More cheers. More flashes. Somewhere in the back, someone yelledkiss her!and Nate almost laughed. Because no.Not yet.
@BallroomTeaSpill on Instagram:
Holly just closing her eyes and handing herself over to Nate was the most iconic thing I’ve ever seen on TTF!
@HammerheadsNation on Threads:
THE BOYS IN ROW THREE GOING FERAL someone clip Jaime standing like a proud dad IMMEDIATELY.
Puck Drop Weekly:
From Suspension to Standing Ovation: Eriksson’s Redemption Arc Ends in a Perfect Score and a Nation Sobbing. But will the Hammerheads re-sign him?
78
TAKE THE FLOOR
Holly
“That kiss was for every version of me who thought love was a trap.”
The press line was a fever dream of sequins and flashbulbs. Questions overlapped. Someone asked about ‘chemistry’, and someone else asked about the NHL. Holly smiled while Nate was charming and noncommittal. Then it was over.
A production assistant herded them toward the stage entrance where the final three couples were gathering before the results. Nick stood with Cherry, composed as ever, one hand folded neatly at his wrist like he’d wandered in from a BBC period drama and simply never left. The third couple, Luca and Dominique, hovered nearby. Holly felt Nate’s hand brush hers, almost like a warning. She looked up and saw her.
Sophie.Immaculate in a tailored cream pantsuit, headset angled like a crown.Ah yes. Corporate Villain Barbie, enter stage right.
Holly didn’t hesitate. She stepped away from Nate under the guise of adjusting her heel and approached Sophie with theserene smile that ballroom dancers perfect early on in their competitive careers.
“Congratulations,” Sophie said smoothly, in a detached way that Holly clocked instantly.She was uncomfortable.“No matter what happens next, you two made for excellent television.”
Holly tilted her head. “We absolutely did.” She waited a beat before continuing lightly, as though discussing catering options. “You should know I’m aware of what happened earlier this season. The shoes. The necklace. Lars.”
Sophie’s expression didn’t even flicker. “Allegations are dangerous.”
“So’s documentation,” Holly said, her voice just as quiet. “Good thing Lars kept receipts.”
Holly let the implication sit there between them like a loaded envelope. It was too late for Sophie to fuck with her one last time, but not too late for Holly to repay the favor.
“Do you think he’s the type that’d go straight to the media?” Holly mused. “Or would he lawyer up?” She tossed Sophie an appraising glance, almost like she actually cared. Then she smiled. A real one. “Guess it all depends on how you ended things with him, right?”
Sophie paused deliberately, before her fake smile sharpened by half a millimeter. “Careful.”
Holly nodded, her expression melting into fake seriousness. “Yes… Iwouldbe, if I were you.”
Behind her, a shadow detached itself from the wing curtain. Nick stepped forward with the quiet precision of a man whohad never once rushed a moment in his life. His suit was immaculate, his expression unreadable, but his gaze had already taken in Sophie’s posture, Holly’s smile, and the tension in the air between them buzzing like static before a storm.
He ignored Sophie and looked straight at Holly, standing by her side. Silent Ally Mode activated.
“You alright?”
Holly glanced from Nick, to Sophie, and then back again as she decided the other woman wasn’t worth another second of her time.
“I am now.”
Nick studied her for a long moment, as though carefully weighing those words behind his infamous composure.
And then voice rang out like champagne uncorking. “Finalists to stage!”
