As I stood waving my arm around in the air in front of the projector, Isaac called out to me. “Dance for us, Ivy!”
“You brought me here to dance more?” I laughed. “Good thing I’m wearing shorts underneath this dress.”
Don Quixotewas the first ballet to come to mind. I started moving, lifting my leg, and gesturing with my arms. My silhouette projected onto the screen, turning my shadow into various colors of the rainbow. I continued on with the music playing in my head as Isaac cheered me on and Demetrius watched with a warm smile.
This piece was supposed to be a duet, and for the most part, I could fake it without a partner. But soon enough, I reached the point where a partner would normally lift me into a fish dive—a pose that required a man to hold me off the floor. I was about to stop when two strong arms wrappedaround my waist and under my leg as the bold scent of dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans drifted in the air.
Demetrius effortlessly lifted me and guided me into the pose, my back nestled against his chest. Onlookers applauded his efforts while several of the smaller children watching gasped and pointed. He set me down gently back onto my feet as we both laughed and gave a quick wave to the few people around us.
“I thought I’d jump in. I instantly recognized the choreography,” he said with a certain amusement in his tone. His hand lingered on my lower back for a brief moment, his fingers flexing against my skin before his hand fell away.
“Bravo!” Isaac exclaimed, clapping Demetrius on the back. “I’m surprised you still had it in you.”
“It’s in there somewhere.” He stretched his arms out, ushering us to the side. We stepped away from the projection, letting the next group of young kids in, who immediately tried to replicate my steps, bringing a slight smile to my face.
“Let’s move on.” Isaac pulled me to his side as we approached the next exhibit in an enclosed room.
Inside the room, large screens surrounded the walls and floor, and every few seconds, the images shifted. Bright colors and crazy shapes formed across the screens, then disintegrated before forming a new random shape with adifferent color. The room was designed to mess with one's sense of depth and stability, which I instantly felt.
“Whoa,” I said, swaying on my feet. Isaac gestured for me to go farther into the room, but my vision swam around. I took another step, but my head started to hurt.
“I’ve got you,” Demetrius whispered in my ear as he braced my back, holding my hand. “If you get too dizzy, close your eyes.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, squeezing his hand tight against mine as his scent drifted next to me. I inhaled his scent deeply as he slowly led me to Isaac, who was spinning around in the room.
“I’m so dizzy!” I laughed at Isaac.
“I know, me too! Isn’t it great?” Isaac laughed back before coming over to me. “Too much?”
“Just a bit,” I nodded, closing my eyes and resting my body against Demetrius. Wrapping his arm further around me, he guided me out of the room, much to my relief, as I let his delicious scent ground and recenter me.
Once outside the room, I let out a sigh of relief. “The illusions nearly broke my brain! Please, no more of that!”
Chuckling, Demetrius let go of me as I found my balance again. The moment his hands fell away again, a chill replaced the warmth that had anchored me, leaving me wanting more of his support. Maybe he instinctively liked to protect his pack…
Isaac pulled me into a big hug, replacing the loss of warmth with his chaotic presence. “I like to come here to get inspired for choreography. Let's go over here next.” He looked to the next exhibit and led me forward.
“This is supposed to be an emotion recognition AI bot.” Isaac pointed to a computer in front of us as we stood on a capture display. Seeing Demetrius hesitate to join us, I reached for his hand and tugged him toward me. I wanted to make sure he wouldn’t just be left on the side all the time.
Standing in front of the display, I read the directions off the wall. “Stand still for three seconds for the AI to capture your image.” Turning to Isaac, I asked, “Do we smile?”
“Do whatever you want, love.” Isaac squeezed my hand. We stood still for a few seconds while a bright flash captured our image.
“Come over here,” Isaac said, pulling me to the analysis screen. “It says that Ivy is…hopeful. That’s good!”
“Isaac is…flirty and Demetrius is…protective,” I giggled slightly. “That AI’s pretty good, although it missed ‘chaotic’ for you, Isaac.”
“I am not chaotic!” he playfully argued with me. “I’m creative!”
“I bet you were told that a lot as a kid,” I joked back, earning a laugh from Demetrius.
We moved to the next area, which had us choose between an art gallery for kids or an adult-themed section of more risqué pieces.
“Something tells me the kids' section is safe, and we should choose that,” I said sarcastically, pointing to the childish side full of bright, fun, safe colors.
“No way,” Isaac and Demetrius said at the same time, both with slightly mischievous grins on their faces. I was a little shocked to see Demetrius warming up a bit in this building. I hadn’t seen much of his playful side before this point.
“Come this way, beautiful, and try not to blush too much in here.” Isaac grabbed my hand as Demetrius followed behind.
