The Music of the Night

Chapter 9

I protested quite a bit at his actions, but Gerard just smiled and said, "Have some fun for once, Ellie."

Fun? That was never something I had thought about before, even as a little kid. My parents had always encouraged me to play with other kids my age, but I had been a hard-worker pretty early on, so it was never something I chose to do.

But with Gerard encouraging me, I felt something open up inside me, and I relaxed against his grip, his hand still holding mine.

When we got to the middle of the dance floor, he positioned me in front of him, and we were only inches away from each other. His fabulous green eyes were looking at me kindly, and I couldn't help but smile a little back.

"What kind of music do you like?" Gerard asked quietly.

I shrugged. "I've never really thought about it before, so I'm not really sure."

"Hmm," he mumbled, thinking. Then, "I think I have an idea."

He left me in the middle of the floor and walked over to a nearby stereo. A moment later, I heard a poppy song playing:

The rhythm was so infectious that it was hard not to tap your foot along with it, and the song itself was a feel-good tune that could cheer up anyone.

Gerard then came back over and gestured for me to move toward him. I took a deep breath and obliged, getting close enough so that he could put one arm around my waist, and his other hand in mine. I rested my palm on his broad shoulder and tried to relax. Have some fun, his voice echoed in my head.

With that thought, we both started to move, slowly at first, but our pace began to pick up as I got used to Gerard's movements. His smile grew wider when he twirled me around a few times, and my own expression became lighter; freer in a way.

He danced gracefully for such a tall guy, and I realized how much the Phantom was probably influencing him. When you played that role, you had to be intimidating but graceful, and it was obvious he had nailed both aspects.

My own smile grew as the song continued, and the thrill of dancing with Gerard flowed through my body like an energy drink.

All too soon, though, the song ended, and Gerard and I were left standing close to each other, breathing hard from dancing so quickly. His nose was about an inch from the top of my head, and I could feel every exhale of breath against my skin, sending chills down my back. My hands were still squarely on his heaving chest, so I quickly removed them and took a few steps back. I could already feel myself locking back up and retreating into my safe space.

I managed to find my words and said, "Thank you for the dance, Gerard. I really appreciate it."

He nodded and gave me a little smile. "Of course, Ellie. If you ever need someone to talk to and somewhere to retreat, I'll be here."

His kindness was almost too much to handle, and I had to practically tear myself away from him when I left.