Linger

A foot falls, then another. Timed to the breathing of approaching surprise. Ambient sound creates shadows in which to safely exhale. The gentle beating of a ceiling fan whips the air, further inhibiting the long-obsolesced ability to feel movement. Her silhouette, perfectly curved in the dark, tunes itself to the music of this silent dance. A foot falls... then another.

Hands reach around her body and one rests above her heart. Beats skip between a sudden inhalation, then gradually relax. The smell of temporary fear escapes her neck and is tasted. She attempts to turn, but the embrace holds firm and she closes her eyes in the dark. A free hand feels its way and lifts too many folds of a dress. The spider feels its prey struggle in its web, vibrations eliciting a sensation akin to hunger. Thumb and forefinger intrude cloth seams and revel for a moment in enveloping moisture. Beats skip... then relax.

Bodies dance to a song of breath and gasp, almost in unison, but one a half-beat behind the other. Hands rest above the hips of a lover, still hidden beneath her dress. A delicate push followed by gentle pull. She smiles as she tenses, hearing a heartbeat behind her and feeling it between her. Slowly, she adds a sway to the tango. Vertigo replaces balance as movement becomes an exercise in chaotic futility. Delicate push... gentle pull.

Spasms replace vertigo and there's a final pull accompanied by two final gasps. More beats skip, then relax. A foot falls, then another. By the time she turns around and opens her eyes, she's alone again... a silhouette in love with a rhythm of far away.