“Nate,” she murmured, blinking up at him as though she’d never thought he’d be capable of articulating emotions. Fuck, he’d never have believed it either.
“Let’s show them,” he murmured, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers. “Let’s bring everyone to the museum so they can see your masterpiece.”
“Holly and Nate, stage right.”
She pulled away again, just enough for him to see it. The recognition.The knowing.Like maybe, for the first time, she saw him not just as her pain in the ass to manage, but as a man who was already halfway gone for her. And worse, like shefelt it too. Like some tiny, treacherous part of her heart had leaned in.
It hit him like a fist to the sternum, because deep down he knew better. He wasn’t the guy girls like Holly fell for. He was a cautionary tale with a slapshot. A walking misconduct penalty. A career full of bruises and a future built on borrowed time. She was all grace and ambition, built for center stage and standing ovations. He was the guy getting ejected from the venue for starting a fight in the line at the bar.
“We arelivein thirty seconds! Get your asses to stage right before I start sobbing into my headset!”
Holly exhaled, keeping her breath slow and dangerous in its steadiness. And with that same awful, precise grace he so admired her for, she swept her ripped up shoes away from them with one foot like they were nothing.
“Fuck it.I’m going barefoot,” she declared, her tone making it clear there’d be no discussion. She took his hand and turned to lead him to stage right, her spine like iron and that defiant chin of hers lifted like a queen being led to execution.She was fucking magnificent.
He was just the lucky bastard who got to hold on.
Strictly Scandal Online:
Sabotage on Set? Take the Floor Backstage Drama Raises Questions
Multiple sources backstage atTake the Floorreport a “wardrobe incident” moments before Holly Martinez and Nate Eriksson’s live performance tonight.
According to one crew member, Martinez’s ballroom heels were found “deliberately damaged” just minutes before call time. Production has not confirmed foul play, calling the situation “an unfortunate equipment issue.”
But insiders say tensions have been simmering behind the scenes since Martinez and Eriksson’s rise to frontrunner status.
One source tellsStrictly Scandal: “Those shoes didn’t rip themselves…”READ MORE →
@ttftea on TikTok:
so we’re just pretending holly’s shoes magically got sliced up before a LIVE SHOW???
that wasn’t wear and tear. that was I HATE YOU energy.
someone backstage is SICK
#takethefloor #ttf12 #justiceforholly #backstagedrama
@ballroomburnbook on Threads:
not to speculate but
1 holly’s heels were intact during camera blocking
2 they were destroyed 20 mins later
3 there are exactly three people backstage who’d benefit from her spiraling
i’m just saying
#takethefloor #ttf12 #strictlyscandal
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RATE MY EMOTIONAL COLLAPSE
Holly
