Learning How to Bend

January 16

"Dance with me."

"What?!" I nearly dropped my glass. "Are you out of your mind?"

"No," he said. "Dance with me."

"Now I really know you're not my Thaddeus."

"We're the only ones sitting."

"No, we're not. I may not be able to see, but I can still hear some of the people talking around us." I shook my head. "No. I don't think so."

"You had me dance in the rain before; what's so different about here?"

"From what I can remember, there was no dancing that night. Just a lot of kisses."

"'Just?'" I imagined him raising a brow.

"You know what I mean."

He squeezed my hand.

"I can't dance. Not when so many people are watching, especially. What's going through that head of yours?"

"Just that I want to dance with you." I heard him stand in front of me, taking my hand lightly in his. "Come, little love."

"What are people going to say?"

"You should know by now that I couldn't care less." He squeezed my hand again.

"You might not care, but I care." I shook my head, still refusing to stand. "What are people going to think about you? About me? What are they going to think of you being with a blind girl?"

"First off, you're not a girl. You're a woman." He lifted my chin with a finger. "And secondly, I don't care."

"But I care," I muttered.

He sat down across from me and took both of my hands in his. "You don't get it, do you?"

I did not know what to say, so I said nothing at all.

"I am proud of you, little love. I want everyone to know because I don't want anyone else. I want you." He squeezed my hands. "I want to show you off if you'll let me."

I looked away from him.

"I won't let anyone get near you. You know that."

I nodded.

"Then why do you fear?"

"What if people dig into who I am? What if they find out about my past?"

"So?"

I squirmed.

"You have nothing of which to be ashamed."

"It just scares me."

"Would you rather they all say I'm dating the model across the room?"

"No. Never." Possessiveness suddenly tightened around my heart like a vice.

"I'm already yours, Lily. And you're mine." He stood again, allowing my hands to drop to my lap. Thaddeus offered me one of his once more. "Why not make it official?"

He was proud of me.

I was proud of him.

I loved him.

So let the tabloids talk.

I acquiesced, then, putting my hand lightly in his and responding to his gentle tug. I rose from the chair and followed him to the dance floor. The song was not a fast one, instead a simple waltz. For some reason, I did not expect Thaddeus to know how to dance, but he did. He was a very good teacher, walking me through the steps in a soft tone which a year ago I would not have thought him capable of performing. I listened, doing what he instructed when he told me to do it. Yes, I definitely stepped on his toes a couple times, but he did not seem to mind and only corrected me before dancing again. It took two songs, but I eventually got the hang of it. I was not the most graceful dancer—I imagined even Antonia might have been more elegant in his arms—but I stopped stepping on his toes as I moved to the beat of the music.