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Sombra loved ballet.
Most people were surprised when she revealed this. After all, she wasn’t particularly delicate or feminine, which is what many people assumed ballerinas were. Those people were wrong, of course. Ballerinas came in a huge variety, and many of them were the opposite of their stereotype.
Still, people had an idea in their heads of who did ballet, and Sombra was about the opposite of their imaginations.
That didn’t stop her, though. If anything, it encouraged her. She was determined to be the best ballerina she could possibly be, and people who knew Sombra knew that once she put her mind to something, there was very little that could stop her. So, since she discovered ballet at age 11, she had practiced every day.
And, finally, it had paid off. Sombra was finally standing backstage at the most renowned ballet venue in the world, ready to take center stage. This was it. Everything she’d ever dreamed of. It was happening.
Fear and excitement mingled together inside of her until she couldn’t tell the two apart. Her heart was racing so fast she could hear it, and sweat was beginning to bead on her forehead.
What if she messed up?
The thought startled her. Sombra relied on her unwavering confidence to get her through performances. It was rare that her nerves were so strong that she had a thought like that.
What if she failed?
Sombra takes deep breaths. She still has a few minutes before she has to go on, so hopefully she can get the treacherous, doubtful thoughts under control.
What if she cracked under the pressure?
Closing her eyes, Sombra tried to focus on her confidence, but it seemed to have fled, leaving behind nothing but an array of doubts that made her breathing shaky.
What if she embarrassed herself?
Clenching her teeth, Sombra forced herself to stay steady. There was nothing to be afraid of. She had mastered this routine thousands of times before, had practiced for months. The chance that she would mess up was infinitesimal.
Still… it wasn’t impossible.
The thousands of ‘what ifs’ swirled through her mind, causing her to hyperventilate. What was happening to her? She’d never had this problem before!
Then again, she’d also never performed in this venue.
Forcing herself to open her eyes, Sombra stared at the room around her. It was empty besides her. All the other dancers had gone on. She was the grand finale. The final ballerina to appear on stage. Her performance would be the most complicated and, hopefully, the most memorable of the night.
She couldn’t go out there this nervous. What would calm her down?
The answer came to her almost immediately. Cole. She needed to talk to Cole.
Sombra forced herself to move, walking over to her backpack which was in the corner of the room. Inside, she found her phone, and quickly opened the texting app. Cole’s name was at the top of her contacts, and she quickly pressed it.
Their last messages, sent a few hours prior, made her smile a little.
good luck darlin
i don’t need luck
but thanks i guess
Even just those three sentences calmed her down a bit. Still, her nerves were there, so she sent out a new text.
you there?
For a few seconds, she worried Cole would be too distracted in the audience to respond. But after just half a minute, there was a reply.
yea
u good?
just nervous
which is a weird new experience
Cole could somehow see through her attempts to downplay the issue, even over text, because instead of just responding, he called her.
“Hey, Darlin’,” he said when she picked up. His voice made Sombra’s muscles relax and a small laugh fell from her throat.
“Hey, Vaquero.” The words were more breathless than she had intended. Then she paused. There was no background noise in the call. “Where are you?” If he were still in the concert hall, she would have heard the music.
“Bathroom. Wanted to talk to you without gettin’ kicked out,” he chuckled. “Anyways, what’s got you so nervous?”
Sombra chewed on her lip. “This is the biggest venue I’ve ever played in. What if something goes wrong?”
“What if it does?” Cole asked, causing Sombra to pause. “What if you mess up?”
After a few seconds, Sombra said, “If you’re trying to calm me down, it’s not working.”
Undeterred, Cole continued. “I’m serious, Darlin’. What will happen if you mess up?” The question made her pause and think.
“The critics will have a field day. And I’ll have ruined what was supposed to be the biggest performance of my life.”
Cole hummed over the line. “Sombra, baby, when have you ever given a shit about what the critics think?” Before she can answer, he continued. “And I know for a fact that you ain’t doin’ this for fame or attention. Do you really care about how big the venue is? You dance because you love it. No one can take that away from you.”
Sombra let the words sink in, comforting her more than false reassurances ever would have. “When did you get so profound?”
Cole chuckled. “You’re just rubbin’ off on me, I guess. Now go out there and knock ‘em dead, Darlin’.”
Nerves almost completely calmed, Sombra smiled. “You got it, Vaquero.”
Just as she ended the phone call, one of the stage managers opened the door to the room. “You’re on in a few minutes,” he said, gesturing for her to follow him. Taking a deep breath and remembering Cole’s reassuring words, Sombra follows closely behind him, ready to embrace her love of dancing for the world to see.
Sombra was grinning so hard her cheeks were beginning to hurt, which she thought only happened in books. She had absolutely nailed the performance, and had gotten a standing ovation. Sure, as Cole had said, she didn’t dance because of anyone but herself, but the validation still made her grin.
When she had made it backstage after her dance, she had squealed, actually squealed in excitement.
Soon, though, she gathered her composure and walked out into the lobby, where guests were fawning over the other ballerinas. As soon as she stepped into the room, many of the people swarmed over to her, all of them shouting compliments and praises. Sombra just smirked, letting them shower her in attention and giving plenty of signatures.
Dancing would always be her favorite part of the job, but this was good, too.
It took a while for the crowd surrounding Sombra to dissipate, but when it did, Cole was at her side, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You were amazin’, Sweetheart!” he exclaimed, loud enough that several people turned to look at them.
“Why, thank you, Vaquero,” Sombra replied, returning the hug. When they pulled away, Sombra couldn’t help but giggle at the goofy smile on his face. He looked almost more ecstatic than her.
“I mean it. That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he insisted, bringing up one hand to cup her cheek. The other hand was held at his side, holding a bouquet of lively purple flowers.
He must have noticed how she was staring at them, because he pulled his hand away from her cheek to rub the back of his neck. “I got these. For you. As congratulations,” he said, a blush rising to his cheeks.
“They’re beautiful.” As she spoke, Sombra reached out to take the bouquet. There were all kinds of flowers, each of them a vibrant purple. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, Darlin’. Now, let’s get home. I’m sure your feet must be killin’ you,” Cole replied, holding out his arm for her to take, which was such a gentlemanly move that Sombra couldn’t help but giggle.
“Alright, Vaquero. But you have to give me a massage when we get there,” Sombra said, only half joking.
“Yes, Ma’am.” And with that, Cole led her out of the venue, both of them giggling all the while.