Time to play my last card. "We can also invite Cyrille to join the decision-making process." If he is involved in the decision, he can't blame our boss afterward if it goes wrong.
Which it won't. Hopefully.
Can Aurora and I really win?
David lets out a heavy sigh. "Are you sure that... both of you...?"
He can't be serious about discussing his concerns with the boss here, can he? Is he out of his mind?
I shoot him a warning glance, but he holds his ground.
"Well, alright," Madame Durand says in the midst of my staring match with David. "I'll register you, and in three weeks, we'll see. That would be... " She glances at the wall calendar behind me. "The ninth of August. I'll make sure Cyrille is there too." It was evident that she would invite him. I would do the same in her position.
"Alright, that settles it for today." The boss briskly closes her files. "The next meeting is next Wednesday at 4 p.m. And Maxime"—she stares at me intensely—"if I hear that you're neglecting your teaching duties, the tournament will be off the table for you."
"Don't worry, that won't happen," I quickly reply. Then I take out my phone to note the date in my calendar. When I look up again, Madame Durand has already left.
Only David remains, studying me intently. "Do you really expect me to believe that nothing is going on between you two?" he asks directly as if he knows more than I do.
Nonsense. "We've already discussed that topic. Why are you bringing it up again?"
He leans back in his chair, intertwining his fingers at the back of his neck. "The way you advocate for her... It's a bit too fervent, if you ask me."
Really? Have I been too zealous? No, I would do the same for any talented student. "She's an incredible dancer. With her, I can reach the top. Why would I miss out on this opportunity?" Internally, I pat myself on the back for this quick-witted response.
He presses his lips together. I wish he would stop staring at me, but he shows no signs of doing so. He should just accept it. Many dance couples seem like they can't keep their hands off each other on the dance floor even though absolutely nothing is happening between them.
David is fishing in troubled waters.
Suddenly, he breaks from his posture and stands energetically. As he passes me on his way to the door, he stops and puts his hand on my shoulder. "I hope you know what you're doing," he whispers.
I don't have time to react. He disappears from the conference room so quickly that I even believe he didn't want a reaction from me.
With my heart pounding, I watch him leave. He steps through the doorway, and in the blink of an eye, he's gone.
