[Video Background: Timbaland - Morning after dark ft. Nelly Furtado & Soshy]
One month, three weeks and a half into the relationship
The pounding music in the dance club resounded loudly in her ears. She hadn't been out in ages and was no longer accustomed to music drowning out voices. This dance club used to be her favorite pastime in motion-related activities in her twenties.
Her friend from the magic workshop, Jeanne, watched the surroundings in ecstasy. It was her first time at a downtown dance hall, thanks to Marie-Rose.
The dance floor in the middle of the club was occupied by a few people shuffling to the music, as the DJ had not officially started yet. Glancing at their watches showed it was only minutes around 7 pm.
The two women sat at the bar, sipping cocktails through colorful straws.
The chilled music set the mood, but even at a low volume, drowned out conversations. Their group stood at a distance so they could talk privately. Neither the busy bartender mixing drinks and pouring colored liquids into tall glasses could eavesdrop.
This was her third drink. She was determined to get tipsy tonight. If more alcohol was required to numb her feelings, she would do it, disregarding the rules of magic. Though not exactly rules, alcohol hindered her abilities. But she had no plans to use any of her skills besides dancing. She knew overindulgence would have consequences, so she paced herself, keeping an eye on the alcohol level in her glass while monitoring her blood alcohol level at the same time.
Jeanne noticed a good-looking young man eyeing Marie-Rose. He had been staring for a while. She wondered if her mentor noticed but pretended not to.
Marie-Rose leaned back on the bar stool, taking another sip of her orange cocktail after stirring the ice with her straw. With her head tilted back, seemingly lost in her own world, she appeared alone under the dim spotlight.
Already used to the people monitoring her, whom her teenage friend believed to be admirers, she chose to drown in oblivion. Ironically, those who claimed to protect her turned into stalkers. That was what Margarita had assured her, that despite the constant surveillance, she was at least protected.
Oblivion enveloped her as she disconnected from reality.
She looked exquisitely as if she was an unreal beauty. Her slim profile was accentuated by her tight dress that she refused to wear until Jeanne won over her with pouting her face. Just when she had given up hope, Marie-Rose accepted to try it on, for fear she will cancel the evening out.
As expected the dress highlighted the curved placed in all the right places. One could not tell that the woman had given birth. Well, her stomach gained some fat in the past year, since she was living in the big city, but she still looked gorgeous. She looked unfairly fresh for her age.
Marie-Rose noticed that Jeanne was examining her and she touched her waist with both hands as if measuring her circumference:
"I am deformed, I know." The regret was speaking for her. She was trying her best but with such a sedentary job she couldn't keep a toned waistline. Her love life with Alexandre, which was already over anyway, couldn't count as sports, therefore not enough to keep her waistline, while the efforts at the gym to stay fit were hindered by her eating habits.
For a while, her lifestyle was reduced to starving all day long and compensating the food deprivation in the evening by eating tons just minutes before going to bed. Until her recently found determination to change this habit, she never cooked her lunch for work.
However, her team developed a new habit of eating together and exchanging dishes which they brought to the office in turns. Their favorite activity was to try different sandwich making techniques for their morning snacks or the healthy snacks between meals. She hoped this will help her to recover her previous waist.
Yet she had perfect body proportions any woman would envy and the high heels brought them out.
Jeanne wondered if she will find out the secret of her youthful appearance. She was excited by the possibility of maintaining her current appearance in the later stages of her life.
While everything around her moved, she remained still, waiting.
As if awaiting something, other than the DJ program. In the sea of people, the two of them seemed to be frozen in time.
Jeanne felt that something big was bound to happen tonight. To be honest, she accepted the invitation because she was hoping to meet her crush. Listening to her heart, she had a feeling that they will meet tonight.
But if it happened, she needed to impress him. He betrayed her and she was not willing to forgive him as easily as Marie-Rose told her earlier. She had to make him regret that he had chosen someone else over her.
"What are we waiting for, Miss Marie?" Jeanne broke their silence. Amidst the noise, only they were quiet. She had much to discuss with her friend.
Marie-Rose turned to her and spoke loudly over the music, shielding her mouth with her hand:
"Nothing, Jeanne. Are you not having fun?"
"Not yet. I'm looking forward to dancing!"
"Me too, honey! Let's dance!" Marie-Rose longed to dance to forget her troubles. With her back in town, she dreaded running into her boss, Cezar, who still sought opportunities to meet despite her avoidance. She had no wish to reconcile.
"But the DJ hasn't started yet." Jeanne grew more confused as Marie-Rose marched decisively towards the dance floor, beckoning her to follow. With sudden courage, she joined the crowd already swaying to the infectious music.
At that moment, the DJ skipped introductions and the scattered groups merged into a pulsing mass centered around the raised platform.
Dancing their hobby, these enthusiasts of all ages eagerly anticipating this night. Like them, moving to music was Marie-Rose's best expression. This was no random club for hookups and binge drinking, but a renowned venue for professional dance and quality music, devoid of low vibrations elsewhere. People came for a good time.
So bringing a teenager posed no issue with parental approval. And Jeanne, now 18 like Marie-Rose's son, needed none.
Jeanne soon blended into the writhing sea, raising her hands in liberation. She followed their movements as waves on the ocean. Their group joined the swelling mood.
Noticing the stare fixed on Marie-Rose, Jeanne realized it wasn't Alexandre. Knowing her friend had a stalker, she considered warning her.
"Someone's watching you insistently. He's been at it awhile!" Jeanne said.
Just as she prepared to point him out, the man cut through the crowd toward the bar.
Marie-Rose's gaze swept around but failed to find him since his back was to her.
Well aware who stalked her, she figured Daniel sent agents to monitor her whereabouts and report back.
Having done no wrong, they had nothing concrete. Their only power was flaunting their knowledge to let her know they watched her every word and move. Wielding authority only over the weak gave their useless lives a sense of purpose and power.
She was ready to mock them again.
Approaching her life-long dance partner, she laughed, "I think I need to lose some tails, bestie!" she hinted to their prior agreement.
At his cue, the DJ spun a livelier tune. Maurice grasped Marie-Rose's hand and they both engaged to the rhythm of hip-hop beats, leaning against each other. A circle formed around the familiar club routine.
With suggestive movements, they danced passionately as a couple in love. Cheers and shouts urged them on as they whirled in their dance, reminiscent of a passionate Argentine tango. Poised to kiss, his hands seemed to caress her form, as if ready to undress each other.
Another couple joined the dance battle and laughter intensified in the electric atmosphere, growing hotter both from exertion and proximity of their bodies which came closer together, pelvises touching as she bent forward.
Spotting Jeanne with Maurice's son, Marie-Rose smiled. Jeanne's ex-potential boyfriend must have been somewhere around.
The pairs executed flashy lifts and catches to the crowd's delight. Marie-Rose arched back while Maurice stayed glued, as they finished the dance to thunderous applause.
Rejoining her group and catching her breath as others took the floor, Jeanne approached excitedly:
"He's here."
"Who's here, honey?" Marie-Rose assumed she meant her unlucky crush.
Stopping just shy of her stood the ogling man. Jeanne now figured he merely wished to hook up.
Both stretched their hands toward Marie-Rose simultaneously, but he spoke first:
"Great dancing!" His low voice whispered, "How are you, Marie-Rose? We meet again!"
***
Perched on a stool, he could watch her unnoticed. With her back to him, she was oblivious to his eyes tracking her every move.
She ran her fingers through the long, wavy hair that reached her waist. Speaking to the man beside her, her earlier dance partner, she kept her attention front, never glancing back for a second.
Someone brought her a drink. Distracted from her thoughts, she voiced her thanks in that sweet voice that enchanted all her suitors. She could easily play them if desired.
'No, I'm no idiot. I won't stoop to that,' she said, presumably about Jayden. 'I'm content as I am.' Marie-Rose seemed a strong woman who knew her worth and avoided stupid situations.
Indeed, she disliked playing games with men, even as a teen. Perhaps that's why she often got heartbroken, she thought. Craving sincerity, she refused feminine wiles to get a man's attention, wanting someone who prized her without artifice or tricks.
She considered it lame to control a partner and make him obey her every whim. Back in the uni, her maturity was noted by dorm-mates.
He watched her graceful hands lift the cup. Other men loitered around her too.
"A multinational harem it appears," amused, he mused, as a foreign looking guy talked to her despite ignoring the queue of interested women beside him.
At her age, finding a companion would be difficult for Marie-Rose these days. Discovering a single man interested in a serious relationship that she would like, too seemed an unattainable dream, so she hadn't been actively searching. Available men were either prowling dads or guys with girlfriends still seeking someone better. She'd be foolish not to prefer Jayden, who always put her first. So she wasn't at the club to meet men, but to spend time with trusted college friends.
The follower's laughter died when he saw Marie-Rose entertaining her interlocutor. As they chatted and laughed about the stage, he felt disheartened. But in under a minute, she left the chair, moving closer to the stage and rapidly ditching her friend. Or the man who seemed so based on their rapport.
He seized the opportunity.
However, another man approached her.
"Great dancing!" His low voice whispered, "How are you, Marie-Rose? We meet again!"
Marie-Rose couldn't contain her shock seeing Cedric next to her. If not in public, she'd gape in disbelief.
Words failed her and no coherent thoughts came that she could share. The situation felt so awkward. She cringed realizing he saw her flirtatious dance pose. She must've appeared a bird in heat hustling a mate.
'Oh no, how mortifying he must think me desperate.' Her cheeks flushed crimson at the thought. 'And why is he here anyway? Is Jayden here too? He doesn't live in this city.'
"Is Jayden here as well? When did you arrive?"
Drawn from her worries by a masculine, musky vanilla scent, she managed a faint:
"Hi." Her frail voice barely reached him. As he leaned down to hear better, she sensed her hormones surge.
"Miss me?" he asked, noting her bewilderment. She must want to forget him after their week apart. That would explain her coolness. But she worried he saw her dancing. Jayden had never come to this club before. They usually went to the pub.
Jayden had entered the dance hall just seconds before the first round of the dance contest ended. He only saw them leaving the stage and observed her quietly from the bar.
"Of course, Jayden!" She quickly regained composure. Unable to stop thinking about him since he left, she was glad to see him again.
"I'm happy you didn't forget me," he said mockingly, smiling to show gleaming white teeth that shone under the strobes like porcelain. "Your favorite!" Handing her a cocktail, to which she asked, "How would you know?"
Marie-Rose didn't remember discussing favorites. Did he just...?
"I asked the bartender!" Jayden laughed. "Plus your drink at the bar offered a clue." For someone knowledgeable about drinks, it was easy to guess. Any man approaching her would try the same strategy.
"So, expanding your harem, babe?" he joked.