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Scout showered and dressed in jeans and a loose gray sweater that hung to her lower thighs. The elevator chimed softly just as she finished with her hair. Frowning, she glanced at the clock. It was only five.
Her heart suddenly raced as her ears focused on the sound in the hall. Shadows of feet showed under the door and the knob slowly turned. Parker stepped in and she exhaled. She had no idea who she was expecting, but she was relieved it was only Parker. Something in the past hour had set her on edge. She was oddly anxious.
“Hey,” she greeted. He looked so different in his suit.
“Hey. You ready for tonight?”
She actually was. “Yup. Where are we going?”
He smiled and removed his jacket, draping it over the back of a kitchen chair. “I got tickets for a show.”
Her lungs filled with excitement. “What kind of show?” She’d never been to a show. Well, that wasn’t true. Once Lucian took her to a burlesque show. She flushed and shook off the memory. No thinking about him tonight. She was determined to have fun.
“It’s a surprise. It starts in an hour so I figured I’d make something quick to eat before we go.”
They ate sandwiches and guzzled down some juice. Parker locked the apartment, and then they were whisked off in a cab to the show!
The cab deposited them outside of Folsom’s stadium. She’d never been this close to the enormous structure before. Vendors sold shirts as ticket holders bustled by. A man scalping tickets distracted her, but Parker kept his hand on her back and guided her to the doors.
It was loud once they made it inside. The floor was a wide, cement ramp. People shuffled slowly to the top and everything smelled of popcorn. Her excitement had become almost impossible to contain.
A man in a striped staff shirt searched her bag and took Parker’s tickets. They were sitting in row fourteen, section D, seats nine and ten. The seating made absolutely no sense to her and even less sense once they entered the main area.
Thousands of chairs formed an enormous bowl. It was a modern day coliseum. In the center stood a dark stage. Long cords hung from poles and there was no ceiling to speak of. A blanket of stars glittered back at them as Parker found their seats.
The chairs were theater style, the kind that flipped forward and snapped back the moment one stood. She took her seat and smiled. “This is so cool.”
Parker laughed. “It hasn’t even started yet.”
“I know, but look at this place. It’s incredible.”
He patted her knee and grinned. They sat, listening to the roar of voices surrounding them, and Scout watched the various faces of people going by.
“Do you want something to drink?” Parker half shouted.
“Sure.” She reached in her bag for a few dollars and he stilled her.
Shaking his head, he said, “Let me treat you.”
She reluctantly withdrew her hand and nodded. Parker left to find them drinks and she continued to stare in awe at the stadium. People slid into the seats in front of her and she saw they held a pamphlet. The words she saw made no sense no matter how she tried to sound them out. She was too excited to think.
“The lines are insane here,” Parker said as he returned to his seat. He held two cups of something golden and topped with foam. “I got you a beer. Is that okay?”
She’d never had beer. Lucian had always given her wine. “Sure. Thanks.”
The beer had a very heady scent. The taste was much stronger than wine, more robust and grainy. She wasn’t sure if she liked it, but she continued to sip it anyway. The lights flickered and dimmed. Her heart pumped as she settled into her seat.
The dark stage reflected silver shades of blue and soft chirping came from every direction. Scout turned her head, trying to find the birds, but saw none. Then music filtered over the gentle twittering. It was coming from speakers.
Her gaze returned to the vacant stage just as a dark shadow of a man came into view. The audience seemed to hold their breath as the man took center stage. Would he sing? Dance?
Scout jumped when he suddenly shouted something, too excited to make out the words. Then the stage careened to life. Men and women in bodysuits flipped onto the stage from every direction. Flames flashed and a ring of fire formed. She couldn’t peel her gaze away, so she leaned into Parker. “Is this the circus?”
“Cirque du Soleil,” he whispered. “The circus of the sun.”
The circus! He’d brought her to a circus. Would there be acrobats? Clowns? Animals? Her gaze darted to the sky, and suddenly all the dark ropes and cords made sense. The tightrope.
She was breathless. Her body scooted to the edge of her seat as she stared unblinking at the performance in the distance. Drums rattled and the volume of the music below climbed to an intensity that vibrated in her bones. With a loud thump, the dancers fell to the stage, and everything went dark and silent.
