DISCLAIMER: Some of the characters in this original work of fiction have been created by and belong to the author Keiko Nagita.
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The taxi stopped at Old Compton Street in Soho. Archie had never visited Soho before although he had heard from passing conversations in the Ardley offices about it being quite the popular nightlife spot in London. A melting pot of cultures, with immigrants from earth's four corners, as it was expected Soho was very much alive with everything those cultures brought to the place. Music, dance, food, a cornucopia of sounds, moves, flavours and tastes, there was something for everyone here and everyone was accepted. The street was buzzing, even if the time was getting close to midnight.
They came out of the car. He stood on the pavement, looking hesitant to move and looked at her opening her bag, looking for her keys, while the taxi sped off. She lifted her head up, and met up with the questions in his stare.
"Come on", she said, prompting him to follow her.
Three doors down the road, she stopped. Put the keys on the door and opened it. A dark staircase stood right at the entrance, leading to an even darker room upstairs. She flicked a switch on the tiny hallway corridor. A couple of wall lights were switched on.
The sound of her heels echoed after her light tread on the wooden stairs. She turned her head back. Bewilderment was all across Archie's face who stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs, the door behind him still open. His previous spur across the dance floor, his sheer determination to make her acknowledge him, had given its place to a stream of questions which looked like they had no end as the time was getting by. With her every move, more would be born inside his mind.
"Close the door and come up Archie...", her words came out almost as an order to him and he followed them exactly so, thinking that the answers would have to come sooner rather than later. Or he would go crazy.
They reached the top of the stairs to a glass door. The word STUDIO was spelt with big, fancy, gold letters on it. She pushed it open. A narrow but rather sizeable room was revealed. The full moon on the sky multiplied in its reflection within the mirrors on the wall which stood opposite the big windows. Bands of its silver light crisscrossed the wooden floor.
"Sorry, there are no lights still in here...", she turned and said to him.
Archie, looked around, taking the place in but...what was the purpose of him being brought there, he had no idea. His eyes stopped back to her. With his sight having got used to the moonlight, he could see her more clear. He could see the curves of her body as if they were sketched by a silver line, the same way they were shown on her stretched shadow on the floor. His heart had come to his throat. He kept silent, just looking at her.
"It's my own dance studio, silly!", she exclaimed. "Not ready just yet though...That was why", she said.
Passion resonated in her voice. He couldn't help but be drawn to her. She was young, free-spirited, making her own path in life, on her own terms. He stepped into the moonlight, stood in front of her. The blue in his eyes sparkled the same way the sea does under the afternoon sun.
