Heart Beats For You

'Finally! A start to something new. It has been three long years, and it's about time to let everything go and have a fresh start.'

This was the very first thought that came into Alex's mind as he entered his new apartment, which was on the ninth floor of the building.

The last three years have been tough for him. Divorce from his wife, the true colors of his ex-girlfriend, his parents' disapproval of his behaviour, his efforts to mend his relationship with his sisters, everything has taken a toll on him. For the past three years, he has lived a life of guilt and has always felt responsible for his actions.

He looked at his apartment and had a happy smile on his face. It wasn't anything exclusive but a comfortable condo for him, just as he liked it. It has been a while since he has lived in his comfort zone. He sometimes felt like smacking himself for not changing his attitude sooner because if he had, not only his life but even his loved one's life would have been much easier.

He breathed a long sigh, took a shower, and was about to go to bed sooner than usual until he heard the loud music coming from below.

He groaned and dragged himself to have a few words with the owner. Hopefully, it was not some young adult who likes to throw late-night

parties on a regular basis. The irony of life. He used to be that kind of guy who used to have late parties every other night, but with age,

things do change. He is not an old fellow with gray hair; he is a young man who is almost thirty. He is just more mature than other guys his age. Life and experience do that to you or any other person in this world.

As and when he was walking down the stairs, the music got louder, and it was doing nothing but aggravating him more with each passing second. He took a deep breath and rang the bell just before the music stopped. Some timing the keeper has. He might as well have a word with the respective owner so that this doesn't happen again. He doesn't want to come home to this every single night. After long hours of work, a peaceful night with good sleep is a must.

He was waiting for the door to open and was flabbergasted when he saw that, instead of some young stranger answering the door, it was

the woman he had longed to meet for the past three years.

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Marissa had a panic attack when suddenly the volume of the music rose from the stereo. She recently bought a new music system as her old one decided to die down. She wasn't that good at technology, so she tried all sorts of buttons to reduce the volume. She tried to read the

instructions, but it all seemed gibberish to her.

"You! Stupid dumb box, will you lower your damn voice? Goddamit! Why can't this system be simple to work with?" She shouted loudly,

talking to no one in particular. "Jesus Christ! Come on, which one of you is going to lower the volume of the music?" She started talking to the buttons.

As crazy as this sounds, she didn't want the grumpy old lady to give her a long lecture about discipline, and, as it is, it wasn't her fault

that she was not that literate about gadgets.

Right when she was able to control the volume, the doorbell rang, and she knew it might be one of her neighbours. Or worse, the grumpy

old lady.

Marissa recalls the time when her friend Ronny decided it would be hilarious to awaken the entire building with loud music in the middle of the night. Much to her dismay, the outcome wasn't very good as she got a long lecture by the famous grumpy old lady about being an ill-

mannered woman and how it is not ladylike to have a guy home in the evening. She sometimes wonders how the hell that old lady was even born in this era. She was too narrow-minded and orthodox.

She closed her eyes and opened the door, presuming to be the grumpy old lady. "I am so sorry, Margarita. It was totally by mistake. I got

this new stereo and was having difficulty handling it..." She kept on rambling words like an idiot until silence greeted her.

Marissa slowly opened one of her eyes to get a glimpse of the grumpy old lady's face, but to her utter surprise, she found a man standing

in front of her. The very same man whom she swore never to meet or even think about ever again.

"Marissa," Alex whispered in shock.

"Is everything alright here?" Suddenly, Steve, Marissa's neighbour, came out of nowhere.

"I... um..." Marissa was having difficulty forming words.

"Are you new here? I have not seen you before." Steve asked the unknown man who was standing opposite Marissa.

"Yes. I have just shifted here." Alex told him after composing himself.

"And let me guess, the sudden and loud music from this apartment brought you here?" Steve asks him with amusement.

"You could say that." He replied with an uneasy smile.

"Well, let's say our little Marissa is illiterate when it comes to electronics or any other technology," Steve joked, and Marissa sighed

nervously.

If she was not in shock, then Steve would have definitely earned a glare or, better, a smack from her.

"Well, anyway, I am Steve, and I live next door." He introduced himself.

"I am Alex. The apartment is just above hers." They both shook their hands.

"Nice to meet you, man, but don't let this girl make you run away with loud music or any strange accidents happening here because of

her incompetency. Anyway, I will meet you guys later. Have a date to catch up." With that, Steve left.

"I... I should probably go." With that, Alex rushed upstairs to his condo, and so did Marissa, who closed the door behind her and took a

deep breath.

'No, he is not here. It is just my imagination. Even if he is here, he doesn't have any say in my life. We are nothing. He just stays in the

same building as me. That's it. It is not like we will meet each other again.' After a few more words of assurance to herself, Marissa went to do her work.

She cannot let Alex distract herself. It had been three years since she had last seen him. Every string which was attaching them together had been cut and thrown away. She should be quite surprised that Alex even remembers her, never mind remembering her name.

Even if Alex wanted, he could never forget her. This had to be destiny, which was binding them together again. He was glad that he finally came across Marissa and found her. Not a single day had passed in the last three years when he didn't think about her and how unfair he had been to her.

He had never been tongue-tied unless you count the first time when he actually understood how wrong he was of her. He had to make

things right with her; make things right between them, apologize to her for his uncalled behaviour and the crass image he had of her back

then.

When Alex went to bed, all he could think about was his new neighbour downstairs. From last what he had seen, she has definitely changed

a lot. Her face looked more content and carefree. He had never seen her wearing any shorts when they were living together.

Marissa always came across as a reserved girl, but today there was something different about her. He wanted to know everything about her,

especially after what he had made her endure. If only he was sensible before, he would have already known everything about her, and she

would never have had to condone the injustice he did to her. With that thought, he went off to sleep.

The next day, Alex was working in the office when his phone rang. Without looking at the caller ID, he picked up his phone.

"Hello, baby brother." His sister spoke from another line.

"What do I owe the pleasure of you calling me?" He asked her teasingly.

"Well, it will be great if you pick Brooklyn from her class." She told him, hoping that he would agree.

"Linda, your daughter is eighteen. Why can't you just buy her a goddamn car?"

"Alex, we are planning to get it for her next birthday." His sister defended herself.

"You said the same thing last time." He rolled his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes on me." She knew her brother well enough to imagine his reaction.

"She is an adult. Stop treating her like a kid."

"Tell that to John." Linda huffed. "Anyway, will you please pick her up? I have got to meet the deadline, and John is stuck in the

meeting."

"Ok, fine, what time?" He asked her grumpily.

"Five. And don't be grumpy. Who knows, you might fall in love with one of the dance instructors." Linda teased her baby brother.

"Linda, you know what happened last time and..."

"Alex, I very well know that. But you shouldn't let your past interfere with your present. You should be glad that you finally got to know

the truth about Daphne."

"Okay, as you say. But I am not ready for any kind of relationship, so please don't pester me about it." He beseeched her.

"As you say, brother. Don't forget to pick up my little daughter."

"She is not so little anymore." With that, Alex hung up the phone.

As much as Linda tries to set him up with girls, he wouldn't trade her for anything. After so much effort, he was able to mend his

relationship with both his sisters.

Plus, his eighteen-year-old niece was something else. She might be grown up now, but still with her baby face; she can wrap anyone around her little finger. No wonder John and Linda still treat her like a kid, and Brooklyn takes good advantage of it.

She is eighteen, and yet she lives with her parents. And the worst part is, she doesn't even care about it. Most girls her age would be desperate to leave their parents' place, but not her. If it were in her hands, she would forever stay with Linda and John, not that they would

mind.

Where Alex was rescheduling his agenda, Marissa was busy practising a new routine with her class. Dancing was something that she always loved to do. It was her passion. Being one of the best choreographers has always been her dream. She may not be in the top position, but

she was content with the post she was presently in.

She is one of the instructors and co-owners of one of the best dance institutes, 'Live to Dance,' along with her best friend, Ronny.

"Come on, guys. Start from the top." She said to her current class. This was one of the best classes and a personal favorite of hers.

Their institute was not like other dancing institutes where the sole purpose of students was to become dancers. Yes, some do have a dream

of becoming one, but others merely come here as a hobby or for fun. Nonetheless, it doesn't matter as long as she enjoys teaching them.

It's been two years since this institute was opened, and, in much less time, they have earned goodwill. They have won various competitions

for their dancing skills.

Ronny and Marissa are both professional dancers. They might not have been trained in well-known institutes, but they are as good as any

other, if not better.

"Let's do it again from the top." But she was interrupted in between by one of her students, Brooklyn.

Brooklyn has always been a kid at heart. Sure, she acts mature when she needs to be, but it's very difficult to take her seriously because of her baby's face. Linda and John treat her like five years old. Some might call her a brat, but she is anything but that.

Her age, kids are usually rebelling, but not her best friend's kid. She is an angel. She will do anything that her parents would tell her to do.

Linda and John are far from strict. In fact, they are very much laid back, unlike other parents, and have given her full liberty, which Brooklyn

doesn't take much advantage of.

But the name said by Brook was what caught Marissa's attention.

"Uncle Alex!" She exclaimed loudly and ran towards him.

It would be an understatement to say that Marissa was shocked. She was not expecting Alex to be here. In her personal heaven.

Alex would have never guessed that Marissa was a dancer, let alone one of the best. Her flexibility, her stance, her attitude, it was mind-

blowing. It mesmerized him.

He had never seen her this happy. His eyes were transfixed on Marissa all the time, and it was only broken when his niece came to hug him

and dragged him towards her dance instructor.

"Marissa, this is my favorite uncle Alex, and Uncle Alex, this is one of the best dancers, Marissa."

"I am your only uncle Brook." He rolled his eyes and ruffled his niece's hair.

"Only for a few months until aunt Jenny marries." She murmured, hoping that her uncle wouldn't hear, but much to her dismay, he

heard each and every word.

"What do you mean to marry?" He asked her in astonishment, with wide eyes.

"Oops! I should go back to my group." With that, Brook ran off. She forgot that her aunt had not yet revealed to her uncle about her

fiancé.

"Brook, come back. Brook..." 'Damn this girl,' Alex thought.

"I think Linda forgot to tell you that today, the class hours have been extended. You are an hour early." Marissa spoke directly to him for

the first time in three years.

"Well, I cannot say I am surprised. She tends to forget this kind of information unintentionally or intentionally." To which she gave him a

slight but hesitant smile.

"If you want, you can take her early. Brooklyn won't miss much." Marissa told him, hoping that he would leave soon. She really didn't

want him here in her personal paradise.

"No, no. It's okay. Do you mind if I sit here until the class is over? I really don't want her to miss class, plus Linda would have my head if

she heard that I took her early, although that would be her own fault, and I also don't want to travel back and forth again." Alex asked her

hesitantly.

Both of them had a past, and Alex was not proud of how he had handled things back then. So it wasn't easy to talk to Marissa. It is a

miracle she hasn't punched him. But he was glad that they were able to have a civil conversation.

"Sure. If that's what you want."

Marissa was about to go back to continue her class when Alex said, "Marissa."

"Yeah?"

"You are definitely one of the best dancers I have seen." The compliment took her aback, but that didn't stop her cheeks from turning a

the shade of red.

This was the first compliment that Alex had ever given her since he had known her.

"Um... Thank you." She smiled and sincerely acknowledged his compliment.

Marissa closed her eyes and murmured, 'He is not here. He is just a shadow. You can do it. Alex is no one to you. He is past. The past

cannot affect the future.' She took a deep breath and continued her routine with the class, trying to forget that Alex watched each and every move of her with intent.