Slow Dancing

04 | colla parte

0 4

c o l l a   p a r t e

[It.] : A player should double another's part.

 

THE SILENCE THAT ensued was wrought with tension of the thickest, most dangerous kind. I could almost hear the seconds on the clock tick by, and with every second that passed, we seemed to be digging a deeper hole for ourselves. Kaden seemed completely frozen in his spot, his mouth agape as his mother's words registered themselves in his head.

"What?" He blurted at last, as if he couldn't quite believe it.

I felt my breath lodge itself in my throat. Both Adelaide and I were silent, until I felt her nudge me forward. Instantly, my brain kicked in and I swallowed hard. Based on what I'd gathered from the files, Evangeline was an aspiring model. She had to be all sorts of confident and sexy.

With the best sultry voice I could possibly muster, I broke the silence. "Hello, Kade," my throat felt unusually dry, and he automatically turned in my direction.

"Evangeline," he began carefully, pushing himself off the window-seat completely and scrambling to his feet. He was no longer elegant and agile on his feet; he stumbled every so often, his hands feeling the furniture around him as he made his way towards me. "How're you feeling?" He asked, the concern plain in his voice. "The doctors said you had some minor injuries."

"I'm alright," I said, reaching out to steady him. My fingers curled around his strong forearms, the sleeves of his shirt wrinkling under my firm grasp. I tried to ignore the fact that the last time I had been so close to him was four years ago and that I had promptly fallen in love with him thereafter, even though the mere thought of that sent my heart racing.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I stared up at him and wished that I could see his forest green eyes. "What about you, how're you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he murmured. His hands gripped my elbows firmly and he pulled me closer. I could feel the rough callouses on the tips of his fingers as he grazed them across my skin gently, but firmly, nonetheless, as if he were trying to confirm my presence through touch alone. "A little blind," he let out low laugh that sounded somewhat bitter, "but all in one piece."

"That's good," I breathed, drawing back a little when his fingers slipped up the slope of my neck and curved themselves against my cheeks lightly. He seemed adamant on mapping out the contours of my face and I knew that I couldn't let him. Not yet, at least. It was far too risky a move. "Kade, I – "

"Hold on," he hushed, tugging me gently towards him again. I tried to keep my distance and a frown slipped onto his face. "I just – I just really missed you, that's all," he told me softly, and I found my resolve weakening. "Come here."

Reaching forward, he slid a reassuring arm around my waist and he was just about to pull me into another embrace when Adelaide's voice came from behind us, loud and clear and firm.

"Kaden."

Kaden's head shot up and he fell a quick step back. "Bloody hell, woman," he sniped at his mother, "are you still standing there?"

"Clearly," she replied dryly, sending a pointed look my way. "Evangeline has to get back to work. She can't stay for long."

Kaden inclined his head in my direction. He seemed faintly disappointed, if the sudden downward sloping of his shoulders in resignation was any indication at all. "Alright," he said, a tight smile on his face. "Thanks for visiting. I'm glad you're fine."