“I like you. I really really like you.”

I felt his warm breath close to my ear as he whispered those words. Suddenly, my heart was one with the fast, upbeat rhythm of the music around us. Feeling a surprising wave of tenacity, I faced him. In that split second of a moment, the light found his face.

Such dark eyes.

Such dark beautiful eyes.

In a swift movement, he twirled me around and caught me in an embrace. His hand crept close to my waist and I let it linger there.  The tip of his nose scoped the crook of my neck and I shivered. His mouth was a slur of sweet nothings; his lips were so close that they grazed the side of my face.

“Tao. My name’s Tao. What’s yours?”

Wasn’t it just a while ago that he said that?

Wasn’t it just a while ago that I said yes when he asked for a dance?

Wasn’t it just a while ago that he took my hand and I let mine be trapped in his?

I no longer wondered how quickly I found myself in the arms of such a perfect stranger.

Everyone in the room was controlled by the powerful hand of the beat; everyone spoke the language that we knew as dance. Tao and I—We were seized in a winding waltz that was purely ours.

Everything around us was blinding and bright.

Everything inside me was aflame.

Forever.

If I could only frame my own little piece of forever, this would be it.

With him.

My perfect stranger.

Tao.

Time is of the essence and I hated it. A rush of emotion, a dash of love, a streak of desire; we had everything.

But the truth was, we only had tonight. We did not have time. At least, not enough.

As soon as the clock struck twelve, this would all be lost in the oblivion of lost nights. As soon as the alcohol ceased tugging at the edges of our unkempt minds, as soon as this room emptied, my fairy tale would be over.

I was Cinderella without a glass slipper.

Without a prince to look forward