undercover

Part 11: Sway

Three years ago:

The colours of the light melted into the night reflected in the water, a kaleidoscope, playing with the shards of light.
Azael leaned on the railings, fighting the urge to turn and look at her, Mehar.

To have your name called out can pull you from the depths of darkness and can also thrust you into it. A name is intimate, it's personal, and it would feel odd to use without being told to.

"Azael?" She asked.
"How do you- You guys have the list of passengers," He grinned with the realisation.
"Wouldn't be out with a stranger if I knew nothing about him, now would I?" She smiled, turning back towards the shimmering waters.
He looked at her, a little mystified, when music filled the air. Slowly at first, then swelling and billowing till everything around seemed to follow its rhythm.

A violinist was walking by, accompanied by a singer. With a gaze deeper than the ocean and a voice that could go even further, she twirled around him, her vocals soaring.

Mehar turned to look at him, her nails strumming, following the beat of the palisade.
Her brown eyes, with little flecks of gold, in all their glory in the moonlight, teased him. She held out a hand, in an invitation.
He took it and walked forward, away from the edge, feeling the rhythm that pulsated through the ground.

The tourists about were clicking photos of the musical duo, and our pair was just one among the crowd that had started to sway to the music.
Couples broke out in tangos and twists and fathers twirled their little girls, some in excellent harmony while others not, but the sound of giggles and laughter filled the night.

Her head inclined, her eyes fixed upon his, magnetically drawing her close. Her gaze flickered to the joint between the left arm of the spectacles and the frame.
It was a play of light, a lifting of the shadows that drew her eyes to this, to something that looked like the last rung of a screw-on container.
It was in focus for barely a moment, before she was swept off again, but that was enough.

When the musicians played and sang their last note, the grateful audience applauded, as Mehar exploded into lively laughter with Azael, leaning into him.

The haze of the music wore off and she quickly untangled her arms from around his shoulders.
He looked at her through his eyelashes, as she reached out to him again.
Her hands came to rest on his spectacles, and raised them, before he grasped her hands, leading her into a twirl.

But Mehar had noticed how heavy the spectacles were and Azael had seen the realization flash before her eyes.
He dipped her, sleek, the hair that had been disentangled from the confines of her bun swept the pavement.
He paused there for a moment, looking into her surprised gaze, which shifted into a challenge as her aloft right leg entwined around his.
Game on.

Author's note: Check out the 'three years ago' section of the 1st chapter in case you're confused at any point.
If that's not where the answer to your query lies, just scroll past the other chapters as well, I've italicized and underlined the timeline indicators ('present day' or 'three years ago', etc) so you'll be able to skim through it easily.