Compulsion

Compulsion Part 3

For several hours Georgia watched as Elias talked with his schoolmates. The sound of their laughter and chatter part and parcel of the teenage ritual that Georgia hoped to be part of this evening. Unfortunately that was not to be. From her spot at the opposite end of the table, Georgia sat quietly and waited for Elias to shower her with attention. Attention that never quite materialised.

But Georgia was a bright girl and within minutes of arriving she realised that the evening was really not going to go according to her plans. His maybe. Change that. The silent thought through raced through her head. Change that to definitely going according to his plans. He had brought her here. As he'd explained in the limo. And he would dance with her. Once. But beyond that she was on her own.

When Elias explained the situation in the car it hadn't sounded too bad! In her imagination she couldn't imagine him going to all the trouble to organise a limo, make a grand entrance at the school and then ignore her for the bulk of the evening. In reality she did not have to imagine. He was putting into action exactly what he had told her would happen. Elias was specific and explicit about his plan for the evening during that short drive from her home to the school.

So, being a bright girl, and at times an overly sensitive one, Georgia decided it was probably best if she made her soft drink last the entire evening. She really didn't want to go to the makeshift school bar serving soft drinks on her own. Georgia was even more adamant that she wasn't going to ask Elias to get her a drink.

At several points over the course of the evening Georgia contemplated getting up and dancing on her own. But confidence was right there along side sensitivity, and while she had an abundance of sensitivity, she was short on her quota of confidence. So rather than risk ridicule Georgia sat and watched. And waited. For what exactly she wasn't sure. In the recesses of her brain she prayed for a miracle that would see Elias spend the rest of the evening with her. She was willing to settle for his company, as her prayers clearly weren't significant or sufficient enough to result in him dancing with her more than once through the evening.

But one of the advantages of her quick mind was her creativity and her imagination. So in her mind she danced to every song cradled in his arms. It her imagination it did not matter if the music change tempo. In her imagination he did not let her go. He kept her close. Close enough for his breath to stir the wisps her hair. Close enough to feel the heat of his body. Close enough to hear his heartbeat. Imagination was a wonderful thing. In her mind she savoured the idea of him wanting to be close to her. Wanting her to be close to him. In her mind he held her hand to his heart. Placed his cheek against her temple. And continued to sway with her cuddled close as if they had their own private dance hall and their own secret moment.

But that was all just fantasy.

The reality was that he was at one end of the table, laughing and joking with his teenage mates, while she was at the other end of the table doing her best to look as if it was exactly where she wanted to be. Who knew she was such a skilled actress! That nearly had her giggling. Her lips twitched. If she giggled they would think she was having an episode, and had finally lost the plot! That made her lips twitch some more. As Caitlin often reminded her sister, Georgia had a warped sense of humour!

From his vantage point at the other end of the table, with his friends around him like a fortress wall, Elias took periodic peeks at the girl he had brought to the school dance. Even in the muted light of the dimmed school hall, she looked dreadful! And why was she smiling like that? As if she found something amusing? Elias scowled. He couldn't fathom her out. She had sat in the limo and listened attentively when he had issued his decree for their behaviour for the night. He'd expected protests. Or at least some form of retribution. Instead she looked puzzled for a second and then just nodded her agreement. Nodded! Most of the girls he dated would have probably decked him if he told them he was bringing them to the dance, but once there, they were going solo!