His Dancing Star

Chapter 9

By the time they made it back to her suite from the rock face, it was dark. The dark clouds had blown out to sea and the evening was bright and clear, the stars visible above them. Much of the walk back had been in silence, but Lina had reached for Ed's hand as they'd strolled along, and neither of them had let go since. The physical touch seemed to fill the space where the words wouldn't fit.

As they approached her front door, Lina said haltingly, "Thank you for today."

"A pleasure to climb with you, my dear," he quipped.

"Ed." She stopped him and caught his eyes, squeezing his hand to infuse her words with meaning. "Thank you for talking to me. It means a lot."

"Thank you for listening."

"Would you like to come in for a drink?" She threw the offer out there, not sure of what outcome she hoped for, but knowing innately that he shouldn't be alone.

"Yes. Please."

They entered the suite together. Housekeeping had been through at some stage, lighting candles and opening the glass doors to let the night air come billowing in through the sheer curtains. Ed said, "We can sit outside if you like?"

"Sure."

"I'll open a bottle of wine."

Minutes later they were settled on the cane lounges. Lina had deliberated whether to sit on the same couch as Ed, but somehow the one across from his seemed safer. She gratefully accepted the cool glass of pinot grigio and said, "Cheers to adventure number five."

"Number six if you count the party," said Ed, leaning forward to tap his glass against hers.

"It feels like I've been here for months," she mused, gazing about at the suite that felt more like a home to her than her own NYC apartment. "I can't believe it's been only a week since I left."

"Have you spoken to anyone at home since you got here?"

"No," she said, her voice bursting out high and elevated.

Ed's eyebrows raised. "That's a strong reaction."

"I, um... I didn't exactly leave on good terms." She grimaced. "I kind of ran away."

"You know, I have a bit of experience in this area. Do you want to talk about it?"

She shifted in her seat; uncomfortable because of the topic matter, but also because her hamstring was bothering her. She must have over-extended it today in the climb. It had been over a week since she'd stretched properly, which was the longest time she could remember since being a child. Easing off her chair to the floor, she spread her legs wide and folded over the sore limb. "I don't know if you want to hear about it."

Expecting to hear him push for more detail, the silence surprised her. She glanced up to find Ed staring at her, his mouth goggling wide open. "Ed?"

"Sorry, what?"

Puzzled, she asked, "What is it?"

"You don't even realise, do you?" He indicated the almost-parallel split of her legs. "You have to know that's more than a little... captivating."

"I'm just stretching. It's not my fault you're easily distracted." Turning her face towards her knee, she folded down and grinned widely. Sometimes it was nice being the centre of attention because of her abnormal body.

"Right. Any way... Where was I? Yes, I absolutely want to hear about your escape from New York. I practically talked your ear off today; it's my turn to listen."