Mysterious Notebook

dance

Whether it was my inexperience with guys or his evil charms, the fact remained that I was getting affected by Bryan and it was mandatory for me to keep my guards up at all times near him.

And with that determination, to not get further intimidated by his actions and to not shy away; I walked into the hall again.

I noticed it was gradually filling up with couples. People in pairs were dancing slowly to the music, floating gracefully on the floor.

And the scene made my knees weak. People were dancing. Dancing?!

Immediately, I felt my confidence slipping away and the resolution to not shy away breaking down.

I was so not a dancer. To say the least, the last time I tried to dance in high school my partner had to leave the party and go home. Yes. I was a very bad dancer.

Hiphop music, rave parties, where one just has to keep moving their bodies in crowded places were still easier. But family parties, where one has to actually dance traditional style.

It was like standing on the edge of quicksand, those few lingering moments of frantic thoughts right before the sand pulls you in.

My eyes roamed about anxiously and my mind felt a little bit elated to register Bryan's absence from the hall. But I knew the happiness wouldnt last long. And almost by instinct my feet started taking me towards the drinks.

I picked up a glass and gulped it down. Nervousness in a way made me reckless. It left a bitter taste in my mouth but the spirits steadied my nerves. I smiled at the lady standing beside me and she started talking to me.

I realised to my utter horror that she was Bryan's mother.

The sudden revelation sent my head spinning again, as I started comparing mother with son, and found that they both had the similar dimpled cheeks and blond hair.

It all happened so soon.
She was leading me to her husband, calling out to the broad shouldered man as "Robert, look.. this is Annie. Bryan's girl."

The man was probably in his late forties as he turned from his group of friends and walked towards us. He gave me a broad smile and shook my hand.

"Ah! My son is a lucky man to have as beautiful a lady as you. This is a rare surprise though, he never brings his girl to our family parties. You must be a special one." Robert said giving me a knowing smile.

I found myself blushing stupidly as I smiled at them and thought how best to escape without having to lie to them. I was told to act as Bryan's date but deceiving his parents made me feel guilty. Even though I was not lying, my silence was enough to affirm their assumptions. And that made me feel bad.

I smiled and excused myself from them as soon as I spotted the tiny fairy.

Lily looked so adorable in a white frilly frock with light pink satin designs. An absolute fairy.

She jumped in delight as soon as she saw me.

"Big sister Annie! You came!" Lily grinned at me toothily.

I laughed while taking her hands and giving her a spin.

"Yes. Afterall how could I turn down my fairy's invitation?" I replied smiling.

She giggled and pulled me to the centre of the hall pleading, "Dance with me. Please?"

I made my eyes as big as I could in mock horror, which was not so mock because I was truly scared of dancing, and shook my head vehemently.

"Oh noo.. Lily. I cant dance darling. Please dont embarass your big sister. Please?" I whined.

"Shush Sistaa.. there aint nothin difficult about dancing. Please just one dance with me?" Lily stared at me with a cute pout.

And I knew I was in grave danger as I let the tiny fairy drag me to dance.

Just when I was beginning to enjoy dancing with Lily, a hand stopped me from behind.

The hand was gently pressed to my back and as the person lowered his head to ask Lily, "Can I borrow her for a dance?" I recognised the husky voice.

Bryan.

Lily smiled and stepped away to run to find a new partner.

"Let's dance. Shall we?" Bryan asked me, turning me round to face him.

I was his fake date. Are fake dates supposed to dance at a family party?

I knew the answer would probably be yes. So I gathered all my courage and looked up at his eyes.

For the first time in the evening, I actually saw his eyes. They were brown with tender swirls of golden ribbons inside. Before I could lose myself in those eyes, I murmured "yeah".

And we began dancing.