As if reality were merely a stage set for the two of us, the applause died down first, then the music changed its skin: it went from something elegant but rhythmically moving to a faster, more electric, almost mischievous rhythm. And, contrary to what I expected, people stopped watching us. The gazes that seconds before had been anchored on us now seemed to float aimlessly before returning to the nightclub atmosphere that it was, as if they had completely forgotten that we existed.
One look into Adrian's eyes, with that soft light crowning them and that barely curved, slightly playful smile, made me understand that it was his doing. It was his way of doing things: subtle, impossible, yet with that naturalness that made everything supernatural seem like just a prank orchestrated by an overly eccentric deity.
I scoffed, amused and dreamy, as I took his hands. We moved a few steps away from the crowd, though still remaining under the intermittent darkness of the neon lights. The music marked the time like the sound of a rebellious metronome filling the place.
His smile became something more concrete. It stopped being a game to become something I loved but had almost never been able to see in him: that tranquil, closed-eye smile. And knowing that I was the reason made me feel a ridiculous warmth in my chest. I was sure I had an equally silly smile.
I laughed. I laughed with a pounding heart, I laughed with embarrassment clinging to my skin as if only now my brain were processing everything I had done, everything I was feeling. I laughed until I had to stop, gasping, trying unsuccessfully to recompose myself. My breathing was so loud I could barely hear the music. And then, his voice brought me back to the world.
"Are you embarrassed now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow curiously as he lifted our still-joined hands, causing my shame to completely explode. "What are you worried about now, Star Girl? My answer?"
The neon lights, as if responding to his tone, created a new glow on his face, one I hadn't seen before. I tried to answer, but only clumsy noises came out of my mouth.
"I-I w-wan-mmm" my stammering was slowly cut off as he, with his hands still clasped to mine, squeezed my face, making it impossible for me to speak and leaving me right in front of that hypnotic gaze I hated to love so much.
"You know that my answer is the same as what you feel, don't you?" he said, emphasizing the "YOU" part, while a small, playful smile came naturally with that melodiously supernatural voice.
"And there's the catch," I thought. And perhaps that's why I pushed the shame aside and punched him on the shoulder.
"Ouch, I knew you were aggressive, but I hope you're not an S," he theatricalized the pain before I hit him again. We both laughed like idiots. The slight blush on his face was not missed by me, nor was the slight nervousness.
I was about to ask but saw his gaze drift away as if he knew more than I ever could. His look changed to one of determination as his grip on me tightened slightly.
Just seeing him like that, I understood that, even if I insisted on asking him, he would only respond with those supernatural terms or abstractions that lead nowhere. I took a deep breath, resigned, before speaking.
"Very funny of you to consider me an S, but I know it didn't hurt," I murmured as I put my hands on his face, imitating what he had done to me. "But I do know what I want. And I'm not afraid to take it with my own hands."
I emphasized the word "take." One of my hands descended from his face to his chest, making soft strokes before grabbing his shirt tightly to bring him closer to my height.
"Is that clear, Mr. Magician?" I spoke with determination, but knowing my blush was evident, and if he wasn't making fun of me, it was for a reason.
"If that's what you want, you will have it," he spoke as his arms wrapped around me.
I almost jumped in surprise, but he held me and squeezed me a little tighter before bringing his mouth to my ear. "But I can also..." He moved closer to me, pausing while I audibly swallowed, "...want to take things for myself."
Then I felt a slight pressure on my ear. A soft bite. And then a sound that... that only he would be capable of making in a situation like this.
"Nom nom nom," he mumbled like a childish joke that released the tension I didn't know I had.
I barely moved away to look at him. He did the same. When we finally looked each other in the eyes, the jokes stopped. The calm from the beginning told me many things, but this was the confirmation I needed: a confirmation that he would be there in my strange and incredibly dangerous life, no longer just as the mysterious element that appeared whenever he pleased, but as something more. Something that finally had a name, even if it was hard for me to admit it out loud.
She was happy, and he was too, while the lights bore witness to their actions. The curtain of darkness was pulled back as their faces slowly approached before....