Chapter 20
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Kilian
It wasn’t my style to beat around the bush when it came to lighting design. Luckily, Tatjana Favre appreciated my directness. The fact that she’d already heard of me and had even coincidentally visited the gallery last week probably played a part in her willingness to give me a chance.
Not that I didn’t have other things to do, but I never would’ve let such an opportunity slip by.
Tatjana and I hung out at the bar as she told me about the next major exhibition.
She was a woman in her fifties, with a bob haircut dyed black.
Very museum-people. Despite appearing stern, she came across as surprisingly likable to me.
When she laughed, small dimples emerged in her cheeks, and the way she casually placed her hand on my forearm several times suggested that she was totally into me.
When an older gentleman approached her from the other side, I let my gaze wander across the room. The dance floor was packed, and people were dancing wildly to a song by The Clash.
By now, Dominic, Vanja, Eliah, and Jacob had joined the crowd and were clearly having fun. As Vanja danced with a pink feather boa around her neck, Dominic plopped a top hat on Eliah. The three of them blended with the others, moving to the rhythm of the music.
Dominic’s movements were smooth and fluid. He radiated the kind of confidence that, much like on stage, I often found myself desperately searching for in everyday life.
I knew alcohol was involved. Jesus! Everyone on the dance floor had probably reached a blood alcohol level of at least 0.2 per mille! I wasn’t exempt from this, and I could feel myself heading toward the next high. Being the sensible person I was, I drank a cola instead.
When I saw Vanja dancing close to Dominic, I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.
How dare she? Earlier, she had wanted to know what was going on between Dominic and me.
I kept it vague since I didn’t know how openly Dominic wanted to talk about it.
Plus, I wasn’t sure if he even felt anything for me, or if what we had was just fun and games.
I was falling more for the guy every day.
He was just so adorable. I was taken aback to learn that he had grown up in foster care.
Not that I had any idea what someone from foster care should be like, but when I glanced at Dominic, everything seemed just fine with him.
Maybe that was why he had been a little off at first.
His mention of an erectile issue hadn’t made sense to me, but I was well aware that he hadn’t told me everything. After all, one doesn’t just become impotent out of nowhere.
In my view, he wasn’t impotent at all, since he’d been rock-hard in the playroom at Red. I convinced myself that I was the reason for that.
Or maybe he took Viagra …?
No. Impossible. I would have noticed.
He was at work.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Kilian,” Tatjana Favre said, turning back to face me.
I tore my gaze away from Dominic and turned toward her. “Yeah,” I made an effort to respond, though I’d much rather focus on Dominic. “It was a pleasure for me too.”
“I’ll get in touch with you in August. I’ve got your number now.”
Once she left with the older man, I shifted my focus back to Dominic.
As it turned out, he had rhythm in his blood. The way he moved to the music was sexy.
Damn, he’s our new Hamlet! Of course, he can dance!
And looks good.
And is having fun.
With Vanja and Eliah.
I gripped my cola bottle and clenched my teeth just as Manuela appeared next to me.
“So? How did it go?” she asked.
I nodded without taking my eyes off Dominic. I had to keep an eye on him since he was surrounded by four women, all seemingly wanting a piece of him.
“Good! The next exhibition is mine!”
“What? Really? Congratulations!”
“Yep. And then I’ll take on the rest of the place.”
Manuela grinned and placed both hands on my shoulders while resting her chin on my left side. We both kept an eye on the dance floor. “Who are you watching? Vanja? Or maybe Sibylle?”
In my silence, she kissed me on the cheek. “Come on! Let’s dance! You’ve got every reason to celebrate!” She grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her. “People are probably already missing you on the dance floor!”
In fact, I was greeted with open arms.
Dancing with actors had always been more fun for me than at any club where everything felt anonymous. The people here were wild, and yet, they were family. What better way to really let loose? If their exuberance didn’t loosen you up, nothing would.
Everyone had adhered to the dress code, with the women in particular making the dance floor sparkle. Many wore flapper-style dresses from the ’20s, combined with floral headpieces and long silk gloves. Most of the men, like me, wore shirts and vests, or like Dominic, suspenders.
The colorful lights and the disco ball completed the scene, making it feel as though we were inside a glittering snow globe—one that was being shaken up.
When the song ended and the guitar riff from “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones blasted through the speakers, people around me screamed, jumping up and down even more excitedly, shaking off the last bit of awkwardness from the dance floor.
Manuela took my hand and let me lead. She spun under my arm in a circle, then switched places with Nadja from the makeup department, who wrapped her arm around my waist and danced around me.
I planted my hands on her hips and danced with her, when out of the blue, Sabrina from the graphics department surprised me from behind.
Soon, I also had a pink feather boa around my neck.
As Nadja turned to Jacob, my gaze fell on Vanja again, who was making her move on Dominic.
She danced closer to him with seductive movements.
He placed his hand on her hip and leaned in as she whispered something in his ear.
Dominic laughed and nodded. Maybe he was a bit tipsy too, because I wondered if he truly didn’t realize what Vanja was doing. To me, it was so obvious.
Or was this an example of what Dominic meant with his celibacy vow? Apart from the fact that he had still managed to get hard, it seemed this nonsense was important to him. It was almost like he had given himself permission to be blind to Vanja’s advances and didn’t even have to play dumb to do it.
I didn’t like what I was seeing, and imagined myself drowning our Ophelia by the river, giving her the death she deserved.
As I danced, I moved toward Vanja and draped the pink feather boa around her neck. She cheerfully accepted it, throwing one end over her shoulder. When she turned to me, wanting to dance, I led her in a half-circle around me and gracefully handed her off to Eliah. Then, I turned back to Dominic.
He smiled, not showing his teeth, yet the sparkle in his eyes made me feel a lump in my throat.
“Are you jealous of Vanja?” he asked, amused.
“Oh Mick. You might be blind, and that’s fine, but I’ve figured out her intentions.”
“I feel comfortable with her,” Dominic said, trying to stay serious.
“You don’t feel comfortable with me?” I clutched my heart, pretending to be hurt.
It was so nice to see how Dominic couldn’t stop smiling.
“Or is it the Rolling Stones?”
“One point for the Stones!”
“We’ll see who wins.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Dominic said diplomatically. “I love Bowie, but whenever we’re in the same room, I have no choice but to be Team Jagger.”
I leaned closer to his ear. “Have I ever told you how sexy your tattoo is?”
Dominic grinned. “No.”
“It’s absolutely biteable.”
An electric energy built up between us, making it impossible for me to focus on anything else. Dominic was like a meteorite that had entered my orbit, now circling in my atmosphere. I would have done anything to keep it that way.
When the song ended, the DJ started the next track, eliciting loud cheers from the crowd around us. This time, it was “Dancing in the Street” by Mick Jagger and David Bowie.
I couldn’t believe it and laughed. Dominic shook his head in disbelief. While Eliah whisked him away, I found myself unexpectedly in Sibylle’s arms. I swiveled my neck to look for Dominic, but he had already disappeared into the crowd.
The mood exploded with contagious energy, and there was no holding back on the dance floor.
I had fun, dancing with all sorts of people.
While I was dancing with Henry, an actor who looked like a young Brad Pitt, someone slipped their arms around my waist from behind and spun me away.
Before I knew it, I was back in front of Dominic.
There was a seriousness in his eyes, which he tried unsuccessfully to hide behind a smile.
“Well, well,” I teased casually. “Someone’s jealous?”
Dominic flinched and pulled away from me. Embarrassed, he rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand, cleared his throat, and nodded upward. “Two to one, Bowie.”
I grinned and tilted my head slightly. “I’ve probably had every woman here in my arms, but you come over when Henry’s in front of me.” As I danced closer to Dominic, I placed a hand on his chest. “You know I’m into women too, right?”
“Henry’s into you. Or are you blind?”
I shrugged and released my hand from his body. The second I did, a sadness flickered inside Dominic, as if he longed for more contact.
The unmistakable sounds of the next song filled the room, and the crowd cheered again. This time it was “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie.
“This is unbelievable,” Dominic said, shaking his head once again in disbelief.
“Two to two, Mick!” I shouted excitedly, propping my hands on his shoulders and jumping. “Bowie’s catching up!”