Counterbalance by Aidan Wayne

Author:Aidan Wayne [Wayne, Aidan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Published: 2016-07-10T04:00:00+00:00

John managed to avoid things for a good week, skirting around Bao and feeling bad about it every time the acrobat’s smile dimmed as he nodded and told John that he understood, that John was very busy. Of course, once the supplies came in for the water practice, John had to be on set, if only to check everything over, make sure the hoses were set up properly, the drainage bumpers in the right places, and, of course, the right mats were down.

Most of the performances in the water segments were group numbers: a lot of dancing and splashing and kicking the water up and down. Naturally, because he had the solo, Bao was nominated to be the first to practice his routine under the hoses.

“I can’t wait!” he told John again, as John set up his hand-balancing rig. “I’m so excited! And I get to see you, and you get to watch the routine. I’m very happy you can.” John gave him a thin-lipped smile. He didn’t want to burst Bao’s bubble, but he really wanted to be just about anywhere but where he was right now.

“I know it’ll look great,” John said, checking the rig and mats one last time. The coating felt weirdly slick for something that was branded as antislip and marketed toward heavy use, but Bao had trained with it fine during dry run-throughs, so maybe the makers knew something John didn’t.

John started the hoses and stepped back, the rest of the performers gathering around in a circle to watch Bao as he started his routine. It started with a dance, fluid as anything, and John’s mouth went dry just from watching. Bao turned and flicked a grin in John’s direction—and that was a performing thing, didn’t mean nothing, calm down—before stepping up to his hand-balancing rig and starting the “real” performance.

Bao mounted the rig, moving his body and switching positions, and even though John had seen hundreds of performers do hundreds of routines, he still found himself holding his breath to see Bao move in his element, especially underneath the hoses arcing water over him.

Then Bao placed his hand down on the rig and he slid right off it, and John watched in slow motion as Bao crashed headfirst to the mats.

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