“Then let’s dance.” He pulls me with enough strength to make me stumble over my own feet. “By the way, my name is Walter.”
His smile is almost contagious, and, helplessly, I end up returning it with a small, timid one. I let him guide us to the center of the hall where the other guests dance without concern; some are naked, others still wearing bits of clothing. And others… what they’re doing couldn’t be called dancing—or maybe dancing on each other’s skin is a very modest way to describe it.
“My name is Elara.”
He places his hand gently on the small of my back while the other intertwines with my fingers, stiff from the cold. We take a few hesitant steps until I get used to the rhythm. He’s patient the entire time, saying nothing when my foot moves the wrong way and ends up stepping on
