I shrug. "It's a trend right now."
What am I saying?
"Oh, really?" The mischievous grin on her face drives me crazy. "Well, if that's the case..." Without taking her eyes off me, she slips off her sneakers. Then her expression turns wistful. "Can we talk?"
I've replayed our reunion in my mind a thousand times, but no version was as surreal as this moment. It feels like not even a single day has passed since we danced together.
Does she have questions too?
Or even answers?
My soles ache, so I nod toward the grass. "Over there?"
Together, we hurry to the green space, and once we arrive, we simply keep walking across the field. Past the low-hanging weeping willows, blooming rose bushes, and evergreen shrubs.
"So..." She clears her throat. "I wanted to thank you."
I wave it off. At the same time, I don't allow myself to look at her but keep my gaze fixed on the ducks relaxing at the lake's edge.
In the middle of walking, she stops and reaches for my forearm. "I couldn't have done it without you." Even though she can't know that for sure, she sounds so convinced.
"You were accepted because of your talent. I had nothing to do with it," I reply with a hoarse voice. It's better if she doesn't know what happened behind the scenes.
She vigorously shakes her head. "I was accepted because of our mambo." Her words are nothing more than a whisper.
Instantly, I’m back in the ballroom with her. I place my hand around her body, feel her head against my chest, and hear her excited breath.
"Why did you do it?" She looks at me intently. "Why did you dance with me?"
I can't answer that.
"Tell me," she pleads, now reaching for my other arm. Her lips tremble almost imperceptibly. "Please."
This is... too close.
To make matters worse, she steps even closer and rises on her tiptoes. Her mouth brushes against my ear, and the scent of summer rain fills my nose. "You felt it too, didn't you?" she whispers breathlessly.
No.
No, no, no.
This is wrong.
She releases my forearms. Her cheek briefly touches mine as she pulls back, but even that is too much.
Oh God...
"What?" I whisper even though I wanted to say something completely different.
Gently, she takes my hand and guides it to her collarbone. As soon as I touch her, I feel her strong pulse. And as if that wasn't enough, she now places her hand on my heart too.
Thump.
Neither of us says a word. We simply gaze at each other. Suddenly, everything I thought I knew loses its meaning.
In one fluid motion, I wrap my arms around her back, pull her close, and kiss her so passionately that I feel dizzy.
Nothing has ever felt like this moment. For minutes, all we do is kiss each other. Without breaking away from her, I guide her to one of the overgrown passages and gently press her against the foliage.
