The music had returned to its original melancholic seduction. The whispers of the room were low, as the women fanned themselves with their arrogance while those men that seemed all the more bored hid behind their wine glasses. I found myself in a better position to ignore their musings at the warm feeling of the stranger’s hand in mine.

There was a brush against the back of my neck, causing me to turn my head toward this stranger. I could count the amount of times I was left ...