When Stars Align

The Meeting.

Luca walked into Theatre du Chatelet arm in arm with a petit gorgeous woman. He greeted a few of his acquaintances in passing but didn’t try to make small talk. He wasn’t in the best mood for conversation. The theatre was packed full of people who have come to enjoy the dance performance showcasing tonight. He was feeling really irritable, he didn’t want to be here and most definitely not with who he was with.

“We really should mingle with people,” Lucia said and flashed him a charming smile.

He looked down at her and frowned, dressed in a silver sequin dinner gown that hugged all her curves and outlined her body to perfection, her face was made up perfectly, her pin straight raven hair hung down to her waist, not a strand out of place. Despite the impeccable appearance, Luca could see under the facade she was putting up. His gaze reached under the layers of makeup to the dark circles one could only see if they looked close enough. To anyone passing, her dress fitted her like a glove but truly she had lost weight, she looked thin and felt fragile in his arms.

He had to remind himself that Lucia was sick and swallowed the witty retort he was about to make. “You know this isn’t my scene. Why did you want to come here anyway?” he asked instead.

She wrapped her tiny hands tighter around his arm as they climbed the stairs to their box. “It’s been so suffocating cooped up in that house with no one to talk to.”

He rolled his eyes at that. Lucia was just exaggerating, she had the housekeeping staffs to keep her company.

“You rarely ever spend time with me and I thought it’d be good for people to see us out together again,” she continued, her voice taking on a low timbre. “Besides I’ve heard rumours of a dancer that will be performing tonight. She’s African and is said to move like liquid electricity, she’ll be performing the Moon Dance. It’s a song composed by Charlie Chaplin, a famous actor and composer in the nineteenth century and I just wanted to see if the rumours were true.”

“You seem to have done your research about the show,” he gave her a sceptical glance and she smiled as they both took their seats. She sounded like she’s known about the dance longer than she insinuated.

“What can I say, I love ballet.”

He looked down at the entrance as more and more people filed in and fidgeted in his seat. He wasn’t comfortable in the setting at all. This wasn’t like his fashion shows where he just had to appear on stage after the showcase and socialize a little with the crowd before disappearing. Due to his aversion for crowded places, he had been dubbed the reclusive designer by the media.

But he wasn’t uncomfortable with the crowd more than he was uncomfortable with the night itself. The moon was shining brightly tonight, a full moon and the stars twinkled beautifully as if winking at him on his way into the theatre earlier. There was a certain energy in the air that unsettled him, something was going to happen tonight. Something big and life-changing, every fibre of his being told him so. Or he was just been as superstitious as his aunt and reading meaning to things that were just a part of nature’s order.

The lights dimmed and the doors closed. Lucia sat up in her seat and tapped him excitedly.

“The show is about to start,” she whispered.

He looked up as the lights on the stage came on, the curtains were drawn and the music started. A beautiful piece that actually made him sit up in anticipation.

The stage was set as a lonely street in London, a full moon hung brightly in the sky– just like tonight– and a dark skinned man with an athletic build danced into the street with a somber look on his face. He danced alone for a while before a dark skinned woman dressed in a white dress that ended below her knees danced in with a suitcase in hand. She dropped the suitcase on a bench and turned to the man who was facing the audience.

Her full face came into view and a gasp escaped him. It felt like the wind had just been knocked out of him. Time slowed down and everything faded into a blur, the people, the stage, Lucia. The only thing in his focus was the woman dancing with a smile on her face.

Suddenly everything made sense, the feeling he’d had all night, his aunt’s words yesterday, everything. He felt like crying and laughing at the same time, he wanted to reach across the divide between them and pull her into his arms.

He willed her to look his way just once, for her to see that he was right here, but she didn’t look his way; not once.

He felt a cold hand on his and he flinched, breaking his focus. He looked down at the hand following it to the face. Lucia. She reached up and wiped his cheek and that’s when he realised that he had in fact been crying.

“Why are you crying?” she asked and he wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket.

“Nothing,” he replied and she smiled then chuckled.

“It was beautiful, wasn’t it?” she asked and looked back at the stage.

“Yes, it was,” he followed her gaze and caught the dancers on stage just as they took a bow and the curtains fell.

The lights came on and people rose up from their seats. He panicked and looked around frantically, he grabbed Lucia’s hand and she stared at him confusedly.

“What just happened? Where are the dancers?”

“They must’ve gone backstage, it’s intermission and we have to go to the Grand Foyer for refreshments,” she explained but that didn’t ease his worries.

He suddenly felt that if he didn’t make a move soon, he would lose her again. After six years, their paths finally crossed again by a stroke of good luck? No, this was a sign. Just like his aunt said, the universe was finally in his favour and he wasn’t about to waste the second chance he’d been given.

He shot out of his seat and threw a quick, “I have to go,” over his shoulder and flew down the stairs.

“Where are you going?” she yelled after him but he didn’t answer. He had just one goal in mind, finding Amanda.