Mr. Smith. He is also wearing a black tuxedo that is fit for him. He looks like a respectable congressman. "Hello Anna," he offered his hand to me which I accepted. "Hello Uncle," I replied with the most generous smile on my face.
The song is down now to its second half. "Anna, I would like to thank you again for bringing back Kyle to be himself again. We are so grateful that you and your family came into our lives," He said with seriousness on his face.
"If it isn't because of you, we will never know what's going to happen to Kyle. He was lost before but he's on the right track now and it is all thanks to you. Thank you for being a good friend to my son. Thank you for being patient and a loving friend," he smiled at me. I tried to return the smile but I'm afraid only a bitter smile can show up. The song is almost at its end when Mr. Smith lets me go.
I thought the dance was over but I didn't expect the following events. There is a man in a white suit walking toward me with a bunch of white and red roses in his hands. I turned around, trying to walk away but I remember my parents were watching us. I don't want to ruin this night for selfish reasons. "Can I have a dance with you?" He is standing behind me.
I turned around to face him and saw a sincere smile drawn on his slim lips. I placed my hand on his shoulder and held his hand while he put his one hand on my waist and held my free hand. We started to move sideways in silence with the romantic music playing in our background.
I'm just looking at the ground, avoiding eye contact with him. Afraid to face him and see the sympathy in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Kyle. I shouldn't yell at you last night," I break the awkward silence between us.
"You don't have to say sorry. I deserve all the curses you gave me last night. You're right I am an idiot."
"That's not what I mean," I look up at him. I don't see any regrets or hurt on his face, instead, it is a smile wider than before.
"I'm an idiot for not being straightforward that left you confused and hurt," the smile on his face fades when he says it. "I should be the one who's asking for forgiveness, Anna. Sorry if I left you confused but I swear to you that what I said is true," I'm not prepared for this.
The tears that I'm looking for this morning are ready to spill any time soon. I don't want to hear those words again. I tried to struggle but he held me tight and didn't let me go.
"I like you, Anna Black. It is not like that between friends but kind of like that means I love you," my world stops at his words. The song ends as he stops talking.
We remained standing there. We didn't move an inch. I'm still looking at the ground, processing the words he said. He holds my arms and puts them around his neck while both of his hands are on my waist before the next song plays. It is another Ed Sheeran song titled Perfect.
"I found the love for me," he accompanies the song as we dance to it. He has a deep voice but when he sings, it becomes so angelic, almost sounds like a lullaby.
"Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead. Well, I found a girl, beautiful and sweet. I never knew you were that someone waiting for me," I lowered my head to his chest to hide my red face.
"'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love. Not knowing what it was. I will not give you up this time. Darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own. And in your eyes, you're holding mine," the hold on my waist becomes a soft hug when he entangles his hands on my lower back as we dance to the song that the lyrics seem written for us.
"Baby, I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms. Barefoot on the grass, we're listenin' to our favorite song. When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath but you heard it," he lowered his head to reach my ear and whispers "darling, you look perfect tonight."
I buried my face even more in his chest and clenched my hands on his coat. I heard him chuckle at my reaction. I don't know why but my heart is jumping from excitement. My heart that shattered into pieces becomes one again when he sings the song for me.
"I'm sorry if I made you confused, Anna," he said with his chin on top of my head. "The girl I'm talking about at the playground is you ... and George," I looked up at him and saw him smile bitterly.
"One night, I decided to surprise you but instead of you, I was surprised by what I saw that night," he looked me in my eyes with a serious expression.
"I saw how you and George were so intimate with each other that made me think that he is your boyfriend. So, I started to distance myself from you to avoid misunderstanding between you and him. At the celebration of your cafe's second anniversary, George became weird and asked me if I like you. He told me that he's not into women but men," we both chuckle at that fact.
"That was the time you came to my view and asked me out to the playground. And that was the time I told you about the girl I like that I misunderstand because of her friend's intimacy," he stopped for a while and looked at me with a smile on his face.
We are just standing there. Seizing the moment in each other's arms when we heard claps from the crowd. We forgot that we are not alone in this place. We looked at each other and laughed together in realization.