Lucio and I walked into the event. The orchestra was beginning the music for dancing. Lucio went to put away our coats while I stayed near the front of the floor. I heard a soft, low humming from behind me. It sent a chill up my spine. Amedeo began to softly sing the song that was playing. He came up to me, golden specks in his fiery eyes. He extended a hand, requesting this dance with me. With every fiber of caution in my being, I somehow took his hand. He led me to the floor, his hand around my waist, mine on his shoulder, our other hands held tightly together. We danced slowly to the beginnings of the song. The whole time, he was looking at me longingly, like he wanted to say something he couldn't. He seemed on edge but kept a straight face with his signature smirk. It was so unnerving how I couldn't read him. 

Before we could continue, a tall man walked up to us and tapped Amedeo on the shoulder. I looked up to see Cosimo, requesting to cut in and ask me for the dance as well. Amedeo seemed reluctant but let go of his grip on me. Cosimo took me away and started swaying me back and forth, singing the same song Amedeo was. He looked down at the floor and paused, a bit of his hair falling in front of his face. The lyrics of the song changed from sounding sweet and romantic to angry and dangerous. Cosimo's voice became gruff and the grip he had on my hand tightened. My eyes widened in fear as he looked up at me. His eyes burned into mine and a horrifying smirk spread across his face as he nearly growled the next verse. Almost instinctively, the music picked up and we began to spin around the room. 

He spun me around, pulling me in closer to him. I tried to pull away, but I couldn't escape this horrific dance as long as he was here. I scanned the room frantically, looking for a way to escape, but my rescue soon came. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I tensed until I saw the angry look on Cosimo's face. Lucio was staring daggers at him as he pushed him away from me and took my hands gently in his. I breathed a sigh of relief as we hurried away from him. Lucio looked at me with a concerned look, asking if I was okay. I nodded, and he began to sing the same song. But coming from him, it sounded once again romantic and majestic. 

We began to dance as two people should - happily. We spun around the room, swaying back and forth. It felt as if everyone had left the dance floor and we were performing a duet in dance. Somehow, in the midst of the excitement, I spun right out of Lucio's hands and landed right back in Cosimo's grip, who had been waiting for me. I gasped as he once again began his horrifying version of the song playing. I quickly broke free from his grip and almost fell right into the arms of the stranger next to us. I began to dance with him, spinning far away from Cosimo, who looked back at us with anger. "Signora, are you alright?" The stranger I was dancing with said when he noticed my pale face and frightened eyes. I nodded, although it wasn't exactly the truth. I needed to find Lucio.   

It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I heard all three of their voices come together to sing the song, like a beautiful harmony. As I danced from man to man, still scanning the room for Lucio, I landed in the arms of someone familiar. I smiled, thinking I had found Lucio, but stopped short when I realized I was back dancing with Amedeo. His smirk had returned, and he began to sing the melody-like verse. He danced with me, still lulling me into a peaceful trance with his song. He looked into my eyes, his filled with want and pain. I felt for him, but this wasn't where I belonged. Not with him. I continued looking for Lucio, leaving Amedeo's reluctant arms. 

I heard their voices again, getting stronger and louder by the second. I whipped my head around, the sea of people dancing, spinning, and swarming around disorienting me. My head felt light, and I started to feel dizzy. While off guard, I staggered towards the door to the room and found myself being held upright by a man. All of my senses returned when I saw it was Cosimo. How could he keep finding me so easily? I pushed him and his unsettling stare away. 

"Cara!" A voice called. I couldn't tell if it was Lucio, Amedeo, or Cosimo. All their voices joined together in harmony once more, the song growing more and more haunting by the second. I was overwhelmed by all the people around me, by the fast-paced music, and by their voices. Lucio sounded beautiful and romantic, Amedeo sounded sad and deep, and Cosimo sounded desperate and scary. I couldn't take it anymore. 

The music abruptly stopped in the middle of the climax right as I stopped in the middle of the floor. I realized that I was only one out of four people currently on the floor. The other three were Lucio, Amedeo, and Cosimo standing around me. They all looked at me expectantly. Out of pure instinct, I broke down in tears and rushed into Lucio's arms, holding him tight. Their voices dimmed to a soft long-held note as they watched me hugging the man I truly loved. Lucio looked at me for a moment before holding me tightly, making me feel safe and secure. Amedeo and Cosimo's voices ran out, until it was only Lucio singing alone to me. 

It was clear to all who I chose that night at the dance. 

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Hi everyone! Thanks for reading this short story. I developed this scenario in my head after listening to L'immensita by Il Volo (check it out, it's a beautiful song) and found that the song sounded like a dance that was getting more and more stressful and intense by the minute. I hope you enjoyed and see you in the next chapter!