The music started to play. Both of them were nervous. But after two hesitant steps, they both realized there was no reason to worry. They both were familiar with the beats of the song . They started dancing perfectly in sync. They forgot all the discomfort and also the fact that they hardly knew each other and allowed themselves to be transported to a parallel universe. They were dancing intricate routines effortlessly. He guided her assertively and she let him. He obliged to every suggestion she made through her gentle hand on his shoulder. When she took her time to twirl beautifully, he patiently waited for her. She held him not for support but for balance. Neither thought too much about their feet. They were immersed in the dance completely and trying to live completely this moment of perfectness.
Then the music stopped. They were unprepared for the silence and glances of strangers. They had not realized how close their bodies were to each other. Suddenly awareness came down over them. Both their palms started sweating. She started to feel her feet hurt in those high heels. He started to feel his shirt stick to his back because of all the sweat. They started to fidget around. She tried to make him comfortable and she smiled forcefully. Looking at her fake smile, he questioned himself why he thought her smile was beautiful before. Sensing his hesitation, she tried to make conversation enthusiastically. He responded appropriately but suddenly she realized he was not as charming as she initially thought she was. Both continued the conversation anyway. They both hoped that with the next song, the initial spark would soon return.
Suddenly she noticed in the mirror that a button on her dress was undone. He saw someone drinking water and he realized he was thirsty. She wanted to go to the ladies room and he wanted drink a glass of water. But the music started to play. She wanted to dance with him the rest of the night and he did not want her to dance with anyone else. But they both didn’t want to dance to this song. They should have said something, but they didn’t, they decided to dance along to the song.
The song was unfamiliar to both of them. The music was complicated and unpredictable. Their heart was not in this song and they both had other things on their minds. Her apprehension about the dress made him think she was uncomfortable. She thought he was disinterested when he was actually thirsty. They became very aware of every movement. He wanted to stick to the steps from the previous dance but she wanted to try new ones. Her suggestions on his shoulder went unnoticed, she felt ignored. She wanted to take a moment extra in her twirl but she felt almost dragged away. His strength she so admired she started fearing. He wanted to turn and she followed him but he sensed her half heartedness. Her spontaneity he felt so connected with before had vanished into thin air. He missed a beat, she slipped. She held him very tightly and he pulled her away with a jerk. She became stiff and he became impatient. They stopped enjoying the dance. But the song was not over, she tried to remember the last dance and convince herself he was the perfect dancer. He on the other hand had already decided she was not his perfect partner. She also realized soon enough, the perfect dance had more to do with the perfect song than the perfect dance partner.
The music had started to wane away. But they had already come to an abrupt stop. They realized it was best to cherish one perfect dance.
