The rhythm inches its way through my veins and I cannot deny the euphoria that sweeps over me. I look over and find Leelee mirroring my movements, her smile blooming like a full moon in the night sky above us. “Ravok, would you like to dance?” Her question pulls me back from the intoxicating enjoyment of the music.
“I do not know how,” I try to warn her.
“That’s okay,” she reassures me, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “I am not a good dancer either, I just want an excuse to be in your arms.”
Her bold pronouncement catches me off guard. Yet, before I fully comprehend her words and intent, I find myself acting. I pull her into my arms.
I hesitate, with my arms encircling her back. I look over the couples near us trying to take note of how they are moving. “I don’t want to do it wrong,” I explain to Leelee when I notice her watching me.
“There is no wrong way to do it. Well… as long as you don’t step on my toes too much,” Leelee says with a chuckle. “Here, put your hands on my hips.”
Leelee grabs both my hands and slides them down her lush curves until they rest on her hips. She presses her body firmly to my front and places her hands on my hips in a mirror to mine. “Just feel the rhythm of the music and follow my movements.”
My body tenses, feeling stiff and awkward as I try to follow Leelee’s movements. The vibrant music echoes through the night air, thrumming against my skin. Humans dance all around us, but I feel alone with Leelee as if we are in our own little bubble. She traces her thumbs over my hipbones, almost distracting me from counting the beats of the music. She shoots me a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Ravok,” she says. “Just feel the music.”
Her hips sway rhythmically as if her body instinctively knows the unconscious ebb and flow of the music’s rhythm. Her hands on my hips guide me, and my body starts to sync to her rhythm. Hesitantly, I start swiveling my hips like Leelee does, finding the music within the human chaos, feeling the beat throbbing under my skin, driving me to move.
I glance around. Humans are spinning under twinkling strands of lights. Laughter and jovial shouts fill the air.
There’s an intoxicating freedom to the way these humans dance, a release of energy and expression that starts to seep into my rigid Cryzorian soul. I look at Leelee, her sparkling eyes, flushed cheeks, and the way her laugh rings through the air. Now I understand her words: There is no wrong way to dance, not when lost in the sheer joy of the moment.
And so, I let myself get swept up in the strange, rhythmic ritual, the distance between me and Leelee diminishing, our movements becoming synchronized. I can’t remember a time when I felt so carefree, so… human.
Time loses its grip as we dance, hectically at times and slowly at others. We pause only to hydrate and occasionally rest, panting through shared laughter. The night becomes a blur of rhythm, colors, sound, and Leelee.
It is a glorious night.
CHAPTER 46
Lily
I’m sweaty and breathless, and my feet ache from all the dancing. However, this has been such a fantastic night.
“Let’s take a break from dancing,” I suggest. “Just across the field they have these really nice trails through the woods. Want to take a walk with me?”
Ravok nods and follows me as I lead him through the crowd, his hand in mine. We head towards the edge of the crowd where the path into the woods begins.
As we walk through the festival crowd, I realize that the only people left are couples scattered around. No children are left at the party – it’s past their bedtime, I suppose. It is probably for the best since a few couples are kissing in a way that is distinctly not appropriate for young eyes. A blush graces my cheeks as I realize some of these people are doing things that are not appropriate for my eyes!
I mean, talk about taking the term ‘love festival’ seriously.
“Humans are so free,” Ravok murmurs in my ear.
“Um, well, most humans are usually not this free. Truthfully, a lot of us are prudes. This town and its people are different than any I’ve ever seen. This many people making out in public is rare,” I inform him.
I feel Ravok’s hand gently squeeze mine. I see him looking at me with his bright, galaxy-filled eyes. For a moment, everything else fades into insignificance. My heart trips in my chest, filled with love for my alien.
Behind us, the festival celebrates love in loud and joyful tones. Ravok and I choose a forest path that seems less populated with kissing couples, seeking solitude and peace in the darkened forest. Once we step under the canopy of the woods, the noise and lights fade behind us. The moon is bright enough to light our path. Its cool luminescence filters through the twisted branches, casting spectral shadows upon the narrow path, but bright enough to guide our steps. The silver light dances upon Ravok’s skin, enhancing his alien beauty in such a way it sends little flutters of want through my body.
“Oh my gosh, this is so romantic,” I murmur. The breeze whispering through the forest is warm and fragrant with pine and tree sap.
The urge to tell Ravok how I feel about him fills my lungs. I know I shouldn’t tell him that I’m in love with him – that’s not fair to him when he has to leave – but perhaps I can tell him how wonderful and special he is instead. I open my mouth to say the words when something rustles in the woods nearby, causing both of us to freeze.
I squint into the underbrush, my senses sharpening as I hear a low, weird sound that raises the hairs on the back of my neck. We stand there for a moment longer, unmoving, as the silence grows around us. But when nothing else happens, a sigh leaves me, and I take a confident step forward.
Just then, I hear the sound again. Is that a growl? Are there bears in these woods? Without hesitation, Ravok steps in front of me, an unwavering defensive wall between me and any danger. He gestures for me to stay while he steps off the path and into the woods toward the sound.
My heart beats against my ribcage. I shift nervously on my feet, my eyes flitting between his towering figure and the rest of the forest surrounding us, scared of the possibility of some hungry grizzly bear or some other beast lurking nearby.
