As they continued to eat, outside on the balcony, a man in a stylish and formal suit was getting on the stage and setting his equipment up. In several minutes, a slow song, ‘Anywhere’, began to play outside and on the restaurant’s speakers. Marlene finished eating and closed her eyes and started to sway to the song’s beat which Abel noticed.

“Hmm… I love this song. It’s so beautiful to hear…” She spoke quietly.

“Hm. I see.” Abel comments, smiling.

Since he was done eating and noticed Marlene was done eating as well, he gets up and walks toward her, and held out his hand.

“May I have this dance, Ms. Rosa?” Abel asks, softly.

Marlene blushed at his question.

“Why… yes.” She answers. “But… could you call me Marlene?”

Abel chuckles in response while Marlene gets up with her hand in Abel’s. He leads her outside to the dance floor. As they got to the dance floor, Abel begins to hold Marlene by her waist and Marlene holds him by his shoulders as they dance to the music. Abel decided to gently hold her close which made Marlene feel nervous and tense, which he felt.

“Relax, Marlene.” He whispered softly in her ear. “Relax and breathe. Don’t be afraid to give in…”

Marlene begins to ease up and feel slight tingles from where she was being held and after Abel whispered in her ear. As she held him close, she could feel how his muscles felt through his dress shirt, even with the hands that held her, firm but gentle. She could even feel how fit his chest was. She imagined how his body looked without a shirt, to where she felt a shiver between her legs. She snaps back to reality to where she met Abel’s eyes looking into hers with a smirk on his face; he knew what she was thinking. Marlene knew that he recognized.

“You are reading too much into this. Aren’t you?” He asked.

Marlene had a guilty look on her face, making Abel chuckle.

“Don’t worry. It’s fine. Just keep enjoying this moment.”

They resumed dancing, cheek to cheek. Abel began to feel overwhelmed by how good Marlene’s perfume had smelled, how her body’s figure was shaped as he held on to her, and imagined how her body looked without the dress, it made the irises of his eyes glow their gray/silver hue. He kept his composure in the duration of him slow dancing with Marlene, she did not notice.

‘Why am I thinking about this woman this way? Never have I thought of a woman like this. She feels much different from Erika.’ Abel thought.

‘She is mate material in every way. She is perfect for us. Make love with her tonight.’ His inner self suggested.

‘I’m not going to listen to you tonight. Stay quiet!’ Abel demanded.

After they danced, they were ready to leave. Abel paid the bill for their food, and he and Marlene left from the restaurant and went to the car to leave.

.   .   .

Several minutes later, they arrived back to Marlene’s house. After parking, Abel gets out of the car to let Marlene out from the passenger side. As he did, she got out of the car and got her house key out from her purse with Abel following her to the front door.

“Did you enjoy your time at The Blue?” Abel asks.

“Yes, I really did. Thank you, Abel.” She replies, smiling.

“You’re welcome.”

As Marlene walked to the door, she turns to Abel, her back was to the door. Abel had her cornered with his left hand on the door and his right hand in his pocket; both making eye contact.

“I… hope we can go out again someday.” She comments.

Abel smiles.

“I can guarantee you that we will.” He assures.

“So… will I see you again?”

“Of course, you will, Marlene. I give you, my word.”

By making his promise, Abel slowly comes close to Marlene’s lips. Marlene slowly closes the gap and their lips touch. Waves of Abel’s passion nearly overwhelmed Marlene as she kissed his lips; her eyes glowing their lavender hue. Abel’s eyes glowed as well feeling Marlene’s passion and wanting more of it. He started to put his hands around Marlene’s waist while he felt Marlene’s hands holding onto him. With this happening, Abel imagined pinning Marlene to the door, wanting to pull up her dress, unbuckling and pulling down his pants, and start making love to her, no matter the time or who was around. When Abel thought of this, he quickly had to end the kiss, because he did not want to do that to Marlene. To him, Marlene was worth more than a one-night stand, and he had somewhere to go in the morning. That was the first time Marlene saw a shocked look on his face visibly. He regained his composure.

“I… I should go now.” Abel whispered.

“Okay…” Marlene replies with a sad smile.

She turned to the door, unlocking, and opening it. It was dark inside the house. She turned to see Abel one more time.

“I bid you goodnight, Ms. Rosa.” Abel spoke, smirking.

Marlene giggles and smirks back at him.

“It’s Marlene. Goodnight, Abel.” She answers, her eyes glowing.

As she closed the door, she saw Abel walk to his car through her window and drive off moments later. As she turns on the lights to the living room, she sees her father, Marcus, slouching in the couch with a whiskey bottle in his hand, and obviously drunk with a noticeable black eye. Marlene was disappointed as she saw him.

“Man. You reek of whisky…” She comments sternly.

Marcus groggily looks to Marlene.

“Where the fuck were you?” He asks in coldly drunk voice. “You were supposed to be cleaning the house!”

“Yes, a house that I own, and you treat like shit.” Marlene retorts. “Anyways, I was out on a date while you were out drinking.”

Marcus groggily stands up from the couch, trying to keep his balance.

“And who the fuck was that fucker? He looked fruity as hell.”

His words stuck a nerve in Marlene, but she kept it in check.

“He was the man I went on a date with, who was a gentleman, seems to have his affairs in order, and is not a slob.”

“Girl, you don’t know shit about what a man is supposed to do! You don’t know shit about anything!”

Marlene became upset that he insulted her and Abel and decided to hit his arrogant ego.

“You know, your vendettas against everything are your downfall. You should be happy at how successful your daughters are becoming, but no. You can’t do that; you hate that we’re doing better than you. Also, there are times I ask, why can’t you hold a job? Why couldn’t you hold up the house to where you were about to lose it? You had help before! Also, why can’t you clean up after yourself?! You got mud on my carpet!”

Marcus looks at the carpet with mud tracks in the living room then back to Marlene with no thought going through his head.

“And do you know why you can’t?!” She asks. “It’s because you drink! Never helping us because you drink. Becoming insecure, a deadbeat, a pathetic excuse of a father almost all of our lives! Mother only helped us, and she helped you! And if you keep up this behavior in our house, you will be deemed a squatter and you will be leaving this house!”

With those words, Marcus angrily threw his liquor bottle at Marlene; she ducks with the bottle hitting the wall behind her and shattering. He drunkenly walks toward Marlene.

“You shut your fuckin’ mouth!” He yells. “You’re just a fucking dumb prude! Get the fuck out of my sight!”

As he walked towards her, he lost his footing, and fell on the floor in front of Marlene. She looks at him judgingly.

“Insecure. Why?” She speaks disappointingly. “I can’t believe how far you’ve fallen.”

Marcus looks up at Marlene groggily; trying to get up.

“Don’t look at me with those judging eyes.” He speaks enviously. “Why did I get caught up with that woman? Having these damn kids… Goddamn girls.”

“Oh well, you didn’t play your cards right.” She responds calmly, but stern. “But what’s done is done. You just have to deal with it.”

She turns away from him and walks to the stairs. As she is walking up the stairs, she looks at Marcus who was still trying to get up.

“Also, clean up your mess and go to sleep, or you will be out of here.” Marlene spoke coldly. and went upstairs to her room.

As Marlene got into her room, she takes off her heels, placing them in a shoebox and her dress, putting it on a hanger in her closet. She walks into the bathroom to wipe the makeup off her face, then looks at herself in the mirror, wearing nothing except her matching black pushup bra and panties. She starts touching her lips, remembering her kiss with Abel. She then closes her eyes to imagine Abel feeling on her body, cupping her breasts, kissing her neck sensually, leading to what she wants to feel from Abel. She opens her glowing eyes, snapping out of her imagination and holding her head in bewilderment.

‘I just met him. Why am I thinking about him this way?’ She thought.

When she was done wiping the makeup off her face, she goes back into her room, taking off her undergarments, putting on her nightgown, wrapping up her hair in a scarf, and plopping into her bed. She turned on her phone, seeing the picture of her mother. Her mother was Marlene’s skin color, identical facial features, thicker than Marlene with full breasts and full shaped hips, raven black, long hair. She was wearing a long-sleeved black dress with black high heels, sitting in a chair with her legs crossed with a kind smile on her face.

“I love you, Mother. I wish you were here…” She spoke, saddened.

As she was admiring the picture, she gets a text message from Abel stating:

I’ve made it home. I noticed that you and I live not too far from each other. I need to advise you that you can’t contact me freely for a couple of days. I’ll be out of town on business. Don’t worry, I won’t be gone for long, and I will contact you whenever I can. I’ll be back before you know it. Sweet dreams, Marlene.

Marlene smiles as she sees the message. She turns off her phone, putting it on its charger, and looks out the window to the night sky as she drifts off to sleep.