Chapter 10 Confusion of the Heart

Shane brought Katarina to the 150th-anniversary celebration of the American National Museum. The pop artist was singing her latest hit while they were seated at the back. Other guests and special guests of the night occupied tables before them.

Katarina was dressed in a cherry red dress and her hair was twisted in a knot behind her head. While Shane was dressed in his black tux beside his fiancée who looked fabulous and ravishing in her hot red dress, his sight was already caught stolen by another woman dressed in a bright sky blue dress whose hair was also put up. He could only see the slender nape of her head. The woman turned her head revealing her oval face with curly caramel strands to see Shane looking at her. Rana gave him a small smile upon seeing him and turned back her attention to the stage.

After another song, the pop artist was replaced by a band led by a male and female singer who played the music, and the dance floor was opened by Mayor Blasé and his wife. All the other guests followed suit and they joined to dance.

"Shall we dance, Shane?" Katarina asked pulling Shane's hand and leading herself as they walk to the dance floor. Once they reached the dance floor, Katarina put her arms around his shoulder and they danced to the soft mellow music played by the band. As they danced, Shane's eyes were pulled towards Rana who happened to dance in front of him showing her slender back to him. His gaze narrowed when he noticed that Rana and her partner were unusually closer than him and Katarina dancing on the floor. He was surprised to feel unusually jealous at seeing her dancing very close to another man. As far as he knew it, he had always been her closest company. But twenty years had been a long time.

Is he her boyfriend? He asked in silence while he quietly observed how the two people embraced together on the dance floor. They were comfortably close, intimately close as he studied them. He felt a tinge of anger rising inside him.

"Shane, you're tense. Are you okay?"

Shane looked down at Katarina with a smile and shook his head. He focused his attention on his fiancée and admired how her clear blue eyes looked at him openly and lovingly, smiling at him. They just continuously gazed at each other for the next few minutes until the love song ended.

The music changed into a trendy fast song and they danced with energy on the dance floor. After the dance, they returned to their seats to start their dinner. During dessert, Julienne spotted them at the back and she and Rana joined them.

"Glad you were able to come here, Shane," said Julienne occupying a chair across them. Rana sat beside her.

"We're also glad to come, Julienne. By the way, let me introduce you to my fiancée, Katarina Sebastian."

Shane said to the two women sitting across them on the table.

He looked at Katarina and introduced the two women. "Kat, meet Julienne Rosewood, she's the curator of this museum who manages and supervises the 150 years celebration of the museum."

"Hello, Julienne. Nice to meet you. It's a wonderful night to be here. The celebration is a smashing success. You even brought K to sing on stage." Katarina said smiling at her.

"Glad to hear that, Katarina. We need a shining gem to celebrate the 150 years of the museum. Who else to enliven it up here but the pop star?" Julienne replied. "By the way, this is my best friend, Rana Fielders. Rana, Katarina."

The two women greeted and smiled at each other. While they continued to eat their dessert, the man who danced with Rana earlier at the dance floor came to join their table with another friend.

"Can I join you? Jeff Taylor, an archeologist from California University." He said as he sat beside Rana while the other man sat next to him. "Nice to meet you. And Roger Simons, my colleague."

"Hello." The other man greeted briefly.

Shane spoke up. "Shane Anderson. I'm a journalist and my fiancée, Katarina Sebastian. We're both from Daily Newspost. Nice to meet you."

"So, you're here to cover the event?" asked Jeff Taylor directing his attention at him.

"Yes," answered Shane.

"Have you two seen the new fossils yet in the second-floor room?" he asked starting the conversation.

"Not yet," replied Kat. "But, we'll see them later."

Katarina looked at Jeff Taylor and asked.

"Know what we're gonna see upstairs later?"

Jeff's eyes gleamed at the question.

"New fossils unearthed of an extinct Saber mammal from late Permian period. It's a first-toothed saber. Pretty interesting dig we had at Zambia." He answered enthusiastically.

"Interesting. I look forward to seeing that. Shane said there's another, what's it called?"

"It's a giant sea lizard fossil. It's called a giant mosasaur from Morocco. It lived during the Cretaceous period." Jeff said forking a slice of cake to his mouth.

The band started to play with the pianist running his hands on the keys and the saxophonist blowing his instrument, the male and female singers started singing. The guests started to go to the dance floor.

"Shall we dance, Jeff?" asked Katarina inviting the archeologist.

"You don't mind, do you, Shane?" Jeff Taylor asked him. He put the fork down.

"No. Go ahead, Jeff." Shane said finishing his dessert.

"You dance, too with either Julienne or Katarina, Shane," said Katarina as she rose from the table and joined Jeff. They went to the dance floor.

Shane rose and went to Rana. "Shall we have this dance, Rana?"

"Sure."

They walked together to the dance floor and joined the crowd dancing to the lively music. They moved fast with their feet and with their hands and swayed and turned around to the beat of the music.

When the music changed, they swapped partners. Shane danced back with Katarina. As the third dance continued, some of the people removed themselves from the dance floor and explored and wandered around the museum.

Shane and Katarina explored around and went to the second floor to check the new fossils observing bits and pieces of the old bones of the extinct. When they headed to the next room, Katarina excused herself to go to the bathroom. So, while he was waiting for his fiancée to return to the floor, he wandered around the area checking every old bone hung and displayed at mammals' ancient bones collections.

He went to the next room, the marine aquatic fossils room, and was surprised to see Rana alone studying some fish fossils under the glass case.

He walked towards her.

"You're alone here, Rana." He said joining her observing the old bones inside the glass case. "Where's Julienne?"

She jerked her head towards him.

"She's down for a bit to get us drinks. She'll be back soon."

Rana replied and asked a question. "Where's Katarina?"

"She's in the bathroom. She'll be back in a while," said Shane getting distracted as he silently observed Rana under his gaze. He could see her open shoulders. Her smooth skin showed a halter string of bright sky blue tied around her neck. He longed to touch her skin. And he could smell the sweet scent of Rana's skin. It was a mixed scent of citrus and vanilla stirring his senses.

"You smell sweet, Rana."

"You like my smell, Shane? That's nice to hear."

Shane laughed suddenly feeling nervous. "I like your scent. It's citrusy and vanilla."

Rana looked at him and continued to study the other glass cases displaying ancient bones.

"Hey, Rana. Wanna hear a story?"

She flicked a gaze back at him and said with a smile.

"Sure. Go ahead, Shane. I'll listen."

"There's a place beyond the moon where two kids used to always be together." He started his voice a little husky. "They played with flowers under a sunny sky and shared stories and sweet nothings under a moon sky. They were each other's best friends. They were always together."

Rana looked at him with interest. Her eyes were clear.

"That's a sweet story to tell. So, what happened?"

Shane smiled at her mischief was in his eyes.

"The young boy was a mischievous one while the young girl was a squealer. She always loved to laugh at almost anything. Her girlish squeals were sunny like the sun. While the young boy was a prank and mischief at heart.

One day while they were under the night moon sky, the curiosity of the young boy was at its peak. While he was told to not float or touch or enter the moon, he did otherwise. And so he entered the moon and disappeared from there."

Rana looked at him wistfully.

"Tell me the name of the young boy."

"He was called Enos."

"What's the name of the girl, Shane?" she said looking at him square in the eyes.

Shane stopped himself from saying the name. Rana looked at him with knowing eyes.

"It's her, right? Enara?"

He nodded.

"And I look like her…?" asked Rana, uncertainty traced in her voice. She averted her sight.

Shane didn't reply. He did not want to pursue it but he knew and felt right then and there that Rana is her. His Enara.

He simply stared at her, certainty and wonder reflecting in his eyes.

"Rana," he asked in a raspy voice. "Can I kiss you?"

Rana returned his gaze and suddenly felt weak in her knees melting under his gaze. He was looking at her with such intensity and ferocity yet with so much gentleness, she felt unconsciously pulled towards him. She couldn't look away. He was looking at her like he could see her soul. She wanted to say no but she couldn't say it. Her throat felt dry. She cleared her throat.

"I-I guess, it's okay." She heard herself say.

Shane touched her shoulders lightly and leaned down on her. He kissed her lips softly at first feeling the sweetness of her lips. Tempted by the taste of her lips, Shane pressed his lips more deepening the kiss. Rana was caught surprised by his action. Then, she felt the haze inside her. She closed her eyes as she felt Shane invading her lips. She responded to his kiss. She felt the haze swallowing her and Shane making them disappear out of the aquatic room while she clenched her fist at her side.

They were still kissing when she slowly opened her eyes and stopped responding to him. Removing her lips from him, she looked around her and was surprised to find themselves outside the ground of the museum on the green lawn. She looked up to see the night sky dotted with stars with clouds floating by and a white moon hanging silently bearing witness to their kiss.

Disentangling from his embrace, Rana saw Shane open his mouth about to say something to her. She put her right index finger on his lips. She looked at him confusion written in her eyes.

"Shane, don't say it. I'm not your Enara."

She gave him a cool gaze and smiled at him.

"It's cool outside. Let's go back inside." Rana said firmly. "Katarina waits for you in the marine fossil room."

Shane's eyes cleared and narrowed at her.

Without saying a word, Rana walked away from him. Shane simply looked at her retreating back until her shadow disappeared inside the building.