Free Dance For Me by Alice Dee Page A

  “I want to move in.”
                   “Where is this coming from? I thought I was just some sad dog that followed you here?”
                 “I didn’t mean that. I’ve been thinking about it and you’re right,” she said with a huge smile. “What was I thinking? I want to. I want to live with you. What do you think?”
                   “I- uh…“ Dominic shrugged. She was confusing him more and more. “I just need some time. You know?”
                   She noticed the sweater he was wearing and lowered her brows.
                    “Are you going somewhere?”
                  “No. Look, we’ll talk about this later. But I just need time to myself right now. I just need space.  Just tonight.”
                     “So you don’t want me to stay?”
                     “It’s not that I don’t want you to,” he lied. “It’s just, it’s getting late. I just want to sleep this whole thing off. I just need to be alone tonight. Please Tristan, don’t take it personal. I just need my space.”
           She nodded. “Okay. All right baby, I understand.”
          This was almost too easy.
           “I’ll call you tomorrow during lunch okay?” She put her arms around him and stood on her toes to give him kiss. It was like kissing a mannequin. She backed away and looked at him funny.
         “What’s wrong?”
          “Nothing,” he promised. 
         “Okay. I really am sorry from the bottom of my heart, believe me? I really love you Dominic.”
          “I love you too.”
          Tristan sort of smiled and waved to him as she walked down the stairs. Dominic sighed with relief and watched her get into her car. She stayed there for a moment and then the car started and she drove off. He felt bad for lying to her but at the same time he felt it was worth it because of what was standing inside his kitchen at that very moment.
          
           Dominic came back inside and saw Hope standing in the same spot with the bottle in her hands.
           “Was that your girlfriend?” Her smile was from cheek to cheek, lips together.
            He wanted to lie but his expression had already given him away. 
            “She just stopped by real quick.”
            There were too many seconds of silence. He was scratching or tugging at his ear, she was still smiling but trying not to. Something unspoken was swirling in the air.
            “Okay. Well thanks for this,” she said, holding the bottle up toward him for a second. “I’d better get going.”
            “Work night, huh?”
           “I was already at work.” She cringed at the memory of earlier tonight. 
           “All right, well Miss Hope, see you soon I hope.”
            She smiled and walked toward the door, he opened it for her. It was disappointing; he totally sent Tristan home in exchange for a couple of extra minutes with Hope. Not good.
           “Have a good night,” she said.
            But her smile and vibe made it feel worth it.
            “You too.”
     He stared while she walked a few feet away to her own door. He would stand there and watch her till she sunk in the darkness of her apartment but she would think he was a creep so he closed his door and smirked to himself, thinking about her.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 15… Crap
         Tristan watched hair strand ribbons of yellow-orange bile swirl in the toilet bowl like dye in water. Her legs were folded underneath her while her hands were squeezing down on her knees. Thick drool slimed off her bottom lip and glopped into the toilet bowl. She reached for a piece of bath tissue and wiped her mouth. Her eyes closed and she flushed away the bile, wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand. She didn’t get up right away but stayed in front of the toilet until she was sure she was done, that everything in her stomach had come up. She