Much more waist spinning and lifting followed as they moved across the stage. Noah could barely keep up with the video at this point.

Then came the part that truly affected him. Cinderella and the prince were supposed to fake a kiss; in the video, their faces drew so close that their lips almost touched, but not quite. Then the prince spun away from Cinderella.

Violet's face came close enough that their lips actually brushed for a millisecond before he jerked back, unable to complete the spin. She didn't notice his discomfort and continued dancing.

Thankfully, Noah regained his composure in time for the next part of the video: more waist spins, and Violet draping herself across his hands during an overhead lift as he walked across the floor. At least he didn't drop her this time.

The dance concluded with a dip, more waist spins, and the prince wrapping his arms around Cinderella's waist as she dramatically leaned into him on one foot. Noah's heart was in turmoil by the end.

Violet clapped her hands together, pleased. "Wow, I can't believe that was your first time doing those overhead lifts! Most people can't do that. I can't tell you how many times I got dropped in high school."

"I don't break boards in half for nothing," he joked, trying to mask his reaction to the dance.

In their entire lives, Noah had never touched Violet like that. They nearly kissed! And to her, it was nothing! The text "[Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.]" has been removed as it is an advertisement.

Suddenly, he understood her high standards for romance. She'd been surrounded by men from a young age, performing romantic scenes without batting an eye. Typical intimate gestures didn't faze her; they were part of her job.

Violet was completely immune to touch. What left him blushing didn't even make her heart skip a beat.

She'd told him she was affected by seeing guys do cute things, but always changed her mind shortly after. No wonder they didn't measure up once the initial cuteness faded! She wanted her heart to race like in novels, but how could that happen when she was so used to being touched?

Noah had his work cut out for him. He needed to find something that would make her heart race. Compliments, perhaps? But she was used to compliments. People had been complimenting her all her life.

Ah, why was this so difficult?

"Can we go again?" Violet asked sweetly, her dark blue eyes pleading. "I want to do this part at least three times before I move on."

She was seriously trying to kill him. Noah sighed and forced a smile. "Sure, Vi."

Violet was amazed by how good a sport her best friend had been by the time the prince and Cinderella sequence was finished. He wasn't a ballerina, but he'd surprisingly quickly grasped the basics needed as a stand-in.

Noah had always mastered his katas as quickly as she memorized dance steps, but that was a different type of physical activity. Both, however, required significant exertion and artistry.

Perhaps that's why they related so well: their passions shared a core similarity.

"What do I owe you for today?" Violet asked, stretching in preparation for her next practice sequence.

"The year of my life I lost when I dropped you," Noah said with a wheezy laugh. "Seriously, that was terrifying."

She patted his shoulder. "I'm okay, though. Really, what can I do for you?"

He looked at her seriously. "Come to Coney Island with me on Saturday."

"Ooh, it's been forever since we've gone! That doesn't seem like much of a favor, though."

He shrugged. "I want to do something fun to make up for nearly killing my best friend."

Violet rolled her eyes. What kind of logic was that? But if he wanted to go to Coney Island, she'd happily oblige. It was a fun place, especially with all the thrill rides.

"Alright, enough with the 'nearly killing me' thing. I'm alive, you're alive, and we're going to Coney Island. I still have about thirty minutes of rehearsal left, and then I'm going to kick your butt in UNO!"

The next half hour flew by. Since Violet was the last one in the building, they decided to play cards there and then go home. She could lock up when they finished.

Her confidence wasn't misplaced. She completely destroyed him five rounds in a row.

"Earth to Noah! Are you even paying attention?" Violet demanded, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Sorry, I guess I'm a little tired," he apologized.

She frowned. "You do look a little out of it. Were those lifts too much for you?"

"Something like that. I better call it a night. You can continue destroying me in UNO tomorrow after work."

"Sure thing," Violet replied, biting her lip.

Suddenly, she felt guilty for making him help. It had been a lot of help, though! The practice had been necessary. Tomorrow, the prince's scenes would flow much smoother.

As they headed to their cars and said goodnight, Violet was still worried about him. Noah had seemed distracted during the dance practice, even before tiring from the lifts.

She wondered what was wrong. A memory from one of the few male dancers in her high school ballet class resurfaced.

"I only joined ballet because it would give me the chance to touch pretty girls all the time."

That guy had been a creep. Nobody liked being his partner.

But Violet had forgotten something fundamental about men and women since becoming a ballerina: most of the men she danced with were gay, so touching a pretty girl didn't affect them.

She was used to being touched from years of practice, but Noah might have been uncomfortable with the waist and face touches. It's strange when a random person touches you for the first few times.

But she wasn't a random person, right? They were best friends. They hugged, patted shoulders, high-fived, and even held hands sometimes for comfort. Why would dance touches be weird?