The Drumbeat Years (girlxgirl)

12

12

21st. July 1996 - 22nd. July 1996

Enveloped in the chaos of congratulations and well wishes, a hurricane of hands shaking hers and faces that flitted before her eyes, speaking but their words carried away in the tumult, Tina could only think of Dawn.

Despite the crowd, Tina continued to search for her former tutor, trying to catch glimpses through the crowd that seemed to have multiplied to thousands of people. People that she knew, people that she had seen, in passing over the last few days and previous conventions, people that she had never seen before in her life. It became too close. Too claustrophobic.

At last, she managed to find somewhere to sit, holding the prize envelope in her hands. She didn't know what to think, only that she had a desperate need to share this moment with Dawn. That shook her, for a second. At any other time, her first thoughts would fall to Kyle. To see that cheeky grin and hear the laugh following some silly thing he would say. Not today.

"How does it feel?" Mel crouched down before her, hands resting on Tina's knees, chin upon her hands as she looked up, appearing more excited than Tina. "Have you decided what story you'll let them publish? Something new? Of course you haven't. You've only just won! Fantastic!"

"'Fragments'. I want 'Fragments' published." She looked at the envelope again, with the logo of the publishing house emblazoned across it. "I've rewritten it enough."

"Are you sure?" Cocking her head to the side, Mel's hand reached up to Russell's hand that had fallen upon her shoulder. "It's only a small publishing house and 'Fragments' is your trilogy, right? Don't you want to give them something new? Separate. Just in case."

"No. No, I need to put 'Fragments' out there." She looked up to Russell and watched his cheeks redden. He still hadn't apologised for his behaviour, though he looked guilty enough to know that he remembered what he had done. "If it's my one and only chance, I want it out there. Even if it never sells. Just so I know I tried."

"Well, give it a think. You don't have to decide right away." Jumping up, Mel clapped a hand against her thigh, then hooked a finger at Tina. "But first, we celebrate. We're buying. All night. And not just here, we'll do a crawl."

"Sure." Even though she felt elated, she could only manage a tight smile as she looked up towards her friend. Her acquaintance, really. "Give me a few minutes. I think I'd like some time alone. Let it sink in."

Nodding, Mel leaned over, kissing Tina on the cheek, wiping away the lipstick with her thumb. She gave one, last, worried look to Tina, then grabbed Russell's hand, dragging him away. With Mel and Russell gone, she found the space around her expanding as more and more people drifted away. She felt thankful for that. Thankful to finally be alone.

Except, she wasn't alone. The ballroom hall had almost emptied completely, with only a few stragglers and the organisers and staff still huddled by the stage, congratulating each other on a well-received event. But it wasn't them that made her feel as though she wasn't alone. Her eyes had caught her, stood at the back of the room, hands still behind her back.

As though in a dream, Tina rose from the chair, slipping the envelope into the back pocket of her jeans, picking up the shoebox. Her eyes never left Dawn's. She walked with such slow, feeble steps, she thought every step expanded the distance between them. Tall and thin and beautiful, hair cascading over her shoulders, the right side of messy, large, dark eyes locked upon Tina, Dawn had captured Tina's heart years before. Captured it and never let it go.

Before she knew it, she stood before her. Neither said anything and the room disappeared once more. The two of them the only people in the entire universe. Tina felt the world turning, twisting around them like a scene from a movie, the camera sweeping in circles, as though they danced without moving. Dawn leaned down and Tina felt her lips part. Until one of the people, that didn't exist in this perfect moment, bustled past her, brushing her shoulder.