Nova Luna

Twenty-two - Terpsichore

"We'll do the fun little turn next."

"Won't it be another two hours of footwork?" I joked.

"No, it's easy. You'll just drop your right hand, and that's the signal for me to turn."

And I did, but the moment I dropped my right hand, I had to try hard to not drop my jaw. I raised my left hand higher so that she could turn more freely, and right at that second, I felt like the planet Saturn. 

She was my Rhea, the moon who was spinning, revolving, and tidally locked on me. She did it so gracefully that it made me think twice of what I should paint next. The image of where I first entered the room, seeing how a moon gets her light from the sun, or a silhouette of the two of us, dancing together in space. Maybe both.

She turned three times, and it felt just like that every time. She already knew all her parts, and now I was learning mine.

Then on the third time, when she came back around to hold my right arm again, I held her a little bit tighter this time. Then I pulled her closer to me. Her smooth and soft skin pressed against mine. I couldn't help but smell her hair. Her province-air scented hair. With her moonlight eyes, she looked at mine. 

And it seemed like she wanted to take me somewhere beyond these four walls of the room—to the universe beyond, where the only people would be just the two of us. I wouldn't mind. As long as she held me like this, I felt like I was home. I was too busy trying to paint an image of her in my head, an image of us as Saturn and Rhea. 

And slowly, she was catching, drifting towards the insides of my rings, little by little. Both of us were turning, and spinning slowly at the same time, gazing at each other's eyes.

And as the sun was setting, I was falling deeper and deeper into her eyes. It was like seeing the world through it. A different view. 

Rhea, am I your planet, or am I just the Sun who will give you your light that you needed to orbit your own home planet?

"Rhea," I whispered softly in her ear. "It's been bothering me for so long, I wanted to tell you something." At this point, her head was resting against my chest.

"What is it?" She whispered back.

"These words I'm about to say, I don't like saying them that much, because I feel like they're overused, and it sounds too cheesy and cliché. I'd rather make you feel what I feel through these great efforts. But there's no other words to better describe them right now. I know you barely know me, but Rhea, I lo—"

"Elios, you are right," she interrupted me and pushed me a little bit so that she could look at me. "We barely know each other. Please don't say things in a rush." 

We danced all night until the sun set. The rays that used to light up the room were replaced by the bright and smiling light of the Moon. 

We haven't turned on a single light since sunset. I could see how the moonlight lit her face every time she turned around. It was like seeing all the Moon's phases in a single turn, from new moon, to crescent, to gibbous, and to full. Over and over again. 

I didn't want this night to end. 

I couldn't take my eyes off her, but I took a quick glimpse of the wall clock to see how much time we had left together, but the numbers were once again warped. I think I was starting to get dizzy from all the spins that she did, and I wasn't able to tell what time it was. 

I didn't bother. I was determined to enjoy every second of this night.

"How about a water break?" She offered.

"Sure," I replied

She let go of my hand to grab a cup of water in the corner of the room, where the water dispenser was. She was sitting in a squat.

"You can sit down anywhere on the floor and make yourself comfortable," she said as she sighed, and I did, as I watched her approach me and sit next to me.

"Have I told you about my weird dream?" She asked.

"Yes, it was the other day and I should've told you something," I replied. "It wasn't a dream Rhea, and we weren't dancing. You used to paint with me in the gallery, and you also played the cello at one of the private events held there." I was rushing in my speech, becoming increasingly nervous. "You didn't call yourself Rhea before, and it happened a couple of times."

"Elios," she whispered. "In my dream, you called me with a different name, and it was Selene."

"That's it, that's it!" I stood up, overly excited. "Tell me more, tell me everything about what you can remember!" 

She stood up, but she didn't look as excited as me. "I think we should stop seeing each other," she replied.

"Why?" It was as if all my energy had been sucked up out of the room. We were just about to begin. Not reset over and over again like we always did, and now she wanted to part for good.

Where is this coming from?

"Why don't we just dance, Elios. One last time," she replied. "This time, you'll be the one to do all the turning and spinning." She smiled and played some slow classical music.

I wanted to say to her, "Neoma. Artemis. Selene. Rhea. It's exhausting. I hate how much you mean to me. I hate how much I adore your pretty face. Your eloquent voice. Your soothing scent. Your warm hugs. Your limitless creativity. Your infinite intellect. I hate how much I adore every piece of you, every single detail of your whole being. I've always hated new moons ever since I fell in love with the Moon, but you made them look stunningly gorgeous." 

But I never uttered a word after she held my hand to dance. And along with her moves, we waltzed together.

I tried to tell everything to her, but I was only able to speak the last line, because I was staring too deep into her eyes again.

"I've always hated new moons ever since I fell in love with the Moon, but you made them look stunningly gorgeous, Rhea," I whispered.

"New moons aren't pretty, I agree," she replied. "They are cold, and dark, and you can't see them at night. But it's not me who makes the new moons gorgeous, Elios. Solar eclipses make them look pretty. It was the sun who made new moons, to use your words, stunningly gorgeous." She turned and spun again, showing me all the phases with the moonlight from the window.

"Then why won't you stay?" I asked.

"Eclipses have to end." She smiled. "It's your turn, you have to spin three times."

One. "Elios," she whispered.

Two. "I've seen the Moon." She smiled again.

Three. 

I turned around and she wasn't there anymore. I didn't know how she disappeared that fast, I tried to look for a room where she could possibly hide, but the lights suddenly turned on, and an old man's voice called.

"Sorry sir, it's closing time and you have to leave." It was the janitor and his mop.

"I know," I whispered. "Thank you for reminding me." I smiled at him.

But I didn't want to leave. 

Rhea. You didn't have to. Why did you?