Love conquers socialisation Part 2

He felt his heart soar and joy bubble up from his soul to create the most genuinely happy smile he had ever grinned in his life. He took the three steps forward, held out his hand, and she took it. He held her, moved her, swayed with her, loved her. This unknown woman who had stepped into his life only hours ago. As the song ended he let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding. He was shaken, she was shaken. She said thank-you and stepped backwards, looking at him, then lowering her eyes and going to her sister. She whispered in her sister's ear and the two of them left. The writer snapped Daniel back to reality seconds (which seemed like minutes to Daniel) later, when he hit his back celebrating the exit of "the wicked sisters from the east."

The 'wicked sister' haunted Daniel's dreams for weeks to come. He wrote the most incredible poetry he had ever written under a pseudonym on Booksie.com. He wrote cherry-winning stories on abctales.com and began the book he had long been wanting to write on wordpress.com. She inspired him. He googled her and found her artist's website, where he saw her amazing creations and bought a few of them from the local gallery. His family life turned for the worse and he was kicked out of home and left to fend for himself. He realised how he had let them all down, but he didn't care anymore, because the lyrics of love songs meant something to him now, the birds in flight captivated him, the moon and stars awed him, humility and generosity resounded from him. He took a job at a local centre for children with learning difficulties and lived off the excellent money he was now getting as a ghost speechwriter.

Even though he played the victory ball evening over and over in his mind, he knew that she was too awesome for him. He knew that he didn't deserve someone who had achieved so much. Once, in the months that followed, Tiffany’s ex-brother-in-law was drunk enough to divulge all of Isabella and Tiffany's family history. It was not a pleasant story at all and it made Daniel feel guilty for all that he had taken for granted in his life. Every time he replayed the evening and the dance, he knew that he would never be someone Tiffany could look up to. He left it at that, and for the first time in his life, he didn't pursue the woman he wanted more than anything he'd ever wanted in his life.

Whether it was Tiffany's dreaming when she was a teen, or Daniel's dreams of her every night, or fate, who knows; but a few years later their paths crossed again. This time it was at Daniel's day job. Tiffany walked into the school to fetch her second cousin, a Down Syndrome child. She stood in the entrance area waiting for the little girl. As Daniel brought her out from the play area they 'bumped into' each other. For the first time in his life Daniel was speechless, he didn't know what to say, how to act, or what to do, as every emotion he had felt so long ago flooded back into his being. Every argument that he’d had with himself, telling himself that it’s impossible to fall in love with a stranger, evaporated into nothing. All the logical reasons he had concocted for not speaking to her again dissolved into the atmosphere and he knelt down, hugged the child good-bye and sent her onto Tiffany.

Tiffany took the child's hand and looked at Daniel. He looked back and then lowered his eyes. Hers were still as exquisite as he remembered, as he still dreamt they were.

“Hi Danny,” she said.

He lifted his head, as moved by the sound of her voice now as he had been before. “Hi,” he replied sheepishly.

“I see you didn't drown in that ice after all.”

“Hey,” she remembered! He ran his hand through his hair, and looked at the floor, “yeah, I got through ok, thanks, I used up all the towels in the men's room though. I don’t think they were very impressed at the mess I created.”

She laughed a gorgeous, clear laugh that he knew he would write more poetry about.

“Well, it's a good thing that the towels saved you.” Daniel looked up at her, her tone changed to a softer, kinder sound. “I read that you've had a bit of a rough patch of late, with your family and all. Hang in there.” She shrugged slightly, “We all have our ups and downs,” she said with genuine empathy, then smiled and said: “Obviously not in front of all of Italy though, but that’s ok.” His heart jumped as he almost would’ve sworn he saw a wink and heard her tone change slightly.

“I'm glad that you're helping my cousin here. She speaks very highly of you,” she said as her cousin ran over and gave Daniel's leg a hug, before running back to Tiffany's hand. Daniel blushed, knowing he had to say something.

“We all need a wake up call every now and then,” he acknowledged, “but thanks, I'm glad I'm helping in some way now. Everyone knows I’ve done a few rather unhelpful things in the past, but I’m working through those as best I can.”

“Danny?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yes?” he replied, ready to answer anything she asked and loving that she called him that.

“I know it's not my place,” she paused and then decided to go on anyway, “but years ago you told a friend that you would never marry a girl without money. Was it true?” Her eyes burned into his soul and he couldn't lie.

“It was true. I did mean it at the time,” he said, more embarrassed than he had ever felt in his life. Her face fell, those beautiful lips lost their curl and it killed him inside as she dropped her eyes in disappointment and discomfort. He couldn’t let her think so lowly of him, he wasn't like that anymore, he couldn’t stand there and let her go like this; “But Tiffany,” he had to try, oh how he loved saying her name out loud.

“Yes?” she said distractedly, getting her car keys out of her bag and avoiding eye contact.

It was now or never. Who ended up blessed enough to meet the person that changed their life, twice? He took steps forward to land one step away from her; she lifted her head in surprise, her eyes showing the years of disappointment etched in her heart. It made him feel less, so much less than he knew he was; he knew he could be.

“Tiffany, it was true, but it isn't anymore. A few years ago I met someone who changed everything I was into someone so much better. If she'll let me, I'd love to drown in all the ice she has to offer me…”