The Music of the Night

Chapter 9

Ellie protested quite a bit at his actions, but Gerard just smiled and said, "Have some fun for once, Ellie."

Fun? 

That was never something she had thought about before, even as a little kid. 

Ellie's parents had always encouraged her to play with other kids her age, but she had been a hard-worker pretty early on, so it wasn't something she chose to do.

But with Gerard encouraging her, Ellie felt something open up inside her, and she relaxed against his grip, his hand still holding hers.

When they got to the middle of the dance floor, he positioned her in front of him, and they were only inches away from each other. 

His fabulous green eyes were looking at her kindly, and Ellie couldn't help but smile a little back.

"What kind of music do you like?" Gerard asked quietly.

She shrugged. 

"I've never really thought about it before, so I'm not really sure."

"Hmm," he mumbled, thinking. 

Then, "I think I have an idea."

He left her in the middle of the floor and walked over to a nearby stereo. 

A moment later, she heard a poppy song playing:

The rhythm was so infectious that it was hard not to tap your foot along with it, and the song itself was a feel-good tune that could cheer anyone up.

Gerard then came back over and gestured for Ellie to move toward him. 

She took a deep breath and obliged, getting close enough so that he could put one arm around her waist, and his other hand in hers. 

She rested her palm on his broad shoulder and tried to relax. 

Have some fun, his voice echoed in her head.

With that thought, they both started to move, slowly at first, but their pace began to pick up as Ellie got used to Gerard's movements. 

His smile grew wider when he twirled her around a few times, and her own expression became lighter; freer in a way.

He danced gracefully for such a tall guy, and she realized how much the Phantom was probably influencing him. 

When you played that role, you had to be intimidating but graceful, and it was obvious he had nailed both aspects.

Her own smile grew as the song continued, and the thrill of dancing with Gerard flowed through Ellie's body like an energy drink.

All too soon, though, the song ended, and Gerard and Ellie were left standing close to each other, breathing hard from dancing so quickly. 

His nose was about an inch from the top of her head, and she could feel every exhale of breath against her skin, sending chills down her back. 

Ellie's hands were still squarely on his heaving chest, so she quickly removed them and took a few steps back. 

She could already feel herself locking back up and retreating into her safe space.

Ellie managed to find her words and said, "Thank you for the dance, Gerard. I really appreciate it."

He nodded and gave her a little smile. 

"Of course, Ellie. If you ever need someone to talk to and somewhere to retreat, I'll be here."

His kindness was almost too much to handle, and she had to practically tear herself away from him when she left.