The Last Dance

Chapter 4

Delilah continues to stare at the wall, tears constantly threatening to fall down her face. Just as she's sure that she's about to start crying, she feels a tap on her shoulder. She inhales sharply as she realizes that the song has changed, and she tries her best to make herself look like she's enjoying the party.

She's unsurprised when she turns around and sees Mirabelle. Delilah can't help but stare at her. As expected, she looks a million times better up close, and Delilah is left speechless. When she finally realizes that she should say something, she congratulates Mirabelle. Mirabelle thanks her somewhat awkwardly before asking Delilah to meet her outside in a minute.

Delilah just nods, almost bowing. Mirabelle walks back toward the dance floor, stopping just at the edge to say something to her betrothed, before heading to the door. Delilah waits a minute before leaving through a different door on the same side of the room.

***

I look around, struggling to see in the dark. After a moment, once my eyes have adjusted, I see her in an empty gazebo, illuminated only by the moonlight. She's facing away from me, towards the garden, unmoving.

I walk slowly toward the gazebo, careful not to make a sound. I watch her as intently as she watched the crowd earlier this evening, sure not to take my eyes off of her for even a second. Once I reach the entrance of the gazebo, I pause, unsure of whether I should make a sound to let her know that I'm here, but before I have a chance to make up my mind, she's already turning toward me.

She must have heard, or maybe sensed me there, because her eyes show no surprise when they land on mine. She looks at me in the same loving way that she always had, and I'm instantly reduced to tears.

Her eyes soften even further, and she takes a step toward me. She starts to hum a song that I've heard her sing many times before in the comfort of our room. She puts her hand out in front of her and in a barely audible whisper, asks me to dance.

I cautiously step forward and take her hand, and she begins to hum again. She pulls me to her chest, and I glance down into her eyes. We stay like that for a bit, swaying along to the tune she hums.

Eventually she stops humming, and takes my hand to twirl me under her hand. I've outgrown her by now, and need to duck a bit to avoid being hit by her arm. When I've finished spinning, she backs up and pulls me back into her arms.

Once I'm safely pressed against her, she starts to recount memories from our childhood. After she tells a few stories, I sniffle up my tears and share a few of my favorites. We go back and forth until neither of us can remember anything else, and I drop my head onto her shoulder.

She starts to hum again, a lot more shakily this time, and I begin to cry once more. I dig my face farther into her neck, and she stops humming, now crying too. She presses her lips into my hair, and we keep swaying, with our quiet tears as our only sound.