Under the Spanish Stars by Alli Sinclair

her way across the stage, then threw her arms high, arched her back and held a steady pose. Her body zapped with electricity as she fed off the audience erupting, shouts of ‘¡olé! ’ and ‘¡eso es! ’ filling her ears. Katarina relaxed her pose and smiled her thanks, slightly overwhelmed by the enthusiasm, even though she’d witnessed this scene many times over since she’d started dancing in public. Word had got out quickly that her pairing with Salvador and Hernán held a special magic and the crowds grew larger with each performance, sometimes to the point that people spilled out onto the street, jostling to get a glance through large, plate-glass windows.
    Katarina, Salvador and Hernán held hands, bowed and exited the stage, the heat from their bodies bouncing against each other as they dashed to the private back room where they could regroup.
    â€˜Yet another marvellous evening.’ Salvador pulled out a chair for Katarina, who sat, trying to catch her breath.
    â€˜Yes, great performance again.’ Hernán scratched the back of his neck, opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. ‘I have to be somewhere.’
    Hernán disappeared out the door and Katarina said, ‘He’s been acting so strange, lately.’
    â€˜You have no idea, do you?’ Salvador raised an eyebrow.
    â€˜About what?’ Katarina fanned her face with her hands. Beads of sweat lined her cleavage and lower spine and she shifted on her seat, trying to dislodge the uncomfortable pools of moisture. ‘What do you know that I don’t?’
    â€˜Have you not noticed how his girlfriend Laura doesn’t attend our performances any more?’
    â€˜Yes, I had. Oh no, did they break up?’
    Salvador shook his head, a small smile on his lips. ‘The opposite, in fact. He’s marrying her this weekend because … well … because they must.’
    â€˜She’s pregnant?’
    â€˜Yes, and to make things more difficult, Laura’s father has demandedHernán work full-time in the family business. No more playing in bars.’
    â€˜But we’re a trio!’ Katarina’s shoulders fell. ‘There has to be a way around it.’
    â€˜The decision has been made for him and he’s an honourable man. What do you think Franco’s men would do if they found out about an unwed mother? Besides, we can’t expect him to do as we wish because it suits us. He’s doing the right thing.’
    â€˜I know.’ She rubbed the ache in her lower back. ‘How come you knew this and I didn’t?’
    â€˜Because I talk to people, Katarina. They open up to me.’ He gave a lopsided smile.
    â€˜But I talk with Hernán all the time.’
    Sighing, Salvador said, ‘You do but you don’t talk in depth. Only discussing the latest step or palo is not how you get to know a person.’
    â€˜But I know details about you and Claudia and the baby.’
    â€˜Only because we’re like family. You open up so beautifully when you dance, why can’t you do the same in real life?’
    Katarina sucked in her stomach as if she’d just been punched. She twisted her lips, refusing to answer.
    â€˜Katarina?’ Salvador raised his eyebrows in a caring, big brother way. ‘You can talk to me. Why is it so hard?’
    â€˜It … just is, all right?’
    â€˜Is it because you’ve spent most of your life hiding who you really are?’
    She nodded, annoyed but also relieved he’d tapped into her innermost thoughts. At least this way she didn’t have to say it out loud.
    â€˜You don’t have to hide any more, dear Katarina. You are a free spirit. Embrace it.’ Salvador patted her knee. Had it been anyone else she would have thought it a patronising gesture, but she knew Salvador’s heart and he did this out of kindness and concern.
    â€˜I know you’re right but you’re