SHAKE JUST A LITTLE BIT FASTER;

I will always and forever love the way he dances. Dante’s whole soul was ablaze on the floor last night. He moved with an elegant wildness,a smooth jaguar. His tall and slender frame twirled at breathtaking speed.

We danced together towards the end of the night and the chemistry was natural. I am but a beginner at ballroom but he barely had to tell me what to do.

The moments that stand out are clear— my Bedouin skirt fanning out around my calves, slickness beading on our foreheads and trickling down our necks to rest in the hollows of our collarbones, his hands on my waist, the throb of the beat curling up and down my spine. The sensuality of dance is contagious, and Dante and I mirrored each other’s wildness.

We went out to eat after. His friends looked between the two of us and then looked at each other knowingly. Dante and I are both still burning for our lost ones, so we insisted otherwise. But I’m sure we didn’t convince not one soul at the table of this, least of all ourselves. We shared an appetizer and got back in my car. We drove on the highway for a long while before I brought him back home.

I came in and hugged him tightly. I rested my nose in the nape of his neck again. I relished in the warmth of being close to him.

“I’ll call you to let you know I got home.” I whispered, careful not to wake his mum upstairs.

“Okay. ” he whispered back. “See you next week.”