Kevin Sanders

Beat of Norteñas. AI-Generated.

As Norrisika and I dance to the rhythm and beat of Norteñas. We had fallen even more as our hearts danced. Love and laughter filled the night, and a soothing gaze followed after. His hand rested firmly at the small of my back, guiding my steps with a silent, confident pressure. The accordion swelled, filling the air with a brassy warmth that smelled faintly of pine and the cold night. I didn't need to look at his face to know he was smiling; I felt the movement in the tension of his shoulder, a perfect mirror to the joy rising in my own chest.  The song finally drew to a slow, melodic close, leaving a collective sigh in the room. We remained exactly where we were for a beat too long, chests still rising and falling in time. When Norrisika finally pulled away, she didn't step far, just enough to tilt her head back and meet my eyes—a look that held all the promise of the night. The music might have stopped, but the rhythm of our own hearts continued, loud and clear, carrying us off the dance floor and into the quiet that lay ahead. The long quiet began to deafen, a stark contrast to the thumping heart of the Norteñas. The hall was suddenly too bright, too loud with other people’s laughter. We slipped through the crowd, an island of stillness in a sea of motion, finding the cool, clear night air outside. The pine scent was stronger here, mixed now with the hint of her perfume. Norrisika linked her arm through mine, her steps falling easily into sync with my own. We didn't speak. There was no need for words; the shared silence felt like a continuation of the dance, a promise spoken without a sound, and the only path we needed to follow. The hall was suddenly too bright, too loud with other people’s laughter. We slipped through the crowd, an island of stillness in a sea of motion, finding the cool, clear night air outside. The pine scent was stronger here, mixed now with the hint of her perfume. Norrisika linked her arm through mine, her steps falling easily into sync with my own. We didn't speak. There was no need for words; the shared silence felt like a continuation of the dance, a promise spoken without a sound, and the only path we needed to follow.