Jai arrived at Anna's house on Sunday morning knowing she was at home. He crept in using the spare key under the mat and headed upstairs. He wanted to surprise her and let her know the good news! He slowly opened the door to her bedroom. She was awake and typing at her laptop.
"Anna" he shouted as he got closer to her. She jumped up in surprise clutching her heart.
"You idiot!" She turned around and hit him hard.
He burst into laughter as she glared at him in anger.
"GO away!" She crossed her arms across her chest and turned away from him.
"Aw comon!! I was only playing – I have some news for you!"
"What might that be?" She said without looking at him
"I got a new job!"
She forgot her anger and turned to hug him. She was so happy for him!
"What's the job?"
"I got hired at Pose magazine as a fashion photographer" he said happily
"Oh wow! Jai that is so brilliant! Im sooooo happy for you" They all had new jobs and everything was going great! She felt so happy.
"I wanted to take you out for some breakfast to celebrate!" He said
"OH? Okay I'll come down in 15 mins"
They enjoyed breakfast and also took a stroll around the lake at the local park. She clung onto his arm and for some reason it felt good. He was warm and he was very gentle with everything he did. Then it hit her.
"Will you be going overseas a lot?"
"For some projects I will have to, but most are local or India-wide" He replied.
"Awww....I'll miss you Jai!"
"I won't be gone for long" He said squeezing her arm which was linked to his.
"You'll have fun though photographing pretty young models" She said laughing
"Jealous?"
"No" but she was. She didn't like the thought of him with someone else, but she also could not be with him. She was being unfair to him. "I think you should find a beautiful girl on one of your projects" She suggested.
"I've already found one" he replied silently. She barely heard him but she knew who he was talking about.
Monday arrived faster than Anna thought it would and she was so excited for her first lesson with Raj. She was also a little nervous. She wore loose clothes like he had asked the night before and drove to town. She spotted the studio in the direction Raj had instructed and felt relieved that it wasn't hard to find. He hadn't arrived yet so she went inside and sat herself down on one of the chairs. She slowly looked around scanning the studio to familiarise herself with it.
One entire wall was covered in a huge mirror while another wall had a long ballet bar fixed onto it. Everything else just felt like a large indoor basket ball court with shiny floors and felt very clean and spacious. In one corner of the room there was a huge grand piano. It took her by surprise as she hadn't noticed it before, it blended into the black wall. She had learned Piano for eight years but did not own one, so she decided to take the opportunity. Sitting herself down she started playing one her favourite pieces, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata in the first movement, slow and serene. The music carried her to a different place and she saw Raj holding her by the waist and the pair of them slowly spinning in graceful unison to the tune. They just drifted peacefully in each others arms and suddenly there was clapping. She stopped playing and looked back.
He was there smiling and clapping for her. She immediately stood up feeling nervous.
"Please keep playing" he urged gently.
"Uh that was just nothing. I don't want to play anymore" She felt shy
"You know how much I love you playing Piano. You can play so well"
"Raj please! Okay let's dance" She felt excited again.
"Okay okay but you have to play something else for me soon" He demanded smiling
"I will later, now c'mon teach me master" she said giggling.
"You know, you play Piano with such grace and rhythm – I don't know why you can't dance"
"Maybe if you teach me I'll be good" She said cheekily. "I've just never had a good teacher"
"We will begin with a warm up, I'll do a couple of steps and you follow okay?"
"Okay"
He performed some simple sequences but she had trouble following. It was a very simple dance routine and she was frustrated that she couldn't do it right.
"Raj! I can't do it, I suck" she said angrily.
"Ill watch you do it, and fix your positions, go start from the beginning"
She wobbled around and did her best. But she couldn't find the rhythm. Raj moved around her and watched, thinking intently. He then stepped in and fixed her arm, her hips. He didn't want to touch her too much because he knew the power she had over him, but he couldn't help it. She was doing a little better now, but there was more to fix. He went around her back and put one of his arms under hers and around her waist.
"Like this Anna" he said pushing her arm up. She felt his breath warm on her skin and felt his face close to her ear. She froze and lost all concentration. He moved away from her.
"Concentrate Anna!"
"Oh sorry!" She got back into position and did it the way he had shown.
"Okay I think that's enough warming up. I'll teach you a couple of ball room routines. We'll do one a session okay?"
She nodded eagerly. He stepped in front of her and took her by the waist. "Put you one arm over my shoulder and give me the other hand" They stood in the basic ball room position suddenly feeling very warm.
Raj shrugged it off quickly "Okay step to the left then back" They did it together.
He felt her body against his and he struggled to keep in control. He cursed himself because he knew this would happen. After a couple of minutes of the routine Anna felt tired. She wasn't used to physical activity as she wasn't sporty.
"I'm tired Raj, can we have a break?"
"We have to hand back the studio in an hour Anna, can we keep going for a bit more?"
She agreed and he continued teaching her. But she was so out of breath after the newer steps he taught that she felt dizzy and tripped. He caught her midway down and held onto her kneeling on one of his knees.
"Sorry Anna, lets rest – you're very tired"
She clutched onto his shirt and pulled herself closer to his face. She looked into his eyes and lost all sense of reality.
YOU ARE READING
Dancing with destiny
Romance"No Anna will be my wife" Jai argued. They were playing a game they often played - houses and families. "How? I am the oldest and I get Anna" Raj pulled at her arm. Jai joined in and pulled from the other end. It was like tug-a-war and she was trapp...
