Fantasy
711 Words
Caitlin wasn’t dancing anymore.
She was releasing.
Every step was sharper, faster, heavier — her emotions pouring out through movement. The music echoed through the studio, but her breathing was louder. Anyone standing nearby could hear it—uneven, intense.
She spun again and again, faster each time—
Until—
“Caitlin!”
Adam rushed forward, catching her just before she lost balance and hit the floor.
She leaned into him for a second, dizzy, exhausted.
He handed her a water bottle.
ADAM
What’s going on with you? Why are you so upset?
Caitlin took a deep breath, then another sip.
Her voice came out tired… but honest.
CAITLIN
Because he always does this… he pushes me away.
Adam frowned.
ADAM
Who?
She looked at him.
CAITLIN
Raffelo.
A pause.
CAITLIN (quietly)
Last year… when I got stuck during that storm? The hotel?
He was the one.
Adam’s expression changed.
ADAM
But you told me he was just some nice guy. Nothing more.
Caitlin laughed softly, shaking her head.
CAITLIN
That’s what I told myself too.
She looked down at her hands.
CAITLIN
We shared a room. We talked… we connected. It felt real.
But the next morning—he acted like it was a mistake. Like I was a mistake.
Her voice cracked slightly.
CAITLIN
He told me not to contact him. Just like that.
Adam stayed silent, letting her continue.
CAITLIN
And now… after all this time… he acts like he doesn’t even know me.
She paused.
CAITLIN
I told myself it was just a one-night thing. That it didn’t matter.
A beat.
CAITLIN (softly)
But clearly… it did.
Adam studied her carefully.
ADAM
If you really believed that… you wouldn’t be reacting like this.
She didn’t respond.
Because he was right.
ADAM (gently)
You feel something for him.
Caitlin looked away.
CAITLIN
I don’t know what I feel.
A small, almost embarrassed smile appeared.
CAITLIN
I just know… when I’m around him, everything gets intense.
Adam leaned back slightly.
ADAM
That’s not just attraction.
Caitlin sighed.
Before she could respond—
Her phone rang.
She picked it up. It was a call from Raffelo’s office. They were asking about her availability.
The signal broke.
The call dropped.
She stared at the screen.
Unaware—
That the call had actually been initiated by Raffelo himself.
---
Just five minutes away, Raffelo stood outside the studio.
He had come to see her.
To talk.
To fix things.
He reached for the door—
But stopped.
Voices.
He could hear them inside.
ADAM (inside)
Maybe you’re frustrated because you’re holding everything in.
Say it out loud.
Caitlin hesitated.
CAITLIN
Don’t judge me.
ADAM
I won’t.
A pause.
Raffelo didn’t mean to listen.
But he didn’t walk away either.
CAITLIN (softly)
If he were here…
She took a breath.
CAITLIN
I’d just want him to… hold me.
Raffelo froze.
Her voice wasn’t playful.
It was vulnerable.
Honest.
CAITLIN
Not push me away… not pretend…
Just stay.
Silence followed.
Something shifted inside him.
The arrogance, the control, the distance—
It cracked.
Without thinking—
He opened the door.
---
Caitlin turned.
And there he was.
Raffelo.
Standing right in front of her.
Adam looked between them, instantly understanding the tension.
He stepped back.
ADAM
I think… you two need to talk.
And quietly, he left.
---
Now it was just them.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Raffelo walked closer.
Not rushed.
Not hesitant.
Just… certain.
Caitlin didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
Didn’t look away.
Because for the first time—
Neither of them was pretending.
RAFFELO (low voice)
You think I didn’t feel anything?
Her breath caught.
RAFFELO
You think it was easy for me to walk away?
He stepped closer.
RAFFELO
I pushed you away because I knew… if I didn’t…
He stopped.
Searching for words he had avoided for too long.
RAFFELO (softly)
…I wouldn’t be able to.
Caitlin’s eyes filled again—but this time, not from anger.
From understanding.
From truth.
They stood there, close enough to feel each other’s presence, yet still holding back.
Not out of fear.
But because this—
This mattered.
More than before.
More than attraction.
More than a moment.
This was something unfinished.
Something real.
---
And now—
There was no escaping it.
- Writer
