Her cabin was twice the size of
his, with a sliding glass door that led to a balcony. Precioso. So beautiful. He stood for a minute looking out into the
black. She closed the door and slipped off her shoes, silver sandals with
buckles that glittered. She sank onto the small loveseat and stretched out her
toes. “I don’t have anything fancy to offer you to drink,” she said with a
little laugh. “I think there’s bottled water or cold sodas in the fridge,
though.”
“It is fine. I do not want
anything.” Sebastian picked up the television remote. “May I? There is music on some
of the channels. Good for relaxing.”
She nodded. “Go ahead. I don’t
even know what’s on.”
He found a station playing soft
Latin music, the one he sometimes listened to before bed.
Her head dropped back on the
loveseat. He remained standing where he was. “Do you like working here?” she
asked.
“I’m not –” What was she really
asking? Women, American women especially, always seemed to have a second or
third meaning in their words. Did he like the guests? The captain? His actual
job of teaching three or four classes a day to people who didn’t know the
difference between the cha cha and the mambo?
“I know you said it was a good
change for you.” She opened her eyes again. “But what do you really think?
You’ve been on board – how long? Almost a year?”
He nodded.
“What do you think we could
change? What would make people happier?”
Ah,
happiness. “I am
not sure I am the best person to answer that question.”
“What do you mean?”
“Only that I am still trying to
figure it out myself. True happiness, what it means, where it comes from. How
to find it again after it disappears.”
She looked at him for a long
minute, saying nothing. Her eyes shifted to the television, where a blue line
zig-zagged across the screen as the music played. “That is nice,” she said. “I
don’t know what it is, but you’re right. It’s soothing.”
He hesitated a moment, then held
out one hand. "Would you like to dance?"
"Here?" She looked
around. “Is there enough room?”
"Does not take much.” He
smiled. “I do know this: happiness for me comes when I am dancing. When there
is music in my soul, when my feet can move, then nothing else matters.”
She stood, her bare toes peeking
out from beneath her dress. “Well, how can I turn down an offer like that?” She
took his hand. “I have to tell you, though, except for this morning, when you
were showing me the tango, I haven’t danced in years.” She blushed, and her
fingers tightened around his. “I mean, I haven’t danced with anyone.”
“It’s nothing. It’s like – what
do you Americans say? Like riding a bicycle. You do not forget. It is like
breathing." His free hand went to the small of her back. "Let me
lead."
A worry line appeared between her
brows, and her spine stiffened. He shook her fingers to loosen them. It had
been forever since he'd taught a private lesson, since he'd had a woman who
looked more concerned about where to put her feet than trying to peel off his
clothes. It felt good. Refreshing.
The music changed, and the tempo
picked up. He smiled and nodded to himself. They could move easily to this one.
But three beats into the song, Andrea turned fire-engine red. She froze, her
hand gripping his as though she were balancing on a two-inch ledge. “I’m sorry.
I have no idea what I’m doing.”
He pressed his palm into the small
of her back. “Just follow. Try to relax.”
Her lips parted in a breathless
laugh. "I'm not sure the last time I actually did that. I might not
remember how."
The song changed again, and he
improvised a few dance steps, just to put some space between them. At that, she
smiled, and turned on her tiptoes in the small cabin, mimicking his motion. Ay dios mio, he had a hard time looking
away from her. “See? You are very much a good dancer.” She twirled again, only
this time she stumbled a little at the end – straight into him.
Coming in September 2014!!
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