Chapter 4

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee
To combine graceful or agile movement with intense physical strength or power.

• o 🦋 o •

Jay: Are you okay? You seemed weird when you left last week.

I’d finally mustered up the courage to text Mica. Now it had been three hours and he still hadn’t replied. I was nervous. Why wasn’t he answering? This was the twenty-first century! No one spent longer than five minutes without looking at their phone!

“You’ve been staring at that thing all day!” Riley complained as she joined my table at lunch.

I quickly put my phone away. She couldn’t know Mica and I had been hanging out. She might figure out it had something to do with her.

“Well.. I’m waiting on an important email.”

“About what?” Riley asked before stuffing her face with chips.

“Um.. school. School stuff.”

Riley gave me a weird look. Before she could say anything some of our team mates joined our table. Soon enough she was in deep conversation with them.

I took my phone out again.

AHA! He was online! There’s no running from me now, Mica!

Before long he’d gone offline again. What the heck? Why was he avoiding me?

Had I said something wrong?

I stared off into the distance going through all our conversations in my head.

Suddenly I heard a beep from my phone.

Mica: Yes! I’m sorry if I freaked you out! I had ballet practice and I was running late!

Ballet practice. Huh. That explained it. Well, it was good to know he was okay.

Jay: Okay. Good.

Mica: You think it’s good I was late to ballet?

What? No!

Jay: No! Of course not!

Jay: I just meant I’m glad you’re okay!

Did he really think I’d wish bad upon him like that?

Mica: I know what you meant. I was just joking, James. ;D

I sighed of relief. I totally freaked out just now.

Jay: You’re hilarious.

Mica: I know ;p

Jay: That was total sarcasm in case you didn’t get it.

Mica: **ignoring**

That little..

Mica: We should meet again this week.

My heart fluttered.

Jay: Totally! Can we meet at your place, though? I don’t want my rowdy family interrupting us again.

Mica is typing…

I waited for Mica to reply but it took him minutes unlike the other texts so far.

Mica: Friday?

• o 🦋 o •

I had waited patiently for the week to pass by because the truth was: I was totally excited to see Mica again. I wish we went to the same school, but no.

It was Friday and I’d just rode my bike to the address Mica had given me.

I’d rarely ever come to this side of town. This was where the rich people lived and as I pulled up I realized Mica was no exception.

He lived in a huge house near the woods, far away from the city. His house was made of elegant brick and had a black fence around it.

I left my bike against the fence and went up to the gate. I tried to open it in vain.

Great. What was I supposed to do now? Knock?

I got an idea. I fished my phone from my pants and decided to text Mica.

After a few minutes without a reply I called but still no response.

I was ten minutes early. Maybe I should just wait.

Just as I’d decided to take a little look around the neighborhood I saw the front door of the house open in the distance.

A man, shorter than me with white hair and white gloves approached the gate. Much like Mica, he walked up straight, except this guy also had his nose up high in the air. He was very posh. I almost felt the need to curtsy as he approached.

“Hello, gentleman.” The man smiled and bowed (yes he bowed) when he reached the gate.

“Hello… good sir.” I curtsied.

The man just frowned confused.

“You must be James.”

“Call me Jay.”

“Right.” The man pulled a remote out of his suit jacket and pressed a button. The gates slowly opened and the man resumed his earlier position of having his hands behind his back.

“My name is Charles Edwards, the family butler,”

The family butler?!

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“The pleasure’s all mine.” I replied.

See? I know a little etiquette.

“I’ll lead you inside. Please follow me.”

Charles turned around and I followed behind him.

The garden was clean and green and we were walking on the gravel path leading to the house. There was a fountain on one side of the path and a maze garden on the other.

The place looked very elegant.

I couldn’t believe Mica lived here. He seemed too nice to be a rich kid, you know? Plus, if he was so rich why was he spending time with Riley and me? We were totally from the opposite side of the tracks. We lived in the bustling center of this town in houses 20% this size!

Charles held the front door.

I walked on in and I was not exactly surprised at the interior. Much like the garden it had little to no personality but it looked very elegant. The warm wooden floor gave an elegant library vibe and the windows had little gold swirls in the corner of the lead.

The butler led me to the living room where he gestured for me to sit down at a long table. He went into the kitchen to make me some tea.

I felt weirdly on edge. This house was old and it seemed like it was watching my every move. Being alone in a room here was kind of freaking me out. There was something in the atmosphere that wasn’t quite right. It confused me. How could a human ray of sunshine live in a house so cold?

I got up and walked around. I looked around the living room and I noticed an altar with two pictures on it with a bunch of candles and cards.

The first picture was of the guy that’d past away last year, Mica’s twin and as I saw his face I was reminded of him again.

He looked a lot like Mica except his hair was short and his eyes were different. Not different in color but in the way he looked. There was something in his eyes.. A fire. Mica’s eyes just looked gentle and serene.

I guess that was why there was such a dark atmosphere in the house. Of course. They were still mourning.

I looked at the other portrait. It was a picture of a woman. She had dark blonde hair and her eyes were green. Was this Mica’s mother? Had she passed too?

I walked forward to look at the cards. Maybe I could see a date somewhere of when she’d passed.

“Mr. Jay.”

I was startled by Charles’ sudden reappearance.

I turned to face him.

“Your tea is ready.” 

“Oh. Okay, thank you.”

I sat down at the table where Charles had placed my cup.

“Charles?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Is.. Is that Mica’s mom?” I pointed to the photo.

Pain flashed in the butler’s eyes as he nodded. “She passed away when he and his brother were only ten years old. It was a hard time for everyone in the family.”

I felt really bad for him. He’d lost two people he held so close.

“What happened?” I asked.

“She was ill, I’m afraid.” Charles answered.

Ill?

I wanted to ask more questions but Charles didn’t seem too eager to talk about it. Perhaps he was mourning too.

“Mica is practicing in his studio but he should be finished soon enough. If you need anything I’m only a ring away.”

A ring away? I still had more questions to ask. I looked back at the altar. The picture of Mica’s mom.

“What—” I turned around and Charles was gone.

I shivered. How creepy.

I finished my tea. I looked at the table and noticed a small golden hand bell on the table. A ring away, huh?

After waiting a bit longer I decided I would look for Mica. I hated being alone in this massive dining room with Mica’s deceased relatives staring at me. I needed to find a living person.

I rose from my chair and went out into the hallway. It was a deep green color and had stunning old paintings on the walls. They had bronze frames and they looked incredibly expensive. As I wandered through the halls I heard soft piano music in the distance. I was on the right way!

At the end of the hallway there was a white double door where the music came from. I grabbed the bronze doorknobs and opened it.

Light flooded into the hallway from the spacious studio.

The floor was an off white color. There was a ballet barre all around one side of the mirror and there was another mirror covering the whole other wall. The ceiling was high and there were big windows in the ceiling as well as high up on the wall facing the door.

I’d walked in just as Mica did a stunning pirouette. He didn’t notice me.

He kept dancing to the music. He was amazing. His moves were gentle yet defined and strong. He moved in the air like he was made of paper. He made it look so easy.

When the music ended he panted and brushed some loose hairs behind his ears while he stared at himself in the mirror.

It was only then that he noticed me.

“James!” He said surprised.

“Why are you acting so surprised? We made plans for today, right?”

“Right! Yes, of course!” Mica looked up at the clock above the door. “I hadn’t realized it was already so late. I’m so sorry!”

“Hey, at least I got to see you dance. You’re seriously amazing.” I shook my head.

“You don’t have to say that.” Mica chuckled nervously.

“You are, though!”

“This part still needs a lot of work..”

“Well it looked fine to me.”

“Thank you.” Mica finally said. “You’re very kind.”

Mica looked down at the floor seeming very conflicted.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Do you mind if I just run over this last part a couple times? I really need to get it right before tomorrow. I know I should’ve called or something—”

“No, It’s not a problem at all! I’ll just need something in return for being so patient.” I smirked.

“Anything!”

“I want to stay and watch.”

Mica seemed surprised. “It’s not perfect yet.”

Ah, a perfectionist. A good role model for a systematic under-achiever like me.

“I don’t mind.”

Mica smiled at me softly. It felt like my stomach was doing a back-flip.

“You can sit over there.” Mica pointed at a wooden chair in the back corner. “My teacher usually sits there and he’s very particular about it. You know, you should feel honored you get to sit in his chair.” He teased.

“Oh really? I get to sit here? Wow. I can mark that off my bucket list.” I said sarcastically.

Mica giggled and turned on the music.

He just made this whole house come to life. All the gloom and darkness radiating off the walls disappeared when he was around.

I watched his body move in impossible ways. He moved into numerous splits, jumped higher than a horse and he turned more times than I could count. How did he not get dizzy?

He practiced the same part again and again. He had more determination than I’d ever seen.

It was about thirty minutes later when Mica finally looked at me.

He smiled. “Are you bored yet?”

“Not at all. I could watch this for hours.” I answered honestly.

Mica seemed pleased at last.

He stared at me and bit his lip. Then he looked away. “Okay. You’ve seen me dance. It’s your turn.” His playful eyes met mine.

“What? No, I don’t dance. I can’t dance.”

“Oh, everyone can dance!” Mica came in my direction.

“Except for me. I’m just an awkward giant. I have no grace.”

“Awkward? I wish I had your muscles, then maybe I could finally play a prince in a ballet.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be skinny for ballet?”

“They usually want someone tall. And strong. And someone with.. what word did they use again? Sex appeal?”

My face turned red as I heard that word come from his mouth. For the short time I’d known Mica, he was always polite, never swore and he generally seemed too pure for this world. I was surprised to hear him say the word ‘sex’.

“You think I have sex appeal?” I asked sheepishly.

“Yes, I think so.”

My heart thumped.

Mica suddenly grabbed my hand and my skin tingled again.

“Come on.” He dragged me to the middle of the room.

“I’m teaching you to dance.” He said determinedly.

He tried to teach me a chaîné, a ‘pirouette’, a chassé.. I couldn’t even get a simple plié. The bending of knees.

Sad.

“See? I told you. I’m a lost cause.”

“You’re too harsh on yourself.”

“Says the guy that just spent thirty minutes perfecting an already perfect dance routine.”

“I’m gonna teach you a move I know you can nail.” Mica was determined.

I sighed. I didn’t have much hope left.

“Just try it.” He insisted.

Mica stood in front of me, facing the mirror.

“Okay, so this is just a simple partnering move. You put your left hand here,” Mica placed my hand on his waist. I started to blush as I felt his strong body.

“And this hand here,” Mica placed my other hand between his legs on his left thigh!

I was sweating profusely by this point.

“What are you doing..” I asked panicked.

“Just trust me.” Mica said calmly.

“Now lift.”

I reluctantly did as he said. Mica made a sort of v-pose with his left leg while straightening his right.

He reached one arm in the air and bam. There it was. A stunning ballet pose.

“Whaaat…?”

“See? I told you you could do it!” I put Mica down gently. “Now let’s put it in a routine. And at the end we’ll do a fish dive!’

“A what now?”

“What we just did! Come on!”

“No, no, no-“

Mica turned on the music and started dancing around me. He made eye contact and he smiled at me. He was like a butterfly fluttering in field. His movements were so light. I envied him for his freedom.

Mica touched me occasionally to do what I believe he called an arabesque. I wasn’t doing anything but somehow it looked like I was.

Then Mica elegantly ran to the other side of the room.

“Lift time!” He declared cheerfully.

“I can’t do this!” I smiled nervously.

“I trust you!” He insisted.

The music became more dramatic and Mica ran up to me. I steadied myself and he flew into my arms. I lifted him up in the air right as the last note played. A grand finish.

I was so surprised! And kind of proud of myself. Holy cow, I just lifted a person in the air and I didn’t look as awkward as I usually did.

I slowly put Mica back on the ground.

“I can’t believe I did that!”

He surprised me when he suddenly flung his arms around me and hugged me.

Too stunned to speak, I wrapped my arms around his damp body.

Mica wasn’t the only butterfly here.

They were fluttering inside my stomach too.