Chapter 5: An Unexpected Dance

After the blizzard passes and the sky clears, the couple sees the magical lights dance right above their cave and the Ontario pine trees. Vivid green, purple and blue curtains hang above, folding and unfolding, moving in rhythmic waves, an invitation for them to pause in awe as they embrace.

“Some legends say they are foxes chasing each other in the sky, and their tails leave a flashing trace in the sky,” Rose whispers as Steve kisses her head.

Wrapping his arms around her under this majestic beauty of creation makes him hear his own heartbeat. The luminous curtains slowly open wide, and millions of dotted lights burst in the dark. Suddenly, with a blink of an eye, Steve sees the same red strings he saw in his dream right in front of him. It floats at the hem of the Aurora and dips slowly at his eye level, a few meters away from the mouth of the cave where they stand.

“Look! The red strings, do you see them?” Steve’s voice is a bit shaky now.

“Magical! And it’s coming near us!” Rose exclaims as she raises her hand and whistles.

“What are you doing?”

“I heard that in Cree culture, children whistle to summon the spirits in the lights. Why not experience what it feels like?”

“That red string is not part of the Aurora. It’s the string that took you away from me in my dream!” He puts her hand down.

“My heart, don’t you know that the red strings of fate in far eastern culture are believed to be that invisible thread that binds two hearts across time and space? You saw it because the spirits confirm we are bound for each other.”

Now the fiery red strings are much closer, enveloping them in twists and turns, and Rose can’t stop exclaiming. “It must be nature conspiring with us to make our love go on.”

She holds Steve’s hand. Traces the glistening red fire and dust around his wrist and kisses it. He cups her face and places his hand on her chest. Her heart beats faster. Steve’s eyes won’t leave Rose’s. With the Aurora giving them more light, tears roll down his eyes as he leans in.

They share an intimate kiss, lost in oblivion to the dancing lights above them and the red strings connecting their hearts. 

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The ride back home from the K&P slopes is a bit rough. Steve passes through the shadows of the pine trees as he carefully manoeuvres on the slippery road. Suddenly, his phone rings.

“Hey!” The woman’s frantic voice is heard on speakers.

“Hi, I’m here,” Steve responds while staring intently at the road.

“What were you doing at the K&P Trail in the middle of a storm? Your GPS made me so worried!”

Hearing that, Rose instinctively knows it’s Sarah, Steve’s wife. She fidgets in her seat, heart pounding in guilt as she tries to look away.

“You know how much I enjoy snowmobiling. Just tried it out here, since I had free time. How are the kids?” Steve asks as he tries to catch a glimpse of Rose’s face.

“They’re getting ready for bed... I’m glad you’re safe. Next time, please update me right away!”
Sarah says, relieved.

“I will. Thanks for the call,” Steve says as his right hand brushes Rose’s thigh. She turns and locks her fingers with his.

“You're silly. Why thank me? I’m your wife. Of course I’ll check up on you!” Sarah responds with a bit of laughter.

“The storm is clear now. Don’t worry. The road is slippery. I gotta focus on driving,” he says as calmly as possible as he grips his other woman’s hand.

The word ‘wife’ cuts like a knife in Rose’s hearing. The Aurora magic suddenly feels like fading. But she doesn’t know; the red strings attaching her heart to Steve’s hand become thicker in this otherworldly realm enveloping them in the car.

“Take care, honey. Text me when you’re back at your cabin, okay?” Sarah pleads.

“Of course.” Steve kisses Rose’s hand to reassure her.

“I love you," Sarah lovingly says.

“‘Love you, too,” Steve responds coldly. Rose withdraws her hand.

It’s one of those awkward moments when their reality bites. He says he doesn't want to know the kind of love he has for Rose. All he knows is that he feels deeply for her but cannot lose his family right now. And Sarah holds it together dearly. He is scared that things will fall apart because of his own doing.

Steve believes he still loves Sarah. It’s just that she does not want sex as often as he wants. He met Rose on an online platform because of his marital frustration. He is not blaming his wife for his actions. They are just differently wired.

His fondness for Rose just got deeper and deeper, like an abyss that he cannot get out of. Especially with how they share their passion on this vacation, he will continue to hold her hand as they reach the depths of their desires.

“At one point you will have to choose, I am afraid,” Rose blurts out sadly while their eyes are on the road.

“Let’s just enjoy this moment, please.” Steve’s voice begs to avoid a discussion. He wants her not to worry, but that’s really beyond his control.

Steve makes a right turn on the road leading back to their cabin. All he wants now is to own her body again.

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The warmth in the cabin is so much better than the cold outdoors. The couple takes off their boots and jacket at the foyer. Steve reads the body language of his lover. He has been wanting to take her even in the car, even right after his wife called.

In his mind, he needs to make her feel better, because she is obviously slighted when Sarah checks up on him. The frustration in her voice makes him remember his bad dream. And he needs these thoughts to just go away.

“I’ll be in the bath,” Rose coldly says.

“Can I join you?” Steve follows her footsteps.

“I can’t get sexy anymore, okay? My body is sore.”

“Oh… Okay, but I want to cuddle with you.”

Rose lights the scented candles and starts the jacuzzi. As Steve draws closer, he gently untangles her hair bun and caresses her shoulders and arms. She melts deep inside, and again, she surrenders.

Steve takes off his pants and shirt as she watches him with sad eyes. He feels his heart beat faster. He wants to avoid this kind of conversation, but he knows he must speak about it now, or he will slowly lose her affection.

In his boxers, he clasps her hand and leads her to the living room. Surprised, she follows his lead. The Aurora is seen through the big glass window. He wraps his arm around her from behind, then turns her around for a slow dance.

“They are really beautiful, even from afar,” she utters, still in wonder of the great lights as she puts her arms around his neck.

“I’ve loved you from afar. Even before we met.” A lump forms in Steve’s throat. That confession is something so unplanned, but it’s liberating to finally get it out of his chest.

Rose cannot believe what she just heard from his lips. She looks at his ocean eyes as she holds her own tears. Unknown to her, the red string floating in the air thickens. He leans in as she tilts her head towards his. Their lips lock, and their tongues dance attuned with the music that only their hearts hear.

Steve’s hands instinctively unbutton his lover’s blouse. He cups her breasts as their kiss intensifies. She unlocks her bra and pulls his head towards her neck.

“I love you, too. I have loved you even if we have not met yet,” Rose abandons her will in his arms again.

“We don’t have to; you are still sore,” Steve tells her lovingly, but his deep breathing betrays his intention.

“Just be gentle.” She kisses him more passionately.

“Let me bathe you then.” He scoops her in his arms and carries her to the bathtub.

The water is warm enough, and the bubbles are relaxing. Steve cuddles Rose in his arms while trying to control his erection. She leans in on his chest as he scrubs her arms gently.

“I’ll still bathe you like this even if the call didn’t happen, you know.” Steve breaks the silence.

“I know… I don’t have the right to feel bad. And you don’t have to feel obligated to make it up to me.” Rose braves the lump in her throat.

“I told her I love her, and it’s true. I just confessed that I love you, and it’s also true… I can’t explain it, really.” Steve’s voice is almost breaking, and it pulls a string in his lover’s heart.

“All I know is that I am grateful that Sarah keeps our family together. Adopting four kids is crazy, but we kept on building the life we dreamed of…,” he looks at the bubbles in the water, searching for the right words.

“But when you came along, I realised I had this part of me that was so empty… I... I didn’t know I was starving for this kind of passion,” Steve sighs, and Rose touches his face.

“I don’t want you to feel that I am using you, Rose… I am truly in love with you. How it happens, I still don’t understand.” His sobs almost choked his words.

Rose holds his hand and cups his face. Both teary-eyed, the lovers’ lips met in between feelings of guilt, abandonment and deep want. Neither of them will let go.

Steve embraces her from behind as she pushes against his pulsating shaft. His member is raging, and so he glides his hand from her neck down her breasts, kneading them as her nipples harden.

Rose gyrates like she’s continuing their dance under the Aurora. Steve’s two fingers are massaging her clit now, and the way he slowly buries them within her aching slit sends more shivers to every fibre in her being.

Soon she’s guiding his member inside her. His push and pull is deliberate. He nibbles on her shoulders and bites them as she gyrates faster.

Her chest heaves in unison with his, as waves of pleasure mingle with courage to seal that deal. They belong to each other. Their bodies know it. Their hearts know it. Even if their minds do not understand.

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In Ohio, Sarah patiently waits. Looking at the glow of her phone, she turns to Steve’s side of the bed. She opts not to send him a message anymore, since the GPS tracker says her husband has been back in the cabin for a good twenty minutes already. She thinks he might be tired. So she swipes her screen off and turns out the light on the nightstand.