Chapter 55: SMD Studio

Milie's POV.

"Alan, what’s this?" I looked around the room.

"What? You didn't get it?" Alan asked.

It was a garage. Well-lit, freshly painted, and surprisingly spacious. On the wall opposite me hung a large signboard.

SMD Dance Studio.

I looked at Alan with the same confused expression.

He smirked. "What? Still no clue?"

I shook my head.

Alan turned me toward the wall-sized mirror and stood behind me.

"Now?"

"Alan, stop building suspense." I glared at him through the mirror before my eyes drifted back to the signboard.

Then suddenly—"Wait!" My heart skipped.

"SMD means Sammy, Milie, and Daxton?"

"Yup."

"And this is a dance place, right?"

"Yup."

"What do you mean, yup?" I turned to him. "If you don't explain right now, I might actually die of curiosity."

He chuckled. "You crazy girl. This is a dance studio. And who among us is obsessed with dancing?"

"Sammy—"

"So?"

The realization hit me instantly. My eyes widened. "Oh my God."

Alan's grin widened, too.

I slowly turned in a circle, taking everything in. "This is for Sammy?"

"Finally."

"A dance studio?"

"Yes."

"An actual dance studio?"

Alan chuckled. "Oh, god, how many times are you gonna ask the same question?"

Tears already started forming in my eyes.

"Because I can't believe it." My voice got heavy, and the tears arrived before I could stop them.

Alan's expression changed immediately. "Wait."

I looked away.

"Milie."

I shook my head.

"Why are you crying? I thought you'd be happy." He was genuinely confused.

"I am happy."

Before he could see me, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him, tightly.

His body froze for a second. Then his arms came around me.

"Hey." His voice softened.

"What happened?"

I buried my face against his chest.

"Please don't ask."

What would I tell him because I, too, genuinely didn't know? Was I overwhelmed for Sammy?

Was I shocked? Proud? Or was it because Alan somehow always managed to care about people in ways nobody else thought of?

"Talk to me."

I wiped my face and pulled back slightly.

"You did all this?"

"Yeah, but Aunty, Uncle, Nana, my Mom… Everyone helped."

I narrowed my eyes. "You included everyone and not me?"

"Because then I would've missed this hug." He winked.

I smacked his arm while laughing through my tears.

"There it is. See?" He pointed proudly. "That's the reaction I expected."

I wiped my cheeks again. "You're ridiculous."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I'll take it anyway."

I shook my head. "How did you even think of this?"

His shoulders lifted casually. "A few weeks ago, Sammy showed me some dance videos."

My lips turned up into a warm smile.

"He also told me he wanted to teach someday."

I nodded. I remembered. Sammy had mentioned it to us, too. Just once.

Alan continued. "A few days later, I saw a flyer about this garage being available."

"And?"

"And I thought, why not?"

I stared at him. He said it so casually as if helping someone chase their dream was the most normal thing in the world.

"I talked to the owners."

"The old couple?"

"Yeah." His smile widened. "See the odds? The uncle had dreamed of becoming a dancer when he was younger."

"No way." My mouth fell open.

"Yes, way."

"He agreed almost immediately. And at a ridiculously low rent."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"And that's not even the best part."

"What?"

"He's going to be Sammy's first student."

I stared at him, completely amazed. Then at the studio. Then back at him.

Everything suddenly felt bigger. More meaningful.

His thought wasn't a gift. It was an opportunity.

A beginning, a future, something that neither Daxton nor I had thought of despite knowing Sammy our entire lives.

Alan had entered our lives only months ago, and yet he had listened, remembered, and acted.

Just because Sammy once mentioned a dream. My chest tightened.

"What?"

Alan asked, catching me staring at him again.

I shook my head.

"Nothing." I couldn't explain what was happening inside me.

Our eyes held for a second longer than they should have, and my heartbeat sped up.

Something warm settled between us until Alan looked away.

I knew he felt the same.

"Now." He smiled. "We need to figure out how to surprise Sammy."

I immediately smiled. "He's going to cry."

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely. He'll deny it, though."

"Of course." We both laughed. "Classic Sammy."

"Yeah, Classic Sammy." I said, and Alan casually threw an arm around my shoulders.

"So what's the plan?"

"I think we should surprise him exactly the way you surprised me."

"Simple?"

"Yup, simple with a few people."

"Perfect." He smiled, ruffling my hair at the back.

He then discussed banners, trial classes, social media pages, flyers, and possible students.

And the more he talked, the more impressed I became.

He had thought about every damn thing.

This wasn't just a dream anymore.

It was a real plan, and somehow that realization affected me more than anything else.

Because Alan wasn't doing it for attention, he wasn't even planning to tell anyone.

He was simply happy seeing people he loved. That's who he was.

I found myself staring at him. Again and again, until he suddenly stopped talking.

"What?"

I blinked. "What?"

"You were staring again."

"I was not."

"You were."

I immediately looked away, smirking, and his laughter echoed through the studio.

My heart betrayed me again, and I wondered.

Why did I love seeing him laugh? Why was it suddenly impossible to look at him normally?

Why did standing this close feel different?

I hated every answer my heart was trying to give me.

"So, now…" Alan rubbed his hands together.

"One important thing."

I narrowed my eyes. "What?"

"We have to dance."

I laughed instantly. "What? No."

"Come on." He grabbed both my wrists. "Just one song."

"I'm a terrible dancer, Alan."

"You're terrible at everything." I gasped dramatically.

"You are the worst friend alive."

"I'll take that as a compliment too."

I rolled my eyes. He connected his phone to the speakers and dragged me into the middle of the studio.

"This is blackmail," I said, trying to pull my hands off his grip.

"This is friendship." He held it tighter.

I smirked, and music filled the room.

Alan immediately started dancing, badly, intentionally badly, and I burst out laughing.

"There it is! The horse laugh." He pointed dramatically.

I smacked his shoulder.

"Ahhh... Stop calling it that."

"But it's my favorite." He chuckled, and my laughter doubled, too.

Soon, neither of us was actually dancing. We were missing steps, balancing each other, making fun of each other, and just laughing.

And somehow, for the first time since the date, for the first time since the kiss, I felt completely light.

And that realization scared me more than anything, because it was Alan who managed to do it.