It's not the first time I've heard those words from her, but each time, they still hit me right in the heart. "And I love you," I reply, then take a deep breath because we're not done yet. I've been contemplating whether I should bring this up for days, and today might be the right time. "Listen, I'm worried about you."
She stops abruptly. "I'm fine." Her expression is filled with determination. Typical Aurora.
"You're tired," I observe. Very tired, in fact, but I prefer to keep that to myself. Her condition is no wonder. Our workload is enormous, and she must have trained much less before. Her body needs time to adapt to the new strain.
She rolls her eyes and turns away. "I'll be fine, don't worry."
Hopefully, she's right. Lovingly, I cup her face in my hands. "Just let me know if you need a break, okay?"
"That's sweet of you, but it's unnecessary." She deftly slips out of my affectionate grasp. "I know what I can handle. Honestly, I have it under control."
Is that an indication that she herself has already thought about her health? Dancing is a competitive sport, and Aurora is well aware of what it entails.
"You're risking getting injured," I reply because that's the last thing I want. Herniated discs are quite common, especially among women. "If you don't take care of yourself, you might end up with a forced break." That's not my main concern, but I know her well enough to believe that this argument might convince her to reconsider.
"I know," she grumbles, stepping next to the tall flowers on the side of the path and pulling one of the deep red flower heads toward her. "Okay, I admit it. I'm damn tired," she finally confesses, and I can see that it was worth bringing up the topic.
Carefully, I step up next to her. Knowing her, admitting this wasn't easy. So I say nothing for now and wait to see if she'll share more.
She traces the outer line of a petal with her thumb. "But besides that, there's nothing else, I swear. My back is fine, so is my neck." She looks at me earnestly, her gaze urging me to trust her. "I would tell you if it were different."
Although technically, I can't know for sure, I want to believe her. There's no need to conjure up problems where there don't appear to be any.
Relieved that we can leave this topic behind us, I wrap my arms around her and pull her close. "I'm sorry if I seemed overbearing."
With a tender smile, she rises on her tiptoes. "Thank you for caring," she says before we lose ourselves in a long kiss.
As I open my eyes again, Aurora starts humming a melody.
"Had... the time of..." she sings softly, swaying her hips against mine.
Instantly, the song plays in my mind. I place my hands on her hips and follow her as we both crouch down.
Grinning, we dance the dance that started it all. And I feel that that the mambo will forever belong to both of us.
It represents everything we hope for in life, and I enjoy every step of our little dance performance.
Afterward, I feel reborn. Aurora is fine, the sun is shining from the sky, and the autumn transforms Monet's garden into a true spectacle. We should explore every corner of the park and simply enjoy the day.
Just as I'm about to let go of Aurora, she stops me. "Wait," she whispers excitedly and takes her phone out of her pocket for a selfie. While she takes the picture, I plant a kiss on her cheek. "Come on, let's find the water lilies. They absolutely need to be in our memory box." Aurora grabs my hand and pulls me along.
"What memory box?" She hasn't told me about that before.
She grins mysteriously. "You'll see."
