“Show me what the problem is?” He said to her.
“Oh, you mean the dance,” Ana asked.
Lash nodded. Ana cued the music and walked to the center of the room. She appreciated his effort in helping her. His observation would surely guide her until she thoroughly memorized the dance. Ana waited until he took a seat as he watched her. Instead, he joined her on center stage and spread his arms wide, mimicking the opening stance for the waltz.
“You’re gonna dance with me,” Ana asked in surprise.
Lash nodded, saying nothing.
Ana tried to ignore the wild beating of her heart as she took her place facing him. She didn’t even know he could dance. They waited for the soft music to start. When it began, they each took a step forward and bowed. She was surprised Lash was familiar with the basics, and even more amazed that he was light on his feet. He could dance, she thought.
They circled each other just as she would have done with Ricardo as her partner. But this was Lash. And he was dancing with her. Their gaze remained locked as Ana played in her mind, the series of steps that would follow next, making her feel anxious. She was too methodical, she realized. “Relax Ana,” she coached herself.
Lash placed his hand on her back as her hand reached out for his shoulder. Then both their free hands came together and finally touched. Together, they swayed and twirled and turned to the music, their limbs in perfect sync like they were made to dance together.
As the music played on, Ana relaxed and smiled, visualizing them both in the elegant clothing that the dance required. She was in a flowing gown and him in a formal tuxedo. They both looked perfect together, she imagined.
Lash was graceful on his feet. He danced to the music like he was born to do so. Ana, too was light on her feet like she weighed nothing. She wondered why Ricardo didn’t evoke quite the same sensation that dancing with Lash did. Everything that he was – his kindness when he offered his own house for her to stay her first night in New York, their common legacy, his thirst for knowledge for the culture of their past, and his desire to honor the promise he made to his dying mother – all these made her feel light as a feather-like she was dancing on air. She was being carried higher and higher in a powerful gust of wind that left her breathless but not wanting to stop. Ana knew exactly why.
“I’m in love with him,” the thought arrived uninvited.
She gasped inwardly as realization struck, defying her to deny the truth.
She had no intention to persist in denying the fact any further. It would be an exercise in futility. The conflicting emotions he managed to evoke within her that swung from happiness to anguish, optimism to defeat, boundless energy to profound despair – these were all familiar sentiments she experienced in past relationships. But with Lash, it was magnified a thousand-fold.
“I’m in love with him.” There was no question mark. Only an exclamation that came from the depths of her being.
Ana was amazed at how she could still maintain her equilibrium as these thoughts whizzed through her mind. One thing was for sure, she felt like the luckiest girl in the world dancing with him tonight.
The heat between them grew more intense as each second passed. Her heart was beating madly along with each of those every second. Lash guided her across the stage as if they owned it, every step seemingly planned well in advance. His eyes never once left hers. Ana knew he could bring her anywhere he wanted, and she would follow. There were no hesitations because both knew exactly where they wanted to go. It was the only excuse Ana needed to recognize why it wasn’t the same way with Ricardo. She wanted Lash, wanted to belong to him in a way she never felt for any of the men in her past.
“I’m dancing, Lash. I’m dancing,” she whispered breathlessly.
“Really,” he chuckled softly, “I didn’t notice.”
. He didn’t have to tease her. Her heart, her entire being knew that from now on, she was his and his alone.
It was at that very moment that Ana decided to set herself free. She had never felt more alive, more keenly aware of whom she became in his arms. The dimly lit studio could have been flooded with spotlights. There could have been a thousand eyes watching. The audience could break into resounding applause. Ana didn’t care. Right there, right now, was all that mattered.
As the music came to an end, a tinge of heartache appeared because she would no longer be basking in the warmth of his touch. But Ana refused to be sad as she grinned happily up at him. Her breath was coming in waves as she panted.
“That was amazing,” she declared, playfully collapsing down to the floor beneath him.
He flopped down beside her with the same crazy grin on his face. No words were spoken between them. None was needed as they lay there beside each other.
As their breathing returned to normal, a smile remained on both of their faces. Ana knew that Lash was the one for her. It was there at the very core of her being. She knew that there could never be anyone else for her. Just him.
