This guy better be nice.
Well, he's a friend of Elicia so he should be nice. He better be. Anyway, there's no harm in taking precautions.
He seems older than me. Let's take his age as at least two years older than me, that would be seventeen; that makes his and Elicia's age four years apart, perfect. He surely wouldn't think of Elicia that way seeing that he sure has got good looks, ladies die for this kind of looks.
We walk on the streets that are loud by the shouts of people cursing each other. I am on the left side of Elicia, meanwhile that guy that Elicia spoke as Kallian is on her right side.
The moon rose up in the sky. Stars are clearly visible in the night sky; they are awesome.
The silence is long between us; only until a voice cuts through the silence.
"So…" Kallian says, as he faces towards us, "…don't you have any questions for me, Elicia?" He ends. His voice is expectedly deep.
"No questions. Only nervousness." She says, she looks down the street as she walks. Her habit, at least it didn't change.
"Nervousness? About what?" He pauses as he smirks, "Anyway, I am proud to make a person with the ego of a king nervous." He teases. What the hell is he trying to say?!
Does he think he can actually make Elicia nervous? And what does he mean by 'ego of a king'? Is he calling her egoist? Well, isn't it a compliment?
"I guess, walking with the heir of the dukedom while being a mere commoner is depressing when you have your head in line." She ends.
He hisses, "Don't forget I am a mere person too when I am here, without any guards or proof of being the heir."
"Then you better be nervous."
He laughs his lungs out. "Leave it. So," he looks towards me, "wanna dance?"
That was unexpected.
Well, even the mention of dance reminds me of that time. That dance. The partner. The dance Elicia always loved to do,
Well, that was a different one. She loved to act out like a chicken but I worry that she has grown far too serious in my absence. I am pretty sure it's just a matter of time.
She also liked to do that other dance.
She may not look like it but she sure loves to dance. She's far too childish than she seems. It only takes her a few seconds to come to her actual personality.
Only if she was not forced to be mature in her childhood.
I worry that she even forgot that part of her in my absence. It was rare to see that personality even in the past, so it is practically impossible now.
That was the real her. The child that loved to dance. The kid that wasn't forced to be mature. The childish girl that knew how to laugh without calculating everything in the surroundings. The kid that sprouts anything that comes to her mind. The kid that spoke her mind and later regretted it.
I want to see her. The Elicia I fell for before falling for everything that was related to her.
I will bring that to her today. I don't know how but I know that I will.
With that, I grab Elicia's hand and escort her to the dance floor that is pretty far from us.
The street is flooded with golden lights. The festival has started.
"Let's go" I smile while knowing Elicia would've hardly seen that as my back is facing her, "…to dance."
I can feel her gaze on my back, even though I don't know if it is a good one or a bad one.
"Perfect!" Kallian exclaimed, "It seems like your best friend is more cheerful than you, tiny lady!" He teases her while a part of me knows how much Elicia is fighting her inner self to not throw a punch at his face for calling her 'tiny lady'.
We make our way through the dance floor.
After jogging for a while, the dance floor comes to my vision.
It is elevated higher from the ground. It is made up of wood and seems strong enough to manage the weight of a crowd without breaking. The musicians surround the stage. The song they are playing is mesmerising, it's impossible to forget it. It's the same one as that day.
A smile covers my face as good memories flash through my mind.
I face Elicia; her eyes are open wide at the realization of the song that is playing. She smiles, while that guy seems confused. Oh God, I hope he's not misunderstanding things.
"Do you remember it?" Elicia asks.
"Of course, I cannot forget it." I smile softly, "That was the luckiest day of my life."
"I guess it would've been better if I was not here!" He teases.
Elicia's cheeks turn red but she doesn't lose her composure, "Don't misunderstand!" she exclaims quickly, "Not if I care if you do", she rolls her eyes. "It was just I remembered the day…" She smirks as she darts her blue eyes to mine, "…The day I saved his ass and unexpectedly, it was our first time we met."
"You two seem like good friends," He smiles.
"More like family. We used to eat together, live together, steal together and of course do fun things together." She looks towards me. I cannot help but blush at the thought of her calling me more like her family. My cheeks are burning. I look in another direction as I place my hand in my lips.
"What do you mean by 'used to'?" He looks towards Elicia as his hands brush his hips.
Elicia huffs, "You would not want to know" she says, "…it's a long story" she trails off.
Her eyes find mine. I cannot actually read her eyes at the moment. They seem confused at the first sight and sad at the second. I wonder how much she would've missed me?
I should not tell her how I escaped the cells.
That day was like a nightmare. Nothing made sense.
Forget it.
I should now focus on the present instead of the past, nothing would come out of it.
"Tell me in short." He responded quickly as his smile vanished.
Elicia hesitates as she states, "I don't remember it."
Elicia is a genius.
It's actually a really nice opinion to not tell him about that thing. After all, he's just a stranger that she knows a little about. And above everything else, he's the future duke. We cannot risk telling him about such deeds. What if he asks me how I came back from jail? I surely cannot tell him the truth then.
He passes on, "It's okay if you don't want to tell me." He smiles sweetly,
I guess he's a nice guy.
He continues, "Then, let's dance!"
"You sure are obsessed with dancing", Elicia mumbles.
"I guess…?" He shrugs, "But only if it is with the partner I want."
He's a spoiled brat at last.
Elicia tilts her head a little, "Partner…?" Elicia repeats in question.
He tugs his arms behind his head as he answers her, "Yes?" He looks confused as he says, "Everyone needs a dance partner, don't they?"
Ah, now it's sure that he's a spoiled brat who hasn't danced outside the ballrooms.
A little laugh escapes my mouth while Elicia laughs her lungs out. He looks at us. Confused. "Do you really think we're going to do that formal type of dance here?" Elicia wipes the tears that escapes her eyes while laughing, "Remember. You're not in a ballroom, Kallian!"
"Fine…but what kind of dance will you do then?" He asks. Elicia's eyes dart into mine, a smile follows her eyes.
She wants to do that dance
"It's our traditional dance, wanna do it?" She pauses to look at Kallian, "But…I guess it would be too hard for you. Especially as you haven't even tried it before"
Yeah, I remember how hard it was to learn it. Not to mention how good of a dancer Elicia is to make me learn it in just a few minutes. I am pretty sure she can also teach him but I guess she wants to dance with me.
Oh god.
It is making me nervous.
My inner voice is screaming. My heartbeat is racing fast and loud. I wonder if she can hear it.
"Unlucky me." He mumbles while looking in another direction. "Anyway," he announces loudly, "I would love to see you both do it!"
"I guess, someone was obsessed with dancing just a moment ago?" Elicia says while her hands cross at her chest.
"The obsession is over now." He finishes. "But I want to see you both do it, please" He requests.
"Did I just hear someone say please?" Elicia teases. She shakes her head as she sighs, "I would have to do it if you request so, after all."
Today would be the death of me.
I am lucky today. Extremely lucky.
Elicia looks towards me, as a smile follows her movements. "Let's go," she exclaims. Her voice is smooth and sweet like honey.
"As you wish" I said softly as my lips turned into a smile, I offered her both of my hands to escort her to the dance floor.
The music begins gently, almost shy, as if testing the air. A long string carried the first notes-light, hopeful-before others joined it, weaving warmth into the streets. Their rhythm was slow and steady, the kind that guided feet without command, coaxing rather than demanding.
She accepts the offer. Her hands touch mine. Soft. Making me glad. I step backwards towards the dance floor. Her steps follow mine.
She looks just like a dream.
With a swift movement, she unties her hairs, giving me the opportunity to get to see them after years.
They've grown longer.
I slowly take the steps in the stairs with the fear of Elicia falling that is rather laughable.
I finally reached the top of the floor. Her eyes look into mine. And finally give me the look I die for. Her eyes once again are filled with hope, happiness and things I cannot describe.
If I get the opportunity then I will not stop describing her eyes and the things they remind me of.
People glare at us. More like glare at her. Her long black hair moves as she moves. They shine brighter than the moon. At least, for me.
The lightning work is appreciable. The golden lights are attached to the roof of the buildings. The night is cool but it is warmer than the nights I have been experiencing.
I lean a little, so that it would be easier for her to climb the stairs. I gently escort her to the middle of the floor.
And then we begin to dance.
I slip my right hand from her one hand while still having her other hand in my grasp. I lift her hand enough for her to turn beneath it. The world blurs as she spun, her hairs whispering around her waist. I barely give her time to steady herself before my hand finds her waist. My hands fit perfectly into her waist. The feel of her waist is making my heart pound faster with each second. We take our space by stepping back and forth-more like jumping while pressing our feet tightly to the ground except the fact that most of the time they're in air.
It's fun.
As the melody unfolds, it grows richer. Violins rise and fall like breaths held too long, then released. Beneath them, deeper instruments kept time, grounding the sweetness so it never tips into fragility. There was longing in the tune, but also certainty.
My other hand still holds hers, anchoring her as we move closer, the space between us narrowing until the rhythm threads through both of us at once. Each step follows the next without any question. The memories flood into my mind as familiar movements are done by me. We dance fast but the moment feels slower than ever.
We move through the floor gently. Our steps are loud but covered by our chuckles.
It's more amusing than I thought it would be.
We eye each other. Her blue eyes which seem like ice that is beautiful but can pierce through me any time are no longer seem like it-they're now melted. Her eyes carry the warmth. They once again seem like the eyes I am familiar with.
Oh god, she's stunning.
I once again lift my one hand high enough for her to step beneath it. I can feel the glares of people surrounding us. I held her other hand once again.
The distance between us increases and decreases with steps.
My heartbeat rises with each step.
The tempo swells, not faster, but fuller. Each note lingers just long enough to ache, then slips into the next, creating a quiet pull between our steps. It was the sort of music that makes glances last longer than intended and hands hesitate before letting go.
Her hand slips my right hand while her other hand raises my left hand,
She wants me to spin now.
If she wants it, then I will do it.
And I do it. I spin beneath her hand. She smiles after seeing me do it. Once again, both of my hands carry hers. I lean as we spin on the floor-fast but amusing.
She chuckles, "Good spin, huh!"
"Of course, as if you were my teacher" I pause to smile, "you should be appreciating yourself" I say proudly while her chuckle doesn't seem to end. We still jump across the stage while my right hand holds her one hand and my left hand rests on her waist.
I would have been drenched in sweat if it wasn't for the fact that the night is cool.
The people cheer us on. The musicians that surround the stage are doing a great job with the melody.
"Of course, Arnold" She smiles sarcastically as she continues, "I guess, the fool I know is actually no longer a fool at some things!"
I would remain a fool if that's how you like to remember me as.
"Who knows?" I smile at the sky, "Anyway, I am sure there would've been many things you would want to tell me, aren't there, my darling queen of the thieves?" I finish and a part of me wants to know how I gathered up the courage to sprout that nonsense nickname once again.
Elicia coughs shortly, "Don't give me heart attacks by saying those cringe nicknames again, Arnold-"
I mistakenly step at Elicia's feet. "I think you should focus on dancing for the moment, Arnold," she says while smiling.
"Surely."