Orpheus | Installment Six – Daring

“And when the man arrives at the place where
He feels so much of good and ill were told
He could not possibly have sought her, then
The woman appears, who would be learned again.
Be sung as eloquently… The man feels old,
Falters, and blinks: Of course, she is not there.”

– Orpheus, The crux of Song by David Galler, 1969

Daring

“What is real? How do you define real? If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.” ― Lana Wachowski, The Matrix: The Shooting Script

There must have been a leakage somewhere. The regular “tick, tick, tick” of that single drop of water on the carport floor sounded like a metronome interrupting an otherwise perfect silence. Perfect because it was accompanied by Lisa’s regular breathing against his skin. So soothing. So comforting.

Mike knew that she had not dozed off. He realized that, in the few weeks they had known each other, not only they had spent most of their time together, but also that his senses had been continuously on alert, his mind a sponge, absorbing everything that was her and every detail that seemed to connect them as individuals. Their togetherness. He already knew it by heart the – way she breathed when she was asleep. That was why he could now tell she was awake. Awake and relaxed.

After making love in a quick, raw, urgent way that had unleashed storms of feelings taking the shape of beautiful, shiny black birds flying all around, they had sunk against one another and now they were still entangled, half-naked, a bit sweaty, still slightly wet from the rain, but enveloped in a cloud of pure warmth. Their bodies. Their spirits. Their minds going a mile a minute. And their voices – silent.

When the intense, almost painful ecstasy had pulverized him, the moment his essence had left his body and had reached Lisa’s, Mike had squeezed his eyes shut, and his mind had shattered in a way that could not be controlled or anticipated. Behind his closed eyelids, just for the shortest instant, he had seen and heard something he had no conscious recollection of, something that didn’t even make any sense. He had seen a sparkling diamond, possibly a ring, shimmering in what looked like the flickering, orange light of a fireplace, in a room he had never been in. It could have been a library, but he was not entirely sure. In the depth of his ears, or maybe of his mind, he had heard one single word. The word was “yes.” The voice pronouncing it, sounding choked up and whispered, ecstatically happy and overwhelmed, was Lisa’s. There was no doubt about that. And then the vision was gone, like a TV screen suddenly being turned off after rewinding or fast-forwarding an old, worn-out tape.

It had all been so quick that, for a few minutes, Mike had merely put the thought away, too busy reveling in the euphoric afterglow of their lovemaking. But now, as he held Lisa close and listened to her heartbeat, it all resurfaced again and just as intensely. What was that? A dream? A long-forgotten hope? The vision of their future? A wish? His breath caught in his throat and he let out a sigh.

Lisa’s hand spread over his chest, where his unbuttoned shirt still revealed his naked skin. Then, her hot lips touched the spot – right above his heart. And they stayed there for a while.

“I love doing this… just feeling you. Touching you. Knowing you’re really here. That you’re real.”

The vibrations of her voice were a purr against his skin, and he smiled. Tilting her chin up with his fingers, he sunk into her eyes quietly. They were deep and bright. Half-closed and lazy, yet so very perceptive. They looked like the sea at night. The way the sea was supposed to look and didn’t look anymore.

“Kiss me,” she said, and he bent his head slightly, his lips skimming over hers.

“I do love you for real, Mike Jackson. And I’m so glad you know it, now. I just feel…” She stared at him for an endless moment, almost hesitating. “…I feel that you gotta know I love you. That you must know it.”

He blinked, once again ignoring the uneasy, painful feelings that her words were unleashing inside of him. Ignoring the fear, gripping his heart for a second. Vaguely thinking that maybe loving someone so completely meant just that: being afraid to lose them. Every time. The panic gripping your heart at the idea of them lost, of them gone. He cleared his throat, his eyes lingering on her features, exploring them with care.

“Where did you get the notepad you gave me?”

Lisa looked surprised and smiled, her beautiful lips distending and uncovering her perfect, white teeth. Her face relaxed.

“Why do you wanna know?” She kept stroking his chest.

“No reason.” He narrowed his eyes. “Did you get online? Delivery by drone?”

“Nope. I picked it personally.”

“Where?”

Turning serious, she kept staring at him.

“Down at Level 1.”

He backed off, slightly, his entire body tensing, shivering.

“Level 1? You went down there all alone?”

He still sounded a bit cautious.

She shrugged.

“Well, not alone, alone… I took a metrocab… So it was technically the cab driver and me… Why, Mike?”

“Because it’s dangerous, Lisa.” His hands on her shoulders, he gently pushed her body back and stared at her.

She reached up, caressing the side of his face.

“Babe – it was not. It was just a quick stop and go, really. And I had the metrocab waiting for me outside the whole time.”

“Outside what?” His rapid blinking testified to his rising nervousness.

“Outside the black market…”

“The black market? On Level 1?”

“Yeah… What’s the matter?”

“Are you for real? What the hell!” He ran his fingers through his hair and Lisa cocked her head to a side, her brow furrowing.

“Mike – nothing happened! I literally went in and out. It took me maybe twenty minutes max to find what I was looking for. And I wanted to pick the thing by myself… I wanted it to be special for you.”

“Well, you know what would be even more special? You staying the hell alive and safe. OK? I don’t care about a stupid notepad if it means you might get hurt.”

His words stunned her, and she removed her hand from his face. It fell in her lap.

“I just wanted-”

“You shouldn’t have gone.” He stubbornly shook his head, and this time her entire body stiffened. She stared at him, bewildered, hurt by his words and his attitude. Then her eyes narrowed.

“Says who?”

“Says me. Level 1 is a dangerous place. I can’t have you down there on your own.”

“You can’t have me down th- …Alright. You know what?” She threw her arms in the air. “That’s it. I’m not having this conversation. Let’s just leave it alone, OK?”

She backed off and, when he tried to hold onto her shoulders, she pushed him back slightly.

Mike bit his lip, taking a deep breath. Knowing well that he had been a bit gruff. That he tended to lose control when he was upset. And that he tended to get upset when he lost control. He tried his best, he really did, to clear his mind from the dark cloud that had enveloped it.

“Look, it’s not that you gotta do what I tell you, it’s just-”

“If it’s not, then stop it right now.”

Her voice had become very stern and very firm, and she lifted herself off his body. He had been sheathed inside of her, snug and warm and still semi-hard up until that point and winced the moment she withdrew from him. Lisa scooted back in her seat, fixing her dress, pulling the fabric down on her thighs, suddenly looking uneasy and uncomfortable.

“I’m just saying, we should have gone together…”

Mike’s voice sounded calmer now. He flinched once again as he pulled up his boxers and pants, trying to look decent as he spoke of things that were entirely unrelated to sex. His cheeks burned.

Lisa snorted, dryly.

“Yeah. I should have gone with you, looking for your present, Mike. That’s cute. Look – I know you mean good, but I ain’t taking orders from anyone, OK?”

He looked down, setting his jaw.

“My parents got killed down there. On Level 1. Remember? We talked about it.”

She inhaled a deep breath.

“Yes, of course, I remember. And you have no idea how sorry I am. How I’d want things to be different for you and them, and how I’d take your pain away if only I could. But Mike, this city is what it is. The world is what it is. We can’t change that, now, can we? I wanted you to have something special, and I could only find it in that market. That’s why I went. And like I said, I was cautious.”

He stayed quiet. He felt deflated and exhausted.

Lisa watched him for a long time, trying to read under the surface of his neutral canvas, all the while nervously biting the soft flesh inside her cheek. Finally, she reached out, taking his hands that now lay lifeless in his lap. He didn’t move.

“Mike… can you at least look at me? Please?”

He frowned, his features still tense. Then glanced up at her and she noticed the veil of tears shimmering in his eyes. She immediately felt a pang of guilt, although she knew, on a rational level, that she had nothing to feel guilty about. But she understood his point of view. The mere idea of knowing him in danger, caught and trapped in an unsafe situation… the very idea of losing him, of not being there for him took her breath away. Even thinking about it made her feel dizzy and nauseous.

Taking a deep breath, moving slowly and carefully in the limited space of the cockpit, she once again sat astride of him, circling his neck with her arms, holding him until the tension subsided. Mike’s heartbeat, up until that point erratic, slowed down. Lisa felt his hands starting to rub her back and gently kissed his neck.

“I’m sorry… It was probably stupid. Just like my present…” Now that she thought about it, that notepad didn’t look that cool anymore.

He caressed her hair. “Your present is not stupid. I love it. And I’m sorry for what I said… It was fucked up and I didn’t mean it. I just want you to be safe.”

They stayed quiet some more.

“Did you ever go there after what happened to your parents?”

Her voice was a whisper.

“No… never. It’s an off-limits place for me. But if you really wanted to go… I could have gone with you, you know. I wouldn’t have asked what for…”

“Bullshit…” She smirked and kissed his neck again. Yeah. She was right. He would have wanted to know. Lisa’s smile against his skin widened. “You’re possessive. And a bit controlling.”

“Am not!”

She was relieved hearing that his voice had lost at least part of its gravity.

“Yes, you are.” She nipped at his neck playfully, and Mike squirmed in the seat, one hand coming up and tangling in her hair. Closing his fingers in a fist into her sinewy locks, he pulled her head back just enough to intercept her eyes.

“I don’t know what I am. With you, I mean. Not yet. I am… becoming someone new. Something more than I thought I was.”

She turned serious. They both did.

The newly arising fire in his eyes exerted its pull and Lisa cradled his face with her small hands. They kissed, and it was a slow, long, deep kiss that pushed aside every what if. Lisa’s heartbeat fluttered the moment she perceived the heat of his body again. Almost in an automatic gesture, her hips moved against him and his pelvis pushed up and into her. And just like that, he was ready again and she was too. It was a never-ending cycle of pleasure and desire. It always felt like they were making up for so much lost time, their blossoming relationship made of an endless string of apparently nonsensical patterns.

Mike’s grip on her behind didn’t help cool things down. Neither did Lisa finding the hot skin of his torso once again.

“I hate being afraid of stuff… I hate limits…” He panted against her lips as, once again, his hands running over her thighs and toward her center. And she, once again, unbuttoned his pants. “…And I hate not being in control.”

“You’re in control, baby.”

Lisa felt his fingers approaching. She needed him to know that no man ever had ever made her feel the way he did.

He found her hot, wet and primed, and caressed her slowly.

“So are you.”

Then he took her hand and brought it down and in between them, on himself. He swallowed. Oh yeah – it was all about giving and taking. They were both the savior and the saved. The forgiver and the sinner. The giver and the receiver.

Still staring at him, her cheeks flushed, her eyes drugged by desire, Lisa scooted down, kneeling on the cockpit floor and in between his legs, all the while holding him in her hand. He just let her, caressing her hair, looking down at her as his breathing started to quicken its pace.

She began to stroke him slowly.

“What do you want me to do?”

His voice sounded hoarse, thick with lust.

“Whatever you want…”

“No… You tell me. Tell me what you want.”

Mike swallowed. Then covered her hand with his own, holding himself out to her.

“I want you to take it…”

Her eyes remained locked to his.

“You’re in control, baby…”

He bit his lip, then set his jaw.

“Take it.”

She smiled, and the moment her mouth touched him, he felt as if he was being electrocuted. His legs trembled, and his head fell back against the seat. He kept his eyes half-open, not wanting to miss the spectacle of Lisa loving and pleasuring him that way. One hand kept holding him, while the other rested on his hip, pulling him into her. He got the hint and started moving his pelvis slowly, his hand resting on her head, as his breath became more and more ragged. Her lips, her tongue, her teeth grazing him – and he started to see double. Her moans and her eyes glancing up at him almost did him in. He took a deep breath. This real sex thing surely was addictive, testing his endurance every time.

Focus. Make it last.

All the while she pushed him even closer to complete annihilation, moving on him as if she knew exactly what she had to do to love him to the point of non-return. It blew his mind.

“Oh, fuck… oh yeah. Baby… Shit…” He gritted his teeth and then somehow managed to pull back. “No, wait… come back here. I want you, girl. I wanna be inside of you so fucking much. Come back here…”

He grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her up and into his lap. His blood thundered in his ears. Lisa reached out and they kissed, deeply, her little whimpers in his mouth driving him crazy, and the moment he rested his hand on her breast he noticed that her heartbeat was racing.

She rose on her knees, looking at him, panting.

“Give it to me, baby… Let me have it…”

“Fucking hell…”

His jaw clenched the moment he guided himself inside of her. When his hips pushed up, filling her, taking all the space, he grunted and she moaned, clinging to him. The strong muscles of her thighs shook for a moment as she accommodated him fully. It still amazed him how she managed to sheath him like a glove. She was so petite, and at first he had been afraid of hurting her. But now he knew that Lisa could take all he had to give. As if her body was created to fit his, perfectly.

“Oh god… oh damn.” She swallowed. “You have no idea how much I love this… You feel so fucking amazing…”

He thought he had a pretty good idea, indeed. Grabbing her ass, keeping her in place, he started taking her in strong, steady strokes.

The next thirty minutes or so were all about that. Once again, the quiet environment of the carport became the treasure chest of their newly found words of love, moans and whispers, passion, lust. As Mike moved into Lisa’s body one more time, as he pulled her more into himself every time he withdrew slightly, just to surge forward again, their eyes stayed open and connected. Her body flushed and tender against his, she clung to his shoulders, her forehead leaning against his.

“You know what I wanna do?” He panted hoarsely.

Lisa grinned, then closed her eyes for a moment against his passionate assault.

“You wanna come?”

Mike chuckled breathlessly. His little temptress.

“Yeah, that too… but other than that…”

“What is it… tell me, my love… tell me what you wanna do…”

All the while her hips swayed against him. He flinched. Just a couple more minutes. Just a little more time to hold off complete disintegration.

“I want us to go down to Level 1… Together…”

Her eyes found him again. She bit her lip. She, too, was struggling against her own pleasure.

“When?”

“Tonight.”

He had never even thought about going back to Level 1. Not until Lisa. But now, with her by his side, Mike felt that he could face everything. He had been alone most of his life, his existence had mainly been a one-man show and, as the years progressed, he had become accustomed to just take care of himself the way he thought was fit. It was different now.

While he waited for her in his apartment, he did something that he didn’t like. He opened the drawer where he kept his old gun. Because if you went down to the bottom of the megacity, you could not expect the law to protect you. Just like nobody had protected his parents. He held his old Beretta U22 Neos semiautomatic pistol designed for informal shooters, hoping that he remembered how to use it. Just in case. And praying that he didn’t have to use it all, not only because he didn’t want to, but also because it would have been a first, for him.

The stainless steel felt cold and smooth to the touch, and Mike closed his eyes. Would he have used it, to protect his mom and dad? Without a doubt. Would he use it to protect Lisa? No doubt about that, either.

The electrodoorbell ringing snapped him out of his meditations. It was her.

“Echo – open the door, please.”

“Yes, Mike.”

The “clack” of the lock was followed by Lisa appearing in his field of view. She had partly changed her clothes and, if possible, looked now even more gorgeous than before. Mike stared at her, his lips slightly parted. Lisa still wore her evening dress, but had changed her shoes – no longer classy stilettos but knee-high, black combat boots enhanced by buckle straps and a side zipper. She also wore a red motorcycle jacket made of faux leather fabric. Her hair was down on her shoulders, looking very natural and wavy, and she had practically no make-up on. He thought that he had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. There was just something about Lisa’s strong, tomboy side that turned him on like no tomorrow, and the appreciative look that he threw at her left little to the imagination.

“So?” She gave him one of her half-smiles. “You ready or what?”

He too had changed and wore now his usual technical clothes, allowing movement and comfort. Although she didn’t say anything, he knew that Lisa appreciated the outfit.

One of the peculiarities that she loved the most about Mike was his dualistic personality: he could be kind, very soft, tender, but was also one of the strongest, bravest, more solid men she had ever known. Only an idiot could misread his gentle manners for softness of character, or even physical weakness. There was not an inch of him that was not made of steel – and it all started in Mike’s mind, in his absolute determination. Right now, after looking classy and elegant for the party, he had once again slipped into his more private, unmasked identity, a rougher, more hard-edged style with a bit of 1980’s retro look. His total black outfit included the ever-present militech-style items and the usual long trench coat. Functionality at its best, but with a sleek, urban attitude. Mike was a man of his times and yet of every time. And he was so beautiful in her eyes.

“Totally ready.” He placed the gun in his tactical leg holster, shaking his head. Lisa noticed and he looked up at her, shrugging. “I don’t like guns. I am a man of peace. But…”

“We can’t go down there unharmed. Our safety is our responsibility. I know. You told me.”

He smiled wryly, his response almost automatic.

“That’s right, Princess.”

“Princess… Lisa. Look at me.”

Just an echo coming from a foreign place. Lisa narrowed her eyes.

“Come here…”

It didn’t matter how dominant his attitude could be. She called him – and he went. He stepped closer to her and when she put her arms around his neck, pulling his head down, he kissed her. The softness of her lips, the sweet scent of her skin in stark contrast with what they were going to do. And yet it was easier to go places, if this woman he loved was there by his side. Exorcising the past was the key, but that could only happen with the right means and the right end. For the first time, Mike realized that he wanted to observe the dreaded Level 1 through someone else’s point of view, and not his own. Because reality took different nuances if you saw it through a different set of eyes.

However, when he pulled back he noticed that Lisa looked once again emotional. Blue orbs swimming in tears. What was going on? He traced the side of her face with his fingertips, gently. Frowning. How could she switch from lust to what looked like emotional turmoil so quickly? It didn’t make any sense. Or maybe it did, but he hadn’t grasped it, yet.

“Hey… what’s wrong?”

She shook her head and sniffled.

“Nothing. Let’s go.”

She started to turn, but he touched her elbow, stopping her.

“Lisa… I’m serious. What’s the matter?” For the umpteenth time she stared at him, and he noticed something he had probably never paid too much attention to. It was confusion. “Talk to me…”

Lisa blinked the tears away.

“Do you ever dream about the world… the way it was before? Even though you never saw it?” She paused, staring into space for a moment as if gathering her thoughts. “Because I do. Since I met you. And I don’t know what to do with it. Sometimes I just feel powerless.”

Mike held her gaze. His face calm, his soul in turmoil. Because he indeed had never told her about his own dreams. And she had touched the subject first. Apparently, he was not the only one experiencing erratic sleep patterns.

“…Do you, Mike?”

“…All the time. And you’re always part of it.” He didn’t know if he wanted to add anything else.

This time her eyes closed and a single tear slid down her face.

“And then when I wake up and you’re there, I’m always – I don’t know…” Lisa struggled to find the words. “…Surprised. As if you weren’t supposed to be there with me. Or there at all. And maybe that’s why reality sometimes hurts more than those dreams. But I am trying to deal with them. I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. I’m a lunatic.”

He smiled melancholically, pulling her into his arms. “An idiot? No. A lunatic? Might be. Good thing you’re also friggin’ sexy”.

Lisa snorted against his chest, dryly. “And you’re a doofus. We better go. It’s getting late.”

“Right… But we gonna talk about this some more, OK?”

“Sure.”

Too bad that she didn’t sound convincing at all.

[Jewel++ : Mike Jackson and Lisa Presley are directed to Level 1, boss. Do you want me to monitor their movements actively?]

“Yes. In detail. Send me a report every two hours and let me know if they move outside Zone B or, even worse, toward Zone D. At any time.”

[Jewel++ : Order recorded. Monitoring process active.]

“And… Jewel?”

[Jewel++ : Listening, boss.]

“Keep Project Orpheus safe.”

[Jewel++ : Order recorded. Do you want me to activate the virtual experience for you through Borealis?]

“Not for now.”

It was different than what he expected. For a moment, he found himself thinking that they could have taken his flycar instead of descending the city via train. The moment he and Lisa stepped outside the understation, finding themselves in the open, he tightened his hold on her hand. He was sweating, the t-shirt that he was wearing under his trench coat clung to his back. He felt Lisa’s thumb gently caressing the back of his hand and tried to relax.

Level 1 was crowded. That, in itself, was not surprising. Every megalopolis worked just like that: the bottom full of discarded, unimportant, disposable folks, the upper levels rarefied in terms of urban density. Because privilege belonged to a very few, selected group of citizens. And certainly not to this group.

He glanced around, noticing how the buildings looked old and poorly kept, but very similar to the houses his father would always talk about when Mike was just a little kid. Homes looking the way the world used to be. There was something so out of time breathing through the surroundings. The old lampposts, the cracked asphalt, a couple of old, non-functioning cars used as storage rooms, parked in front of the buildings. And then, the smell. It was sweet, heady, not necessarily bad. He blinked.

“This smell…”

He turned to Lisa and she, too, was glancing around as if she was seeing the Level for the first time. And maybe it was just like that. After all, she had told him she had only visited the black market, with a metrocar waiting for her outside. A quick in and out.

“I think it’s because of the plants…” She murmured, sniffling and wincing. “It’s pretty strong, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… What plants?”

“I… ah, did some research before coming down here looking for your present. And apparently, all New York’s chemical plants are now on this level. Factories producing mainly food additives. That’s why it smells so… sugary.”

“Feels like we’re surrounded by candies…”

Lisa snickered.

“Yeah. It does. Must be every kid’s dream. Let’s go…”

Wasn’t it ironic that the slums smelled like a candy shop? That, coupled with the fact that the rain covering the rooftops, the cars, and every other light surface appeared to have a slightly rose-colored hue, made Mike feel as if he was stuck in that old fairy tale. Hansel and Gretel. He wondered if a witch would lure and trap him and Lisa in her cottage made of gingerbread. And then maybe she would try to cook them alive in her oven. Yet, there was something bittersweet and poetic about it all. Those who were mistreated were making the world sweeter, apparently.

Lisa dragged him down the road, pointing at the multicolored lights going on and off from beyond a set of old buildings. The music coming from the area was only vaguely audible.

In getting closer to the source of the sound, they also started crossing paths with people coming and going. Mike tensed, his free hand moving instinctively toward his gun. But there was no need. Nobody was paying attention to them, even less threatening them, and if anything, he found himself being way more interested in the passers-by than he could ever expect.

An old couple holding hands.

A mother and her little daughter, laughing.

A family, the little kid squealing on his father’s shoulders. Then laughing.

A young man and his girlfriend latched onto each other’s waist. The guy kissed the girl’s head and then glanced up at Mike, frowning. Probably wondering what he was staring at. Mike lowered his eyes, blushing.

All those people wore cheap, worn-out clothes and shoes. Many of them looked like they had trouble getting to their next paycheck without any issues, but all in all, they seemed way more human, normal, common than everyone he had ever met from Level 3 up. Mike blinked, his soul assaulted by a doubt up until that point so unfathomable that it now squeezed his soul: could it be that his parents had not entered the devil den but had just been unlucky? Wrong place, wrong time? Yes, he knew what the propaganda said. The news was always very detailed in their description of the crimes committed on Levels 2, 1 and 0. But even he had to admit that, although his world stopped at Level 2, so far he had never seen anything nasty happening there, except for some bar brawls, trafficking, prostitution. Not the slaughters and the never-ending string of murders the press would usually talk about. He was confused.

Plus, why were people so touchy-feely with one another, as if it was the most normal thing in the world? He glanced around. No cops, no police drones anywhere. Once again, his hold on Lisa’s hand tightened and she stopped mid-step, turning to him. She gazed up at him with her cobalt blue eyes and he focused on them. In his peripheral view, the pink hue of the rain hitting an old, white car looked even more intense, in contrast.

“You OK?”

Inhaling a deep breath, holding it for a moment, he reached out and caressed her cheek. Then he bent his head and gave her a gentle, light kiss on the lips.

“I’m good. But we gonna need a shower soon.”

Lisa laughed, her features lighting up.

“Why, don’t you like this pink rain? I find it so romantic!”

Mike shrugged, but his heart gave a squeeze. He was turning into an old sap. All his defenses were destroyed by a girl.

“Let’s go, before we’re soaked. I wanna find out what’s going on over there.”

“Yes, sir!” She pushed him playfully, and this time he had to chuckle. And when he started trotting down the road, she followed, her laugh echoing into the night and mixing with the music. She, too, was relieved that they had not found themselves trapped in the depth of hell.

It was a concert, a live show. A band was playing on a small, barely assembled stage in the middle of a park where all trees looked dark and leafless, as if they had been burned.

Mike couldn’t make out if they were real or fake, dead or alive, but it looked like the people living in the area had somehow tried to compensate the loss by hanging cheap string lights all over the place, and the result looked surreal. The rain, still present albeit very tenuous, reverberated against the bulbs with its rosy tint and the blond-haired guy behind the keyboards looked like he had been subjected to a bad hair coloring, half his head pink, the other half yellow.

Mike and Lisa stopped at a short distance from the small crowd facing the stage. They both stared at the scene in complete amazement – because they had never seen anything like that. Concerts were uncommon where they lived, especially when they involved musicians playing real, vintage instruments. Technoraves and virtual DJ sets were way more common, just like fusion performances where classical music was craftily mixed with synthesizers, and they had no idea how to interpret the sounds, the movements, the lights and the people dancing chaotically around the stage. Even the music that was being played was foreign to them. The singer was singing about love in what Lisa guessed was some vintage rock song, but she was not entirely sure. Her collection did include several old records, but they were mainly instrumental jazz and classical music. Despite her commitment, she had never been able to find much else on the traditional channels.

However, what was clear was that the audience was having fun. People laughed, cheered, hugged each other, sang together. Couples kissed, smiled at each other. It all felt real – reasonable and foreign at the same time. As if that was not New York but another planet – way less permeated with technology but also less repressed in its primary human needs.

“Come on…” Lisa tugged at Mike’s hand.

“What?”

“Come on!” She raised her voice over the loud music playing and then let go of him, walking backward until she reached an empty spot on the burned grass. Under the pink rain, she looked like a deity, landed on Earth only for him to see and worship. And then she started moving to the rhythm.

Mike smiled.

“What the heck are you doing?”

Lisa laughed.

“Come on! Live a little! Don’t you know how to dance?”

He shrugged.

“I don’t do dancing. In fact, I think I’m hopeless at dancing. Sorry.”

Still swaying to the music, she stepped closer to him once again, circling his neck with her arms, grinding against his body just enough to make him take in a deep breath. She rose on her tiptoes and kissed his neck, slowly and thoroughly, then spoke into his ear.

“I can’t dance either. But I don’t see why we shouldn’t be having fun.”

She found his lips and kissed him. For a moment he stood perfectly still, his eyes still open, glancing around, fearing that someone would stop them and reprimand them. Afraid that the law would take the shape of some robotic cop appearing from nowhere and fining them for insulting public decency with their open display of affection.

Nothing. No-one was paying attention to them. Even better: other people were kissing in the dimly lit park. Nobody seemed to care. Everything looked extraordinarily ordinary. As Lisa’s teeth gently nipped his bottom lip, he exhaled and rested his hands on her waist, finally closing his eyes and reciprocating the kiss. His lips parted, and he allowed the contact of her tongue against his. The touch, albeit quick, turned passionate.

She pulled back and grabbed his hand once again. She tossed her head, her now wet hair framing her face so beautifully.

“Dance with me, Mike. Go with the flow.”

And he did. Blushing, feeling embarrassed and stupid, he moved a couple of steps toward her and placed his hands on her hips as she swayed some more. Once again, she circled his neck and he just started to move his feet, catching the rhythm, dancing with her. It happened quite naturally, and it surprised him – he seemed to be doing pretty good for an amateur. Lisa looked down at his feet, then up again and winked at him.

“Well, look at that! You’re quite the natural dancer, Mike!”

They laughed, and as her body heat enveloped him, his inhibitions were forgotten and he only saw her, he just heard the music, the smell of candies deliciously mixing with the perfume of her skin, of her hair. Another kiss. Another rush of blood to the head. And suddenly, the only thing that he wanted was to be alone with her. To dance a different kind of dance. To feel her, all of her, against his body, sinking into his soul more than she had already done. If this was what being in love was all about, he knew that he had missed it for his entire life. But he was glad that Lisa was that girl.

“This is way better than your boss’ party, don’t you think?” She looked up at him, her eyes smiling.

“Way, way better…” He twirled her to the right. The move made her crack up, and now her eyes looked like sparkling sapphires. Mike pulled her closer until she collided with his body. “And you know what’s even better?”

Her fingers tangled in his hair.

“Uhm, no… what else?”

Hiding his face in the crook of her neck, he closed his eyes and smiled against her skin.

“Taking you home… Peeling these wet clothes off you… And then making you a different kind of wet…”

Lisa grasped his hair tighter, but her voice remained even.

“You sound pretty sure of yourself, sir…”

“You think? Well… you should put me to the test, then.”

Her hips grinding more against his groin sounded like the sweetest promise.

“Maybe I’ll do just that. Sex me up a little more, baby… Not that you need to do much, but… Do your best.”

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her even closer, the space between their bodies turning inexistent.

“Careful what you ask for.”

They were so lost in one another that, at first, they didn’t even notice the police drones flying over their heads.

Soundtrack