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“What do you like to do,” K kept his book up, just barely looking over the top at her.
Luv felt his eyes on her. It was so different, when those eyes could actually see her. She turned to face him, her own eyes staying downcast. “Dance,” she whispered, “I like to dance.” Her eyes flashed up in the direction of his face and he raised his head to meet them. She never looked directly at him, her gaze always pointed just over his shoulder or just below his chin.
K grimaced — a poor attempt at an apologetic smile. “I don’t know how to dance.” He closed the book and set it down on the table. Raising to his feet, K closed the distance between them and stood towering over Luv where she sat. “Maybe you could teach me,” he extended a hand.
Luv’s eyes fell to the hand. It hung loosely, palm up. There were no attachments, it was just a simple gesture extended in kindness. She removed her hands from her lap and placed them on the sofa on either side of herself, pushing herself up. It was a subtle rejection, but he took note of it.
She studied him. Now that the difference in their heights was lessened, she let her eyes trace his frame. With each blink her eyes took in a different part of him until she was sure she had it all memorized.
Luv’s hand shot out — a little too aggressively — and caught hold of K. She brought his left hand around her, resting his palm between her shoulder blades and rested her left hand in his right. Their eyes finally met. Her lips parted and the smallest gasp seemed to make her whole chest jump as she took the step in to align their bodies.
“Look in my eyes. Forget everything else,” Luv whispered. “Forget where my body ends and yours begins. We are no long two separate replicants,” she closed her left hand around his right and placed her right on his shoulder. “We are one.” His hand closed around hers and his fingers lightly rapped against her back as she counted their steps, “One, two, three. One, two, three.”
With each count, she led their steps. They moved in gentle circles along the carpeted floor. K smiled. He could not help but glance down every few counts to watch the marvel of their footwork. Dancing was so different from anything he had ever done.
A tear rolled down his cheek. Joi had tried to get him to dance, once. He had shrugged it off. It felt silly. It felt like she had been asking too much.
K stopped abruptly, giving Luv’s hand a squeeze before letting go of her back and taking a step away. “Sorry,” he said just above a whisper.
Her lips parted in a silent question. Her eyes grew wide for a single moment before she looked away, once more casting her gaze down. Her hands went from frozen in midair where he had left them to wrap around her stomach in a very human gesture.
“I shouldn’t have asked you to do that,” K clarified. He spoke louder than was necessary but tried to keep his tone nonthreatening. She did not look up. K felt like he was back at the beginning. He cleared his throat and looked away, keeping her in his peripheral vision. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything you don’t want to. We’re free, equal. Make your own decisions.”
She whispered something. He could not hear it. He looked to her and she was looking up at him through her lashes. He opened his mouth to ask her to repeat herself but she seemed to already know what he was going to say. She lifted her chin and spoke clearly, “I want to dance with you, Officer.”