Today's the day; the day that Boss lets us dance on stage at the club. After a month of training, and 3 more months of house calls, our moment is finally here. Granted, this isn't our first time on stage; we have done rookie night before. But this time—it was for real. I already have the routine picked out, and Makoto has been practicing right with me.

Makoto…It feels nice to not have to hold any of my feelings back from him. He doesn't hold anything back, either. I'm not sure if Boss and Miho have noticed our relationship yet, but if they have, they either don't care, or just haven't said anything.

I walked straight to the office front; Makoto said he was going to get out late today, and to not wait up for him. I want to practice as much as I can so I can perfect my routine. I open the door and head straight for the back room.

"Afternoon, Boss," I greeted. He was standing there, as proud as always, talking to another guy about my age.

"Ah, Rin. Good timing, I want you to meet someone," he ushered me over to him and the other guy. "It's strange you two haven't met up until this point, but this is Haru Nanase. He started training a week after you and Makoto did, and will be dancing with you tonight."

Haru looked over at me with shining blue eyes. He was shorter than me, but just as built. His black hair was messy from practicing, and his shirt soaked in sweat.

"Nice to meet ya, Haru. I'm Rin Matsouka, I play the role of a cop. Can I ask what role you play?" I'm curious, what kind of person this Haru guy is.

"Chef," he said blatantly. Chef? A chef stripper? That sounded a little off to me, but considering that some women think it's the greatest thing in the world when a man cooks for her, it's believable.

"Now that you guys are properly introduced, I'd like to quickly go over tonight's lineup," Boss explained, "after receiving customer feedback, I lined everyone up based on that, and we can go from there."

A lineup based on customer feedback? I wonder who will be the top dog out of us rookies. There's Makoto and I, this Haru guy, and then Rei. Rei is very technical about his routines; always reading books and watching dance videos. I've watched him at practice, and he's pretty good when it comes to the moves. Rei started training the same time as us, but because he's younger, he is in a different practice group.

"So we'll start out with the group routine, and then move onto the solo dances. First up will be Rei, then Makoto right after to warm up for you two. It was close, deciding who would be headlining," Boss explains, "but after talking to Miho, I've decided that Haru will be after Makoto, and Rin will be the ending act."

"Really? I'm the ending act?" I asked. Hearing this really boosted my self confidence; I knew I was good, but not that good.

"I've been watching your practices, Rin. You have great potential. Don't let it slip," Boss ordered.

"Yessir!" I exclaimed. This is great news, I can't wait to tell Makoto….

I glanced over at Haru, who looked kind of hurt. For someone that doesn't talk, he sure wears his emotions on his sleeve. Boss said it was almost a tie for who would be the headliner, right? So this guy must be pretty good.

"Hey, Haru—," I was cut off by Makoto's eager voice filling the practice room.

"Sorry I'm late, Boss; work held me late today. I'll get practicing right away." He was still in his bartender uniform, but his shirt was untucked, and his collar was unbuttoned. Makoto looked over at me and smiled. I walked over to him and filled him in on what he missed.

"So you're gonna be the headliner? That's great, Rin!" I blushed at Makoto's words. My eyes wandered to Haru again; who was standing there with that same expression on his face.

"I'm going home for the day. I'll see you tonight," he mumbled.

"Don't be late, Haru. We'll need you there," Boss said sternly.

I kind of feel bad for him. Then again, Makoto and I have worked hard for this, haven't we earned it? I put these thoughts aside, and headed to the locker room to change.

There's 3 hours left until the show, so Makoto and I head back to our apartment to grab a bite to eat.

"Are you nervous, Rin?" Makoto asked through bites of sandwich.

"I guess," I said, "I'm more worried about that Haru guy, though. He seemed extremely disappointed when he heard I was leading. I hope it doesn't affect his performance."

"Either way, the show will be amazing. You're headlining after all," Makoto cooed.

"You know, Makoto, I think we got involved in this more than we wanted to," I chuckled, "I mean, it pays the rent but…It's using up all of our free time."

"Heh, you're right. Look at it this way—we have extra money at the end of the month, so it pays off in the long run," Makoto explained.

I look at the clock, and it's almost time for the show. I put my dishes away and pull out my costume.

"We're all set, Boss. The stage is clear and the house is full," yelled the guy in charge of the lighting. My heart was beating so fast, and I couldn't breath properly. Makoto stood next to me, gently holding my hand.

"It'll be alright, Rin. You'll do great," he whispered. My back was sweating, I couldn't think straight. How did the routine go? I don't remember. I looked over at Makoto, who didn't seem the least bit nervous.

"Aren't you nervous?" I asked through gasps for air.

"Sure I am. But I think I'll do fine; I've memorized my routine and everything. That's why I'm so sure you'll do great too," he squeezed my hand in assurance.

His words simmered in my head. I suppose I was overreacting…Maybe a little. But it's still nerve-wracking as hell.

"We're ready!" Rei, Makoto, and Haru lined up behind me. Because I was the opening act, I was to stand in front during the group dance. Lights flickered and the music blasted in my ears. My hands were trembling. The four of us went out on stage and got in formation. The entire room was packed with people, all ready to see our show. My body remembered the moves once again as soon as the familiar music flowed through me. My body automatically replayed the moves, and the crowd started going nuts.

Next were the solo acts. Rei was up first, dressed in his usual attire. The sweat rolled down his back while he danced. There was a young, blond-haired kid sitting in the front row, staring in amazement at Rei. So he's got a fan already, eh? Cute.

Rei finished up his routine and headed back stage. Next up was Makoto. I finally get to see him dance alone. But, something wasn't right…

Makoto starts to run out to the stage, "Makoto," I grabbed his arm and brought my lips to his neck, "you're mine, remember." I don't know what came over me, but I got a wave of jealously. I want him to dance for me and me alone. I gently bit his neck, leaving a red mark.

"R-Rin! Not now…" Makoto blushed furiously, and ran out on stage.

His hips moved in tune with the music, and his face had almost the same expression as he had that night we… My face flushed; but my eyes stayed glued to Makoto. His shirt flew off and onto the floor as the crowd screamed. He made his way to the front of the stage, and the front row screamed even louder, throwing bills left and right. I couldn't believe this; Makoto was dancing greater than he ever had. And what's better, is Miho got Makoto and I custom tailored costumes. My eyes kept wandering to his ass, and I'm pretty sure I was drooling. As the minutes wore on, more of Makoto's clothes were thrown onto the floor, until he was just in his g-string and boots. I wanted to slap his bare ass so badly I almost couldn't wait.

"Rin," Haru's voice came from behind me, "I'm going next." There was a cold harshness to his voice.

"Ah, uh…Yeah," my eyes were still glued to Makoto as he ran off stage towards me.

"How was it, Rin?" he asked gleefully through pants.

"It was…amazing," I placed my thumb on the mark I left minutes before.

"It was for you, you know," he whispered in my ear. My face grew even hotter.

Haru ran out on stage, ready to act out his routine. I watched him run out there, and he looked pissed. I wonder why he was so mad? Maybe it was because he wasn't headlining? Either way, I have to get ready for my routine.