and jeans, turning towards Christopher on the outside of the fence.

"Your turn."

I tapped my foot, waiting for him to follow suit.

He winked. "I think I'll use these."

He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a pair of jingling keys.

My jaw dropped. "You had those the whole time?" He nodded his head, inserting the key into the padlock on the gate and twisting it.

I pouted. "Then why did you make me jump the fence?"

He let out a laugh. "I never told you to. You did it all on your own."

I huffed. He was right.

He unlocked the gate, causally strolling towards me. I rolled my eyes. I could tell that he was a little too proud of himself.

"How did you even get those anyway?" I asked as we made our way towards the front of the large glass building.

He shrugged. "My friend works the night shifts as a security guard."

As he said so, a man walked towards the front door from the inside. We waited patiently as he typed on to a key pad. Finally, the door unlocked, and Christopher opened it, holding it open for me.

I murmured a thank you, too mesmerized by the building around me. I felt like a kid in a candy store.

Christopher's friend led us down a hallway, before opening a door to our left. I walked through the doorway, making my way through the darkness inside. Suddenly, the lights switched on, revealing the theater before me.

A giddiness cam over me as I took in the scene in front of me.