Open, Wounded Hearts

Chapter 6

Dance Away Your Dreams

“Sir, please tell me you’re doing okay.” She pleaded to Marcus while the music kept playing on behind them. Her hand was neatly situated on his dark cheek, the temperature of his face began to rise; she could tell by the heat that was emanating against her palm. “I mean, come on. All the time you took to make me feel better…does it all have to go to waste?” Arina pointed out, figuring that she had a good argument on her side.

He scrolled his eyes back in thought, pondering on what she just said. He reached out to her in the theater as a means of comfort—but like her—he was unwilling to accept support from anyone. Yet there was what he liked to call ‘Equivalent Exchange’. It was the main theory of Alchemy, how it worked and such. Whenever he thought of that phrase and applied to his life, he called his actions ‘Social Alchemy’. Marcus’ Emerald orbs leered back down at Arina, his expression becoming unreadable to her.

Don’t break your personal word now, Marcus. Tyler’s voice fluttered in his head again, once more reminding Marcus that he was still nearby, and stable. An ugly scowl propped itself on his mouth, clearly alarming Arina. He stared at her, the frown slowly disappearing as he memorizes the traces of her face: Marcus took in how it was shaped, her falling eyelids, the small miserable pout forming on her lips…he looked at everything. All that hard work wasn’t worth throwing away, that’s what he concluded. It was time to commit another act of ‘Social Alchemy’.

“Oh alright…” he finally mused, a slight annoyance escaping him. “I’m fine my dear…just a little stressed is all.” His response didn’t exactly fully convince Arina, which was made clear by the doubting frown coming upon her mug, the plain look her eyes made when they stared back at him and especially how she just suddenly dropped her hand to place it back on her side. She was not only a wondrous composer of words, but she was also a keen reader of hearts. Unlucky for Marcus, he was her next victim. “What…?” he complained to Arina, playing dumb for the sake of avoiding an inquisition.

“A little stressed…? Marcus, I wasn’t born yesterday. We may have just started to spend lots of time with each other, but that doesn’t mean I can’t read you.” She relayed, her hands creating gestures when appropriate in her small speech. “Now please…” she spoke up again, her voice transitioning from its original stern tone to a voice of careful requesting. Arina slid her hand against his cheek now, feeling the slightly rugged yet smooth exterior of it. “What’s on your mind?”

“A lot.”

“What’s a lot to you?”

“…Just a lot, Arina. I-I…” he stuttered, the first time Arina’s ever heard him do that. He never got the chance to finish up his sentence either way, because the girl in front of him already had her arms around his back. She clung onto him, not for dear life but tight enough to let Marcus know that she wanted the best for him. That sentiment was really all that mattered…that and what she thought of him. “I don’t know where to start…”

“Start from where most stories start: the beginning.” That made him chuckle, a positive sign; writer humor was quirky to him, Arina must have thought the same about it. As the band played on, their beats falling into rest now, Marcus looked up and closed their embrace by placing his arms around her now; his eyelids fell shut before speaking:

“Do you ever wonder about dreams, darling?”

“Dreams?” questioned Arina. A curious subject to her, but nevertheless a topic she grew fond of. The fact that Marcus was talking about it made her feel closer to him, attracted. “What about them, sir?” she pressed on. The music then ceased, ante to Marcus’ answer.

Will’s voice then boomed from the stage and his microphone:

“Alright ladies and gents! The lively hours of the night is over and done with…” playful cheers and slightly upset heckles responded in return. His laughter echoed from the amplifying gadget in front of Will, it bounced off the expansive and articulate walls of the building. “Come on, y’all aren’t romantics, not even a little?” he asked the crowd. An equal amount of happy calls and disdained groans came up. “Well, take your time to listen to our rendition of ‘Vanilla Twilight’ alright? I think we’d be mighty grateful for that.” Many couples were ready for their next tune, while others decided to vacate their spots for a chance to drink.

“Arina?” she was too enchanted by the happenings of the Wingmen to pay any attention to Marcus. When she turned to face him, remorse substituted her once distracted features.

“Oh I’m sorry! How rude of me, I-…”

“I dreamed about you in the theater.” The random confession threw her off guard, it shut her up—that’s for sure. “When Will came along, I thought about my daydream.”

“So what was your dream about?” shock didn’t stop her from skipping opportunity, Arina was looking for answers now.

“For some odd reason, I flipped the ending around…for West Side I mean…” the confused gaze in her eyes told Marcus she wasn’t understanding the direction of their conversation. “Instead of Maria holding a dying Tony, it was Tony holding a dying Maria.”

“I was Maria, wasn’t I?” apparently she was understanding. Marcus placed his forehead against hers, eyes closed up in meaningful thought.

“This is too fast, huh?” he asked her, a contemplative smirk lined across his face. “I shouldn’t even feel this way right now. I mean, it’s only been-…”

“Two years.” His eyelids fluttered open at the sound of Arina’s intruding reply. When he slowly pulled his forehead away from hers, he took a gander at her face. She had the look of lament but there was a twist of determination caught in her visage at the same time. He gazed at her for awhile. After that he snickered lightly, shaking his head.

“I was going to say months but…two years? Forgive me for asking but, where do you get that much time?” Never had Marcus seen Arina so nerve-wracked like that moment: her blue eyes quickly looked away from him, a frown so huge took up her mouth and her forehead formed slight yet powerfully visible lines. She was extremely stressed. “I’m not saying that’s weird; don’t get me wrong…its just-…”

“Two years ago, if you can take the time to remember, we bumped into each other much like we did tonight at the theater. I think the rest speaks for itself, no?” even with all that stress on her shoulders, even if she was on the borderline of a confession, Arina still managed to sound smooth with her words. The anxiety she was showing didn’t make its way to her voice, if anything she sounded collected. He found himself wishing he shared that trait with her, but he could only work with what he had…

“It does, my dear. It most certainly does…” he replied, as the light lyrics of ‘Vanilla Twilight’ continued to fill the room up with a longing emotion behind the singer’s voice:

The stars lean down and kiss you,

And I lie awake and miss you

Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere…

The two looked up at the seemingly watery blue lights reflecting against the dark roof above them. Stars and waves were shaped among the illuminating lights floating above them. They were lost in their own world with that same song in the background playing in their heads; they couldn’t hear or see anyone around them in the abyss they seemingly created together. “But…just what made you carry these feelings for so long?” Marcus found himself asking her.

For a time, Arina didn’t give him an answer and instead decided to take in the music around her.

I watch the night turn blue

But it’s not the same without you

Because it takes two to whisper quietly…

“I always saw you from afar, from whenever you and your friends decided to take a room in the Blue Moon. For a time you and I would talk for a bit, even if it was for a few seconds…And I would wonder to myself what it would be like to be yours…Even if it was just a faraway dream. Never did I think I would be standing right in front of you at this very moment. The thought never crossed my mind…I always thought about it though, whenever Antony wasn’t mine…I thought: What if…what if?”

I don’t feel so alone…

I don’t feel so…alone.

Their motion became natural; there was no apprehension behind their next choice of movements. She smoothly placed her hand on Marcus’ right shoulder while he took hold of Arina’s left hand. He led the waltz, in no way unnerved. The two didn’t worry over their footing; they were too busy gazing at each other as if in a trance.

“You’re a dreamer, aren’t you?”

“I should be asking you the same question, sir.” They waltzed about the little patch of stage floor around them. Marcus gave her a chortle, amused at their charade.

“Well alright, that’s one thing we have in common. What else can we add to the list?” he asked her, multitasking between speaking and dancing. Arina—in the meantime—pondered upon the subject he inquired about.

“There is one thing…” a beautifully driven smile came upon his face; his eyes sparkled with joy, a fulfilled happiness to be exact.

“And that would be?”

“I dreamt the same thing you did, in a sense. It was a little fantasy but our roles were reversed so…I was Maria, you were Tony.” She didn’t seem so scared about her daydream like he was about his. “You weren’t alone when you thought of one of us dying, and don’t worry I was just as scared as you.” The ashamed grin on her face made him feel comfort, the kind of warmth a person got when they felt understood, recognized in a sense. There was hope in this world of his.

“Dreams…they are such fragile things.” He mused out of nowhere, as the song was beginning to reach its final verses.

Arina placed her eyes on him, taking in the blissful air he carried; they were on the same level, she realized. In her mind, she figured that they have seen the same horrors of the world; they have felt the same loneliness. Potential healers would walk away before the real problems began, no one would bother to look into their scars. So what was their cure?

“They serve as a place to hide away.” She responded.

“You read my mind, didn’t you?” he questioned Arina in a teasing manner. The two beamed at one another, the final lyrics of the song ringing through their ears as they once more placed their foreheads against each other, eyes closed shut. The music drifted around them, surrounding the two with a romantic ribbon of bond. They swished along the dance floor, nothing but sweet melodies and gentle harmonies floating about. After an apparent eternity of no words, she spoke up out of the blue:

“You’ve been lonely, haven’t you?” was Arina’s daring question. She was expecting a small shock or surprise coming from Marcus’ part, but instead he didn’t seem so off guard. If anything, he seemed to understand her question. His lack of shock comforted her; a kinship bloomed in her heart. “Of course. And you, my dear?”

“Same here…” the coy attitude he knew so well was coming back to her. He needed to see her confident again, her zealous self-reliance attracted him. It cemented the aching hole that was etched in his heart long ago. The song’s final verses were beginning to flow into existence and their special dance was going to draw into a close soon enough.

When Violet eyes get brighter

When heavy wings grow lighter…

I’ll taste the sky and feel alive again…

“You’ll never be alone anymore, sir.” Arina proclaimed in his arms, the woman’s trademark poise coming back to her again; her unwavering gaze was placed on his face in a means to make her vow seem authentic to Marcus. That’s when his appearance grew serious and maybe even just a little bit skeptical. He simply couldn’t bring himself to truly believe the words that just came out of her mouth,

“How do you know that?” asked Marcus. The man’s tone was immersed with doubt; he wasn’t about ready to jump into a future that seemed so uncertain and shaky.

“Because,” she started to say before wrapping her arms around the back of his neck, ante to giving him the brightest smile he’s ever seen on her—never has Marcus seen Arina so marvelously content, in all of the times they spent chatting or gambling, never. “I’ll be there for you Marcus. I’ll make your universe full again.” The woman’s hands slipped to his cheeks, causing him to tilt his face downward toward Arina. They were inches away from each other, their warm breath caressing the duo’s faces. The heat of their breath threw Marcus through many loops, all the while Arina kept herself calm. His cheeks were hot to her touch, and how she loved knowing that she had that effect on him! “I don’t expect you to believe me sir, after all this is just our first night together. I won’t implore you to put your hopes on me, but if you did…I wouldn’t mind at all. I’ll show you that you don’t have to be alone anymore, that you don’t have to heal your wounds in solitude. I can be the one to help you with that.” She added kindly, patience clearly strung between her words. A thoughtful aura glazed his presence; Marcus must have been pondering away at what she just declared to him.

Tears were stinging his eyelids, imploring him to cry away his overwhelming waves of emotion.

“I’ve had them crushed many times now, sir.”

“…Damn it!” his sudden curse startled the girl in his arms at first, up until her shoulders slumped in relaxation when she heard Marcus chuckle.

“Wh-what is it?” she asked him, shakily.

“You’re making me tear up.” He revealed to her, a possibility that seemingly never crossed Arina’s mind that night.

His dark tan hands made their way to his visage, swiping away at his teary green eyes.

She knew better than to think these tears were from sadness. Arina knew of their emotional origin; his wonderfully truthful grin gave it all away for her. “Heh… it just feels so wonderful knowing I’m not alone.”

“You never will be alone, I promise.” Marcus pulled her into a tight hug after she told him that out of comfort, their dancing finally ceasing and the song’s melody coming to a close. “But promise me something,” the girl asked him while loosening up in his grip, “Just don’t break my dreams, okay?”

“Heh,” chortled Marcus, “I’m not going to for two reasons.” The man took her hand and gave Arina a whirl in place, her sparkling cyan eyes smiling at him thanks to the dancing gesture. He stopped her spin by taking her in his arms once more, a mocking smile overcoming his chocolate-shaded face; “One, I’m sure that they’re already coming true…even as we speak. And two,” the man then dipped her lower to the dance floor with one swift motion of his arms, sending Arina into a surprise shock. He placed his lips against her forehead before telling her of his second answer: “I have everything but a reason.” Marcus pulled her up soon after that, the man’s sly grin never leaving him. There was nothing left to be said; a kiss was all they needed.

By the time they left the building, they had what they needed. When the two made their way to the Blue Moon’s lobby, they found themselves wanting more.