Imperceptible Dance
“So that’s what the little drummer boy wants to do,” she whispered, turning her head slightly and pulling away at the very last possible second.
“Wha? Uh…oh…no,” I gulped.
“Well, it’s not that…I…uh…” I stammered. A burning sensation rose to the surface of my face. Struggling to free myself from the desert that suddenly appeared inside my throat and quickly made a mute out of me. I swallowed, shifted in my seat, and turned my head to gaze up into the night sky.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” I whispered out loud, more to myself than anything else. I needed the space to compose myself. Her closeness made me lose the already tentative grip that I had on my senses, reducing my faculties in a blink of a blurry eye.
Her touch brought me out of the clouds in a languid fashion. Turning and tilting my head in her direction, those two pools of liquid mercury unblinkingly stared right back, stealing my mind from me. Forcing myself to grin, I yanked the remnants of the steely nerve that served me so well to the fore.
“Yeah, quite beautiful,” I murmured, at once answering my own question, and forcing the confidence back into my voice.
“Beautiful?” Her smile was serene, barely hinting at the mischief that lay beneath the surface. “If you were talking about me then that’s really sweet of you…” she breathed, “but if not, then suppose I should be upset.” A look of playfulness creased her lips.
“Well, uh…” I said haltingly, clawing at any vestige of my once unflappable ego. “Yeah, you are…” I said with a half-smile, pausing as thoughts raced through my head. I grimaced inwardly at my faltering steps, unsure of myself, having lost the trust I usually placed in my instincts.
“What did you want to do?” she asked, interrupting my mind in mid-swagger.
“How bout we just take a walk?” I suggested, figuring that a walk might help clear the air.
“I’d like that,” she replied, adjusting my sweatshirt tighter around her, and tucking her hands into the sleeves.
Wandering around in the cool darkness, we traversed the main road and aimlessly explored the smaller well-lit streets in the vicinity. With lamps overhead blazing, I could make out her hips shifting from side to side, as she seemed to lightly dance and sway to some unknown music that was imperceptible to me. A quick look from her caught me watching, while she silently floated along the cobblestone street.
“And what was the little drummer boy looking at?” she teased, smiling more for her benefit than for mine.
“You like to dance,” I stated, more like an observation than a question.
“I do. I’ve been dancing since I was quite young, lessons and all that… Do you dance?”
“Oh, me? Dance? I don’t know what I do would actually be called dancing,” I chuckled.
“So you do dance, but only when no one’s watching, huh?” she giggled. “Want to dance?”
“Oh…no, no…I don’t really dance,” I stammered.
“Come on, please? No one has to see. It’s only me,” she whined.
It was a cute girlish whine that most guys would have melted for, but I braced myself for it. I wasn’t going to cave in so easily. “But there’s no music or anything…what’re we supposed to do, spin around in a circle?” I asked, my grin teased, but my tone was incredulous.
“How about next time?” I stalled. “I promise, next time you ask, I’ll dance, but not right now.” I stated, trying my best to bargain with her.
“Hrmmm…” she mused, “ok, next time like you promised. It’s getting late, and cold out here. Let’s go inside.” She grabbed my arm, and nudged me gently toward the doors.
We didn’t say much while walking up the stairs. When we arrived at the door to her hotel room, she let my arm go and walked out ahead of me. Turning around, she clasped her hands in front of her, tilted her head to one side and asked, “So now what? Are you going to go get some sleep too?”
“Yeah, I probably will. There’s no telling what kind of insane itinerary my uncle’s got planned for us tomorrow.”
“Oh I see, well, goodnight then,” she said monotonously.
“Are you doing anything tomorrow?” I ventured. “I mean, after you’ve come back from whatever your family is doing.”
“No, I don’t think we’re doing anything. Maybe some supper, but that’s about it. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I liked spending time with you tonight, so maybe, we can do it again tomorrow?”
“It’s a date.” She smiled, and winked at me, her eyes lingered on me for a split second as wordless thoughts charged through the air, electrifying the space between us. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Sure,” I barely managed, before she turned around and disappeared through the door, with the image of her smile, still lingering in my mind. The door closed behind her, and I was left standing there, in the quiet emptiness of the open hallway, still pondering what that smile and those eyes told me.
