Aman + Anjali

The Dance of Passion

Over the last few years, Anjali fell in love with dancing. Dancing solo was liberating but dancing with someone else filled her with a different kind of solace. She wasn't a weak woman. She didn't need a man to lead her on the dance floor, but sometimes she would let her partner lead because it was comforting to know that there was a man so attuned with her desires that he would carry her on when she needed a supporting hand. When her partner's hands would graze her back and push her against his chest, she would match his attitude with equal strength and fervour. They'd look into each other's eyes and see passion, respect, and admiration for one another.

But that night was different. She wasn't the self-assured and confident woman she'd grown into this past decade. Rather, she was searching in her partner's eyes for respect and appreciation to make up for the loss in faith of herself. However, she settled for the lust in Rahul's eyes. Because, for the first time, he was looking at her, not Tina or Jasmine or Lily or Myra. Just her. His eyes were captivated by the sight of her. It was the first time she had felt beautiful in his company.

His hands grasped her waist with a sort of possessiveness that only a lover would hold. A possessiveness he had never shown towards her when she was clad in shorts. This moment was full of intense desire and passion. It was strange to be in his arms. Unusual. Foreign. Unsettling, even. Something was holding her back.

Anjali's heart was palpitating. Their intimate proximity scared her and when she moved out of his grasp, she felt a tug on her pallo holding her back. But when he dropped his hold on the fabric, Anjali's heart broke. He doesn't want me, does he? She wondered. When she returned Rahul's gaze, the questions on her mind were clear. Rahul's eyes invited her closer and she accepted. That's how this dance works she thought to herself.

Anjali traced Rahul's face with her soft fingers. Slowly but surely, she was memorizing it for she knew this was only a moment in time. A fantasy come true, maybe? Her fingers stopped right above his lips when the diamond on her finger caught her eyes.

Her ring.

Aman.

Aman!

Anjali slowly let her eyes wander back to her partner's face. Her eyes dilated and her heart sank. Rahul. Not Aman. Anjali jerked her hand back, trembling. She turned her back to Rahul and could feel her anxiety sky-rocketing as she ran into the forest. Her body wasn't in control. She ran and ran until her feet gave up and her hands desperately clutched to a tree for support. She wanted to scream, she wanted to shout, but she didn't. She just cried, unheard as the thunder roared louder than anything else in the vicinity.

It took her moments to recollect the scene that had just happened. She was dancing a routine that she had danced to thousands of times before yet she had felt uneasy and guilty. It was just a dance routine. But it was their routine. She gave the right to touch her so intimately to only one man. And the arms that held her in an embrace tonight were not the same. They weren't Aman's. And for the first time, the thought of him not being here broke her heart.

She couldn't bring herself to stop crying or go back to the summer camp knowing Aman wasn't going to meet her back.