An Ending (Ascent)

. . . and at the party, all your friends tell you that the guy she's with is just a friend. And when she sees you, she smiles, touches your shoulder and tells you she loves your shirt. She tells her friend that you are one of the producers and a writer. And you're polite to her friend, who happens to be the best friend of her boyfriend. You begin to mingle with others at the party, keeping half an eye at her. Her friend and her are almost inseperable. The vibe, at least according to your friends, is that of a guard dog keeping watch. You see her dance to some music a little bit, you catch her eye and she smiles. You sit across from her during all the loud music and pantomime, she looks over at you and raises her glass, and you toast each other silently.

You head downstairs to the dance floor with a couple of female friends. A couple of songs later, she comes down with her friend. Her friend can't dance. She can. Your female friends are surprised at how well she can dance. Your female friends know you can dance. Strangers compliment you on how well you dance. You briefly dance with her before her friend leads her away. So you dance more energetically with your friends, she looks over, and then she heads upstairs.

When you head back upstairs, you see her friend sitting by himself looking miserable. You try to be friendly, say hi, but his reply to you surprises you a lot. "She's over there," he says. She's in the smoking area talking to some people. So you head over to your friends by the bar and drink some more.

You see her, and one of your male friends is being stupid with her. When you walk over, she talks to you for a bit. She leans into you. Maybe she's just leaning into you to speak with you over the music, but she leans with her whole body, and for a second, she's nestled into you. But then your male friend plays with her scarf and the moment is gone. Her friend wants to leave. She says bye to your friends, she hugs the director's girlfriend. Then she turns over to you, hugs you tightly, holds you for all that it's worth. You hold her tightly as well. She whispers "Take care." You whisper, "You too." And with that, she's gone from your life.