Peaceful. That’s how I felt looking at her. She was just so herself then. So vulnerable. It was like I could see every bit of her. The way she liked music, dance, and the way she was afraid to show all of that talent and passion to other people.

That quiet dance couldn’t fulfill the need to go with the song, so she started singing. Humming, actually, that turned into singing. And her voice was just so beautiful. Paralysing. Even though I couldn’t hear it perfectly, I knew it must have been a song that meant a lot to her. She sang with such sentiment and it was if she poured herself into the lyrics.

I wished I could have gotten closer, sat by her side, and laid there, with my eyes closed, being drifted away to a very distant place, wherever the song took us. But she would be scared, like a little bird. As soon as she found out she could be heard, she would stop. She would probably get embarrassed, turning her face a shade of red, I could only imagine by the whiteness of her skin. And she would look very cute like that…

Wait. What? Stop! I was not going to be staring at a random girl in the dark thinking how she would look cute. No way. Not going there. Fortunately, to stop all my train of thoughts and rip me out of that situation, Laura came rushing through the glass door (thankfully open, or else she would have smashed up her pretty face). A slightly drunk girl stumbling around the patio woke from her trance the girl in the corner, who was now embarrassed and hiding her blushed cheeks, just like I had imagined.

To my surprise, Laura didn’t throw herself on me like I thought she would. She just walked towards me. Her eyes focused elsewhere. Something was very wrong. She was in some kind of shock. And that sacred me like never before. I had never seen her in that state. I got up and hug her.

“Laura” I held her arms and looked in her eyes “What happened? Are you alright?”

“He… he, no.” She didn’t look back to me. It was if her mind was somewhere else. “ He,... no. Let’s just go home ”

“Laura, are you sure?” She nodded. I took her arm and led her throw the crowd. I took her phone and called her parents while going out of the building. I was almost sure that guy she was with did something. But I wasn’t going to ask. It wouldn’t be good for her.

We waited outside. It was kind of cold, and Laura didn’t take her coat before going to find me. I put my coat around her. Thank god she had her phone with her, I don’t think she would hold herself up having to search her purse around so many people. I held her. She still diddn’t say anything.

I saw her father’s car coming in our direction. I waved at him. I felt tears going down Laura’s cheeks and touching my shoulder.