Page 40 of Enzo

“Put your hand on my shoulder.”

I obey him, because I don’t know how to dance like this. His palm settles against my back, beneath my faux-fur jacket. The fabric of my dress is thin, and I can feel the warmth of his hand through it.

Oh.

He clasps my other hand in his, and starts to move. I try to follow.

This isn’t how I dance. I’m wild and carefree. Enzo is controlled, every movement measured, but he makes it easy for me to follow him.

And somehow, I’m comfortable.

I look up into his eyes behind the mask. He’s the perfect gentleman, holding my hand gently, guiding me whenever I get a step wrong.

Before long, I stop thinking about what my feet are doing.

We move together, not quite as close as the elderly couple, but close enough that I forget to breathe every now and then.

The string quartet plays on, and I let my masked knight lead me around the square. Soon it’s only me and him, gliding under the stars, on the cobblestones, in the heart of Venice.

This night is everything I could have hoped for, and more.

Chapter 9

ENZO

I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed dancing with someone this much. Or the last time I wished the music would keep playing.

The quartet stops playing, and we come to a stop. I move my hands away and bow slightly.

“What do I do?” Molly asks, her eyes going left and then right, like she's looking for guidance from an invisible teacher.

I merely stare at her.

She curtseys.

It brings another smile to my lips. I'm surrounded by people who perform, who network, who have agendas, who know exactly who I am and what I represent.

Molly doesn't do any of that. There are no games, no carefully chosen words, no attempts to impress me. She's completely herself. She laughs, she asks questions, she finds wonder in everything, and she doesn’t care if she looks out of place in this world.

I told her my name and she didn't react. It might not have meant anything to her, but even if it had, I sense she'd have reacted the same.

Around her, I can just be.

I’m starting to like who I am when I'm with her.

“We didn't get to explore much,” She sounds a little breathless as we start to walk away.

The crowd thickens outside and I glance at my watch. They look like guests leaving the palace. The evening has come to an end, but I don't want it to.

I wish we had more time.

She turns to me, outside the vaporetti stand near Saint Mark's Square. I assume she's taking the water taxi.

“Well, Enzo Knight, I’d better go.”

I want to ask if she's free tomorrow. Show her Venice in daylight. Have coffee somewhere beside a canal and watch her discover everything all over again. A part of me feels guilty for even contemplating delaying my visit to Mama, but I want to catch this magic while I can, before Molly and I return to our ordinary lives.

“The evening flew by so fast. It would have felt like days otherwise …”