Thank You

Tickets

"May I help you ?" she repeats, "Are you okay ?"

I don't find the strength in me to answer. I'm frozen facing her, I didn't think I would see her again, not today, not ever. I feel like all the bones in my body just disintegrated and too soon I can't feel my legs anymore. It's like my thoughts detached from my mind and I can't control anything anymore. I can't move, nor can I say a word.

My legs give up on me, and as I'm ready to feel the cold and violent punch of the tile on my body, someone suddenly holds me in their arms, keeping me away from the floor. I can't recall what happened but it's her. And I don't need to have seen it to know she ran to me so that I wouldn't get hurt. She could've just let me fall, but she came and hugged me. She came for me, didn't she ?

"Are you okay ? Okay, come here."

She doesn't let go of me completely, but she only supports me with one arm now, making my legs function back again immediately. My brain starts working again, and I get out of her embrace, maybe too quickly, maybe too harshly. She looks at me with that exact same look she gave that night under the pole. Accusing and tough, but this time I can discern a pinch of incomprehension in the whole mix.

"I'm sorry. I'm okay. I'll just... go."

I don't really quite know what to do, looking around me for the exit as if I didn't know the place where I was standing. My gaze crosses hers as it wanders around, and I see the concern in her eyes. She slightly shakes her head and mechanically strokes her blond hair before walking towards me again.

"There is absolutely no way you're leaving like that. You just fell right here, come on, come with me."

As much as I want to follow her, as much as I feel almost irresistibly attracted to her, it feels wrong, and I can't help but step away a little. She slightly frowns as I move back but keeps on coming my way.

"I am not asking."

I know she wouldn't have let me go anyways, but just watching her determined and instant look makes me walk back to her. Her eyebrow is raised a little, and she waits for me with her arm open, offering her embrace once again.

"Alright come with me, I will get you some place warm and something to drink. And eat."

I don't answer but slightly move forward, and she slides an arm around my shoulder for support. Her touch is warm and soft, but still tough and controlling. I let myself be guided to a large clean office. I've been to the theatre many times but I've never seen the behind the scenes, and I cannot tell whether I like what I see or not. The whole room is painted white, and the only touches of color you can see are the red roses on a smooth, glass-looking desk. The modernity of the furniture, from the chairs to the windows contrast deeply with the old looking monument. The woman watches you inspect the room with your not-so-shy eyes and sighs.

"I don't like either. They put me here and I agreed for... Well. For now it should do. But it is too plain, too modern for my taste. I would like an old wooden desk better. But that you probably do not care about."

Her voice is absolutely bewitching. It's the smoothest I have ever heard. It flows like water as much as it strikes like a rock. It's a mix of these things that make a person so much more interesting. Furthermore, her accent just perfects the whole sound. I could never get tired of it.

She leaves me at the door and gets a chair for me to sit on. She doesn't stop for a second and walks towards a small fridge in the corner of the room as she beckons me to sit down. As I do as she asked, she gets two cans of soda out of the refrigerator and put them on the desk, right in front of me, then sit across it, in a the huge white office chair that softly creaks when she moves around. She opens a drawer and mumbles some sort of insult before opening another one, and gets a piece of brownie out of it. She sets it on the table and pushes it towards me with the tip of her finger, and I can't help but admire her firm, slender and graceful hands. My gaze lingers on the veins of her fingers before flying back to hers. She's staring.