Simon couldn’t look away. It the first of your ballet recitals that he’d been in town for. He was cursing the nature of his job that he hadn’t been able to come sooner. He could’ve seen this so much more often. You, up on stage, in your lovely outfit. The way your body moved with the music like a flowing river. It was addicting. The whole show was quite amazing but Simon wasn’t really paying attention to anyone other than you. He remembered the day you’d called him and said you’d gotten the principal role in the ballet your company was doing. It was your first time being the center of attention on stage and you were glowing. Radiant, ethereal. So many other words that he didn’t think he’d ever had a reason to even think before. You leapt through the air like you were weightless, spinning as if friction had no hold on you. He couldn’t help the disappointment that washed through him when the show was over. He’d never thought he’d like watching any type of dancing but here he was, practically salivating just to watch you again. Simon pushed himself up from his seat and waded through the crowd to go find you. It took a while but eventually he found you near the doors, smiling as other people congratulated you on your role. He eased through everyone and stopped in front of you. “That was great. More interesting than I thought ballet could be. Here.” Simon held out the bouquet of flowers he’d gotten you. Simple red roses he’d thought would be a good gift for his friend who’d just done something stunning.