“WHEN YOU DANCE AND YOU ARE HOLDING SOMEONE ELSE’S HAND, YOU SHOULDN’T HOLD UNTO HER HAND TOO TIGHT NOR HOLD HER WITH LITTLE AMOUNT OF FORCE. YOU NEED TO HOLD HER GENTLY IN A WAY THAT SUBTLE WITH A BIT OF FIRMNESS. FOR HER TO DECIDE THE WAY SHE’LL HOLD YOU SO THE TWO OF YOU CAN CREATE A RAPPORT. TO HAVE THAT INNATE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING WHEN TO HOLD AND WHEN TO LET GO SO IT WILL BE MORE EASIER ON BOTH ENDS.
Thea was the one who did the talking. She was immersed in her monologue. She was holding the paper while her eyes are focused- spacing out towards a created imaginary line of having audience in front of her.
Ehaan was listening to her but Azaiah’s mind is traveling somewhere.
Cloud is staring at Thea, waiting for his turn to speak his part. They got partnered up together.
Thea’s eyes went to gaze to Cloud who is looking too focus like her to the paper he is holding. She frowned and continue to read what’s written on paper.
Azaiah was remembering the scene she saw.
Her body paused at what she saw. Their bodies were too close. Both are sitting to near each other that their head almost bump. Callista is holding the candle and both her and Galen are sniffing it. The activity is a bit intimate. She saw how they both moved their head and how their faces are inches closer from reaching each other’s lips. But what hurts her the most, that made her heart clenched too painfully is how Ajax never bothered to back away from it. How their eyes were locked towards each other.
She disguised her expression into something more stoic and turned her back from them.
*present moment
She was having dinner with Ehaan. They went out. It’s a dinner date she planned to congratulate him into his success to his advocacy. He was exerting such huge amount of effort and he won an award. Her eyes gently looked at him. Ehaan deserves it.
Ehaan is making gentle cuts with the meat on his plate. His eyes went to look at her. He then flashed her a smile.
He placed the knife along with the fork on his plate. “Tell me, Azaiah. What you are thinking I wanna know what’s going on inside your mind while you are staring at me like that?”
A refined warm expression flashed her face. “It’s about how successful you are now and how I am happy that you are receiving such great achievements with your efforts.” Her smiled widens. “I am proud of you.”
“I am proud of you too. You are a self-made woman, with a reknown skill that reached the large horizons.” Ehaan never deterred from making his point. Azaiah made it big.
She has a large group of people following eyes on her now.
Until his eyes moved and the expression on his face change. Azaiah’s eyes followed through it. They both spot Ajax and Calli on the other table; the two were busy exchanging their talks.
The restaurant setting was too fancy. Too fancy to let the sight of them corrupted its shimmer. Azaiah raised her hand to gesture the waiter to go towards their table.
She pointed a finger at the wine glass. “Pour me a drink Mister.” She then drank the liquid the waiter poured and even forget the courtesy to say her thank you. Ehaan immediately get why she began acting strange that fast.
“Bring us the whole bottle.” He said towards the waiter after the man poured him the drink.
“Right away Sir.” The man answered before it hurriedly went to get what his costumer asked for.
“Thank you.” Ehaan mouthed before he himself poured another drink to Azaiah’s emptied glass that she herself extended at Ehaan.
“I’m letting you do this because I know you are aware of your own limitations.” He said knowing that he memorized this part of her now.
She nodded at him. She knew of course; she is well aware of all of it. Not just her limits in drinking the drink she had in hand. It applies to other aspect of her life too. Like the limits she has now. She is in the end of the ropes before she let her heated anger take over now. She is pissed. Pissed at herself for feeling jealous.
She drank and put the glass back, it mad a clanging sound when it made contact with the table. “It’s boiling, Ehaan.” She is gritting her teeth and is trying so hard to force herself from smiling. Her anger can be seen in her eyes.
“I can’t save you from your dilemma, Azaiah.” Ehaan answered, fully tolerant in his speech.
“Pour me another drink.” She spoke.
She was all too lost in her jealousy. She was completely lost that she hadn’t notice that Ajax attention is on her. Ajax looked worried. Calli just smiled at what she is seeing.
“You’re worried.” Calli teased.
Ajax never bothered to answer because his eyes are now on Azaiah and how he wanted to go to her and stop her from drinking. Calli just smiled even without Ajax response.
“I wish he’s not in here. That he didn’t make a reappearance in my life.” She straightly told Ehaan with directness in her.
“But you like him. And that you are happy that he is back.” Ehaan told her. His eyes began to have an awakened flare. His senses’ alerted him of Azaiah’s glare. “Don’t look at me like that. It was all Evie.”
Azaiah swatted her hands in the air. “It doesn’t matter.” She answered with denial.
Ehaan offered his plate with the delivered dessert. “Chocolate mousse, your favorite. With blackberries and strawberries on top.”
“Feed it to me. Please.” Azaiah said.
Ehaan obliged. Following what Azaiah ordered. It was a natural gesture that became a constant habit.
.
Flashback
“What’s that?” Eyes were curious. Azaiah stared at the food that Ehaan is holding.
“A tuna tart.” Ehaan’s eyes twinkled with the look of amusement towards Azaiah’s curiosity.
“But the shape… It almost looked like it’s a cheesy cupcake…” She commented.
Ehaan offered it to her. She took a bite of it while Ehaan is holding it firmly on his hand.
“It’s good. Was it really made from an ordinary tuna?” She finished chewing her bite before she said it.
“Yes.” Ehaan simply stated.
“You made it?” She asked.
Ehaan answered her with the nod he made.
Ehaan handed him a cup with water in it.
“You need a drink to remove the grease.”
*Back again to the present
Azaiah is now smiling. “Are you okay?” She asked out of a sudden.
Ehaan nodded. They both know what she meant. She was checking up on him.
Someone made a reappearance too in her friend’s life just like Ajax.
“When I did it… She resented me. She left. But you stayed…” She said.
“Because I love you… She hated me when I told her to forgive you. She said she couldn’t accept that you did it to her cousin. She was expectant. She was insisting that there was something else between the two of us. But you’re like a sister to me.” Ehaan talked.
“I couldn’t cross the line between us. I just want us to be friends. You know who I truly like.” She added her words right after Ehaan was done with his statement.
“And here you are saying a while ago that you wish he didn’t make a reappearance in your life.” Ehaan answered.
They both laughed at their conversation.
“I know. How ironic right?” She said in between her laughs.