Thanks to Annie for beta reading this chapter for me. :)
Also, thanks to Ruth and Melissa, for encouraging me to write my stories and also for proof reading. It is greatly needed and appreciated! :)
This is where is starts to take off, so bear with me for a couple more chapters. Skim over the lyrics if you wish, if not, then just imagine Kota singing to you, alone, with his guitar. Yes you! That's it! Close your eyes.........
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Tears slowly trickled down Sang's cheek. Oblivious to their presence, Sang continued to stare out of the coffee shop window. The coffee shop door opened and the air shifted. Sang became aware of a familiar smell of sweet spice. It beckoned to her; it's beautiful tendrils reaching towards her, gifting her the fragrance she had come to love.
He was here, she knew he was here. Finally.
She shook her head slightly. No more taking chances. No more meetings with strangers; that is what lead her to where she was now; broken.
"You came."
"So it seems," a small smile from Sang's lips danced.
"I'm only staying for a while," she continued.
"We'll see," that everlasting smirk was present.
"To Jack," someone yelled interrupting the moment.
Glasses were raised in the air as shouts of "Happy Birthday," echoed around them.
The club was alive. Happy faces everywhere.The music pounded and the clubbers danced, loving every beat that bounced from wall to wall, floor to ceiling. A steady bass the anthem for the night. Above the main dance floor was a balcony. In a small dim lit crevice, hidden from sight, a figure sat. Invisible to the revellers, patiently, he watched and waited.
Sang and James talked and laughed continually. Occasionally they danced; Sang always keeping just that little bit of a distance. James, however, didn't seem to notice. Time went quickly as the party continued.
Towards the end of the night a new song began to play. The figure in the shadows leaned slightly forward with interest, into the light.
A realisation struck Sang. Her eyes flew open wide. She looked frantically around the club in vain.
The lyrics were like a dagger to her heart.
Somebody said you got a new friend
Does he love you better than I can?
There's a big black sky over my town
I know where you're at, I bet he's around
Yeah, I know it's stupid
I just gotta see it for myself
I'm in the corner, watching you kiss him, ohh
I'm right over here, why can't you see me, ohh
I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the guy you're taking home, ooo
I keep dancing on my own
I keep dancing on my own
I'm just gonna dance all night
I'm all messed up, I'm so out of line
Stilettos and broken bottles
I'm spinning around in circles
I'm in the corner, watching you kiss him, ohh
I'm right over here, why can't you see me, ohh
I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the guy you're taking home, ooo
I keep dancing on my own
I keep dancing on my own
So far away but still so near
The lights go on, the music dies
But you don't see me standing here
I just came to say goodbye
I'm in the corner, watching you kiss him, ohh
I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the guy you're taking home, ooo
I keep dancing on my own
I keep dancing on my own
I'm in the corner, watching you kiss him, ohh
I'm right over here, why can't you see me, ohh
I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the guy you're taking home, ooo
I keep dancing on my own
I keep dancing on my own
I keep dancing on my own
Sang began to search the immediate crowd around her. Failing that, she widened her search.
"What are you doing?" James asked.
"Looking for someone."
"Now?" he said in disbelief.
Sang ignored James's pleas. Stay with him. Don't go. They were having fun.
Wrenching herself from his arms Sang started to search. She was desperate. Her heart told her, no begged her, to hurry. A warmth slowly encircled Sang's heart. A warmth that was alien to her. She embraced the feeling as the warmth grew to a flame. A flame of hope.
Sang frantically paced the club. Searching, wanting, believing. 'Was is him? No. Him? No. What about him? No. Where is he? Where is he? Where is he?' Her inner dialogue became louder and louder as she searched in vain.
FInally, a light glimmered in an empty corner of the balcony. She hadn't tried there! Racing through the crowds of clubbers; Sang pushed them out of her way as the pangs of desperation soared through her veins. She could just make out the outline of a tall slender guy. His face still in shadow, she could see the outline of short brown hair. Suddenly two luminous green eyes laced with pain turned towards her. Sang gasped and clutched her heart. The smell of sweet spice called her home. Struggling, she made the final steps towards the beacons of light. Suddenly, the light faded. "No!" Sang shouted. "No! Wait!" Reaching the darkness Sang sank to the floor. Tears formed as the wretch of loneliness embraced her.
Emptiness.
Darkness.
Loss.
Sang let the tears flow freely. She mourned the loss of a stranger. She mourned the loss of hope. She mourned the loss of warmth. Sang placed her hand over her heart. It was real. For the first time in her life she had felt warmth in her heart and not ice. It was slowly fading. Desperate to hold onto the warmth Sang cried out into the darkness. "Why did you leave me? Why did you stop singing? Why? I needed you."
Disbelief laced every word, "You were just a dream, I know that now. You must have been. You were just a beautiful dream."
A voice whispered in the darkness, "Sang, you did not dream it. You are not alone. I am with you, always."
Sang swallowed in vain to remove the lump in her throat. Tears now freely cascaded down her cheeks. Lost in the moment, she allowed them to flow, giving herself to the memory. The voice who had sang to her every night was an illusion; a beautiful illusion. Sang needed reality. She needed something to hold onto, instead of mist slipping through her fingers. To mourn the loss of someone she had never touched was unbearable. To mourn the loss of hope was devastating. To mourn the loss of the chance to love for the first time ripped her very soul apart.
Love was a thing that seemed to taunt Sang. It floated before her like a butterfly carried by the wind. With outstretched hands, it's beauty taunted her, as she tried in vain to catch it. Feeling that she was destined to walk through life alone, Sang held her head in her hands and cried in earnest; alone.