AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Medium.” Bentley repeats. “And I'll have the same.” He says, thanking Derek before he walks away.
“So we have one thing in common then.” I observe aloud.
“We have a lot more than one thing in common.” He leans towards me, promise in his eyes. “You just need time to realize it.”
“Is that so?” I question, my breath hitching when his hand settles against my upper thigh, dancing across the silky material.
“It is.” He says, dropping his hand away and straightening his posture, throwing a wicked grin my way before going in for more wine. I stare at him in playful disbelief for a long moment before I realize, two can play this game.
****
The rest of our dinner flies by with stolen touches and promising glances, mainly from me. The more wine we drink, the braver I become and the easier the conversation flows. Well for me anyways. Bentley had the initial glass and only drank water throughout the remainder of our meal.
By the time we exit over an hour later, I am convinced that Derek is the best cook in the world and Bentley is one lucky bastard for having him as a friend. If one of my friends cooked like that, it's likely I would live with them just so I could eat their food everyday.
The sun has set and the city lights are shining brightly all around us as the valet pulls in front of us and Bentley holds the door open for me, waiting until I am settled before closing the door and climbing into the drivers side.
I watch the city come to life right before my eyes the further we drive. I love this city and even more so, I love this city at night. There is something so freeing, so liberating about being here around all the life and culture and music.
It doesn't take us long before we pull up outside ofThe Madison Theater, the large performing arts center that sits in the heart of the city. I have been here before but only once. My grandma brought me to a ballet here when I was ten. It was one of the most incredible nights of my life. It feels strange being back here all these years later and for the opening performance of Chicago's newest dance company no less.
Once again stopping at a valet station, I climb out of the car with the assistance of a very friendly young man and then wait on the sidewalk for Bentley to join me. Taking my hand, he leads me inside, stopping to give the doorman our tickets before proceeding.
We walk in silence as my mind takes in the scenery around me. Not much has changed in the twelve years since I was here. The theater is just as beautiful as I remember it. Glossy white floors and wide open staircases lead to each separate section of the theater. Bentley leads me up the first set of stairs but then to my surprise, veers to the left towards a private entrance.
The man working the entrance to the floor only nods and opens the door for us as we pass through. It doesn't take me long to realize that we are in the private boxes. Bentley leads me to the last door on the left and then holds it open for me, his hand falling to the small of my back as he ushers me inside.
The moment the stage comes into view, my steps falter. We are on a private balcony just feet above the stage. I can see everything crystal clear and know that we probably have the best view in the entire theater. There's no way we can't. We are just feet from the very stage that dancers will be filling within minutes.
I look out over the packed crowd, my eyes traveling to the very top, stopping for a moment around the area I sat with my grandma, before finally turning to face Bentley. He's standing next to what looks like a row of four movie theater chairs only they are much more elegant looking and don't fold when you get up.
Slipping off his jacket, he hangs it on the standing coat rack next to the door before taking a seat in one of the middle chairs and gesturing for me to join him. Smiling, I take the two steps that separate us and sit down carefully, once again being overly cautious given the dresses dangerously low cut.
“I don't know what to say.” I admit, when I find Bentley staring at me.
“You don't have to say anything.” He says softly, turning towards the stage as the lights begin to dim. It's a good thirty seconds before I turn my attention to the stage, not able to rip my eyes away from the incredible man sitting next to me.
The moment the dancers start moving across the stage, everything else fades away. Everything except for what is happening right in front of me and Bentley's fingers lightly trailing against the back of my hand. I watch each dancer as they jump and leap across the stage. I take in the amazing partnership as they do jumps and tricks that I have only ever dreamed of doing.
It's clear within the first few minutes that the piece is about love. Even if the dance was to no music at all, you can feel it in the passion and the fire that surges between the two main dancers. The way they grip and cling to one another. The way they embrace.
I have never seen anything like it before. I can't explain the way it makes me feel because more than anything, I don't understand it. I don't understand why suddenly I feel every emotion, every breath, every beat of my heart. I don't understand why suddenly a world that was once so black and white for me, now seems to be clouded in gray.
Looking to the side, I watch Bentley's face as the dance turns dark and suddenly the lovers are separated. I watch his eyebrows pull up and his forehead crinkle. I watch the intensity in his stare as he loses himself in the movements and I can tell, he feels it too. He feels the power of the piece and what's even more important, he appreciates it.
Turning my attention back to the stage, my skin prickles when he rests his hand against my leg. Not in a sexual way, but in a comforting way. Like he's telling me he's here. In a weird way, it settles me. It grounds me from the sudden floating feeling that seems to be making my body weightless.
The dance ends with the two lovers reuniting on an amazing lift that gets more than a few gasps from the audience and then like in all good numbers, the stage goes black and the curtain closes. I stare out into the darkness, so overwhelmed with emotion that I'm having a hard time sorting through it all.
I stand as the curtain opens again and join the audience in an ear shattering applause. Each dancer re-enters the stage, taking a bow before moving to the side to make room for the next dancer until each one has taken center stage and they are all lined along the edge, taking one large bow together.
I clap so loudly my hands sting and as much as I loved every second of their performance, it has also awakened a passion in me that I have long since lost. I know that I lost my chance to dance on this level years ago but that doesn’t mean that I am not determined as hell right now to change the fate I have been handed.
Turning towards Bentley, he catches my eyes immediately and smiles, awakening something inside of me even longer since forgotten, my ability to care for another person on a level I thought I would never possess. And as I reach for him and pull him to me, pressing my lips firmly to his, I know that whether I am ready or not, Bentley Reed has made me realize the possibility of love and I will never be the same again.
