Dark Paradise - Joel Miller x OC

First dances

Hello <3

As in previous chapters, the lyrics between || are sang by Chloe.

Photo by Arash Asghari on Unsplash

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Fairy lights twinkle, spreading their soft light throughout the church, transformed for the occasion in a dance hall. All over the room, conversations and laughter spread, barely stifled by the music. Sitting around a table, Maria, Tommy, and Eugene chat happily. Next to them, Chloe moves her head in rhythm, her eyes riveted on the dancers. Eugene notices it and nudges Joel.

"Come on man, make the girl dance.

-What? You, make her dance.

-Er, my leg is hurting tonight."

Chloe looks at her roommate, waiting to see his next move. A glimmer of hope in the eye. He questions her.

"You don't wanna dance, do you?

-I'll never not want to dance."

He sighs, and an idea comes to his mind.

"You know what? If you know the lyrics of the next song, I'll make you dance.

-What?! That's unfair, there's no way I'll know them.

-Too bad."

She sighs and plunges her face back into the crowd. She could ask someone else. But she wasn't sure she wanted that kind of closeness to anyone other than one of the people around this table. She had bonded with other people since arriving, but she still didn't know them well enough to ask them. Never mind, she would just drink tonight. Beside her, Tommy gives his brother a heavy look. He ignores it, taking another sip, which he stops suddenly when he hears the young woman's voice.

Nancy Sinatra, Lee Hazlewood – Summer Wine

| Strawberries cherries and an angel's kiss in spring
My summer wine is really made from all these things |

A big smirk lights up the face of his roommate. She knows the song. He puts his glass down, looking defeated, before reaching out to lead her onto the dance floor. A promise is a promise. He wanted to play, he lost. He's not even that bad a dancer. But he much prefers the comfort of a seat or the bar rather than being the center of attention.

"Wipe that satisfied smile off your face.

-Oh come on, that's fun. You should have seen your face when I started singing.

-How the hell do you know this song by the way, we don't have it home.

-I don't know, it came naturally to me. As obvious."

An expression of pain suddenly crosses her face. She remembers. She sees everything back. Her mother and her long dresses that twirled with her every move. Her father stepping forward and spinning her around, snatching her laughter interspersed with kisses. Innocent joy.

A pressure on her hand brings Chloe back to the present. She gives away a sad smile, trying to reassure the man who's looking at her with concern.

"My mom... She used to sing it all the time."

He nods, quietly strengthening his hold on his dance partner, to give her some comfort.

"Does it ever get better? Is there a day when the good memories stop being ruined by the bad?

-I'm not sure I'm the best person to talk about this. For a long time, I pushed everything deep inside me, scolding anyone that would bring the subject up. But I eventually learned it was ok to think or to talk about it. And then it gets better. It hurts less and you can enjoy those memories. But there are still some bittersweet feelings left, I think they never really go away."