𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞

𝟔𝟔. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲

We had spent our day inside the hotel, mostly avoiding each other, but how could you avoid someone that's practically in front of you? As soon as the clock hit seven, we agreed to get ready and meet downstairs, I wanted to take one of those long showers that could wash away my thoughts, or at least that's what I hoped for. I slid down into the water, letting it block out the sounds around me. I wished the tub would expand so I could go swimming, like I used to on hot summer sundays with Victoria. Those days were a special treat.

Somehow I found myself thinking about Derange and what would happen after we would finish our plan, I couldn't possibly accept the "never seeing him again" plan. He was my friend. He was someone I cared about. Someone I wanted in my life. I guessed that all those things didn't really apply to him. He didn't feel anything.

Was it normal for me to be anxious over a stupid surprise? Was it normal to be nervous over a simple dinner? Through my mind, a thousand thoughts were passing, starting with what I was going to wear. I wanted it to be something elegant. Everyone said that first impressions were everything and it would be his first time seeing me all dressed up. A feeling of happiness washed my body, it was the first time we would do something together, me and him, all alone.

The power of...love, didn't give me the right to meddle in his life, but should he ever need a "woman" I would be right there. He was good, he had everything he needed to be the man he was born to be. He was more than he knew, less than he would become, perfect in my eyes. To be in his company was always a little slice of heaven, as if his aura were an elixir to my hurting soul.

Emotions swum in his eyes, in his body language, in the inflexions of his voice, and all of that was masculine to me, emotions weren't just for girls. He could easily reach for the stars and knew that they would shine for him as much as anyone else. Was he the definition of the man that I needed? maybe he was after all.

As soon as I got out of the shower Derange was nowhere to be found, he had gone downstairs already. Beauty took time as they said, what could I possibly do to change that? I wore a long, dark, red dress and my black high heels. I applied light makeup and brushed my hair. I was ready to go, more anxious than ever. This time I decided to take the elevator for a change, it was blue on the inside, how peculiar. Serene blue.

As soon as I arrived downstairs I scanned the room for Derange. I couldn't spot him anywhere until I felt a hand touching my bare shoulder. It was him. When he looked at me it was as if every ounce of breath was taken from my lungs, floating into the air like midnight smoke. It was strange, I fought to keep my tears from not falling and smearing my face. I felt complete.

This feeling was so strange. It stretched throughout my whole body. It was overwhelming, yet made me feel complete. It had no bound nor length nor depth. It was just absolute. It felt as though I was in a dangerous fire, yet I was completely safe at the same time. It felt as though someone had given me peace. It felt as though my heart was dancing around my chest and a hole, I was aware was there, had been filled.

It was strange, frightening even, how I could go from someone being a complete stranger, to then being completely infatuated by him. He was my friend and, as cheesy as it sounded, he was my anchor. My one stability in that world filled with chaos.

Derange was wearing a black suit, I had never seen him so dressed up. He had a beautiful face. Well defined, with a sharp jaw and angular cheekbones. The complexion of his skin going well with his brown, caramel eyes.

He looked down for a moment, he was holding a glass of wine in his right hand. He brought the alcohol to his lips. The burning sensation pouring down his throat, creating a warm feeling deep inside of his stomach.

"You look beautiful," he said while sipping from his drink, his eyes glimmering.

"You do not look bad yourself," I warmly smiled.

"Are you ready for your surprise? Oh and Alice, my memory is perfect, you will understand why," he smirked and left his glass on a small table.

We took a taxicab but we arrived very quickly, who would know that our drive would be that short. The taxicab was parked outside of what seemed like a restaurant but as soon as I saw it happiness spread all over my body making me want to jump and hug him tightly.

"You didn't," I gasped.

"Yes I did, let's go doll," he chuckled.

I run towards the door like a child. It was a restaurant with dancers, when we had come to Australia, the first time we slept in our room I told him how badly I wanted to go to a restaurant with dancers. He had remembered. It took a second or two for the new information to sink it, even though it was right before my eyes, larger than life. Then I felt my lips stretch wider into a gaping grin and my eyebrows arched for the sky.

We walked in and of course Derange had made a reservation for us. We sat on our beautiful table with a satin tablecloth. I immediately turned and looked at the dancer. She was one with the music. She raised softly her curved arms and moved to the rhythm of the mounting beat. Inky tresses swirled about her undulating hips, hips that invited a man's caress.

After some minutes more dancers came in the middle of the restaurant. They moved like water transformed by music, flowing in graceful arcs, limbs in constant motion, painting a picture sound alone could never achieve. They brought a wordless interpretation of the beats, of the soft strings, in a way the audience could understand no matter what language they spoke. In that way their dance wasn't simply movement, but the most honest form of communication I had seen. Wasn't that how we humans were, saying what we think we ought but showing how we truly feel in our art?

The waiter never came to our table, Derange had taken care of the food before we even came here. They brought us huge platters of fowl stuffed with savoury fruit and nuts. Ocean creatures drizzled in sauces, begging to be dipped in spicy concoctions. Countless cheeses, breads, vegetables, sweets, waterfalls of wine, and streams of spirits that flickered with flames. Everything was absolutely delicious.

"Can I have this dance?" Derange asked me and smiled.

"Oh my, Mr Derange for sure," I chuckled.

We slowly walked towards the middle of the restaurant along with the dancers and some other people who were dancing. The music spun around us lifting away gravity. I couldn't count how many times I had squished his foot under my own. Still he smiled brightly as my heels clicked over the restaurant's floor. The lights were twinkling with every step as I spun in delicate circles, my golden dress billowing out. I used to love things like that, the pressure of a warm hand on my back.

I rested my head on his chest, and let him sway my body round and round again. The violins came in, then the piano, and then the slow and sure beating of a drum. When the music slowed I looked up into his caramel eyes, and started running away from him.