They had met a few nights earlier, a chance encounter, to say the least.
It had been at least 12 years since they'd seen each other, 12 years since they had crossed paths in the hallways of their high school, way back in Montreal.
How to explain, then, that they would meet in a narrow street in downtown Havana, where they had both gone on vacation.
He had recognized her instantly. Sure, her silhouette had changed. For the better, mostly. Her body had filled out, she had put some meat on those long, lanky limbs that made her the laughingstock of the popular girls that all boys paid attention to in high school. But he had been drawn, now and then, by her eyes. A shade of blue he had barely seen, the kind you never forget, but can't quite describe. Think of the clearest ocean, and multiply it by a few hundred. And you might be getting close.
Annabella still had the most beautiful set of eyes he'd seen. The kind you could put in a glass case in a museum and sell tickets to see.
All it took for his long-lost, adolescent feelings about her to come back was a pat on his shoulder.
- John? she asked when he turned to her. John Savard?
Apparently, he had something she remembered quite well.
- Yes, he responded, his mouth wide open in shock.
They exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes. She was staying at a resort that happened to be just a few miles down the road from the place he was staying in.
- The club at the resort is fantastic, she said. They play lots of different music, not just the techno crap that they play back home. And it's not too crowded. Why don't you join me tonight?
In five minutes, he went from being just some guy she vaguely knew from high school, to a dancing partner. And he liked it.
- What time should I be there?, he answered, all smiles.
- Well, I don't want to dance on an empty stomach. Come around seven, so we could grab a bite before heading out.
x x x
He spent the rest of the afternoon back at his resort, lounging by the pool, sipping a few drinks at the wet bar. He couldn't believe his luck. True, he had booked the trip in hopes of getting laid, leaving behind some bad memories of a short relationship gone sour and months of solo loving.
But, after four days, he had yet to find someone worth his time. Sure, he had had plenty of offers from the local, but he wasn't that desperate. Maybe on the last day...
He no longer had to worry about that.
x x x
When he got to her resort, she was waiting for him at the entrance of the restaurant.
She was, to say the least, stunning.
She wore a long, white summer dress, which hugged her curvaceous hips and made her full bosom stand out. She had done her chesnut hair up in a bun, all the better to reveal a set of earrings and a necklace which, much to his amazement, matched her eyes perfectly. Someone, somewhere had found a way to duplicate that undescribable color. Awesome.
- Shall we, she said, looping her arm around his as they entered the restaurant.
x x x
They made small talk during the meal, catching up, telling old stories. They both laughed plenty. Their chemistry was that of longtime friends.
The night looked promising, as their eyes met quite often, exchanging lust-filled looks, not hiding their feelings in the least.
- I'm stuffed, she said, exhaling heavily. The dancing will be more than welcome.
x x x
The night was still young, so the crowd inside the club was quite thin. There were about thirty tourists scattered around the place, about half of them at the bar, the other half split between the two dance floors (she told him there was one on each of the two floors).
They sat at the bar, their thighs nearly touching, their body language doing more talking than their lips as they drank rum and cokes. As she had done a few times during dinner, she frequently dropped a hand on his forearm as she told another story or laughed at one of his. But as time passed, her hand lingered a little longer each time.
Not one to miss a hint, he started replying to her overtures, dropping a hand onto her thigh, gently brushing a finger up and down her toned muscles, circling around her knee, then back up again.
Her only reaction seemed to be to grip onto his arm a little tighter.
x x x
She excused herself to go to the ladies' room. He caught his breath, wiped his brow, and ordered another couple of drinks.
When she came back, she flashed him a wicked grin.
- The second-floor is open, and it's quiet, she whispered in her ear. They're playing some Gotan Project.
Without further ado, she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the stairwell.
Unlike the first floor, this dance floor was very dimly lit, and empty. Ordinarily, he would have shied away until there were more dancers on the floor, but having this woman treat him this way made him lose his inhibitions.
She pulled them to the centre of the floor, and turned to him. In the blink of an eye, she started gyrating her hips in perfect rhythm with the music.
As he started to move slowly, trying not to make a faux-pas, she put her arms around his neck and pressed her body into his.
