#madmansdesign

Alana had been shocked when Hannibal had first asked her to accompany him to the opera. She had never been much of an opera-goer, but she certainly wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to spend some time with Hannibal, especially at a high class function. Alana had offered to pay for herself, though Hannibal had refused her request; he wanted her to enjoy the night and not have to worry about such trivial things. And, seeing as it was a trivial thing, Alana didn’t bother to argue with him.

What had started off as an affair had turned into something much more in Alana’s eyes. She had believed that they would have kept their casual acquaintance with the more often than not intimacy, but Alana couldn’t help but to allow herself to get drawn in by Hannibal’s charm. She didn’t believe that what she felt was love, but instead an imitation of those feelings. Alana wanted to spend the time with Hannibal that a couple would, but she never wished to have to utter words of love. She knew that Hannibal wouldn’t want to, either.

She came into the foyer accompanied by Hannibal and a happy smile upon her face. All of Hannibal’s acquaintances that would be attending the night knew of Alana or, at the very least, she knew of them. The two of them had always appeared as friends, and seeing them appear as a couple could certainly throw them off.

Throughout the evening they were both social on their accords. They did manage to remain together and, even if she were to speak to other people while in Hannibal’s presence, she could often hear tidbits of their conversations.

Things like “it’s nice that you brought a friend with you” were responded to with “she is here as more than my friend” and, if Alana managed a glance over at just the right time, she could notice a look that was almost as shocked as her own when she had been invited to the opera with Hannibal. At these times she couldn’t help but to wear a small smile which almost spoke of mischief.

The rest of their evening was beautiful, putting aside the socialising. The performance was one that made Alana believe that she should attend more operas, especially if she could go with Hannibal again. And after the opera there was more socialising until everybody began to clear out, and Hannibal deemed it a good time for the two of them to leave as well.

Hannibal and Alana made small talk on the drive back to her home, the night’s performance and conversations not leaving her mind. Alana found herself quite tired and, had it not been for Hannibal’s small talk, she could have fallen asleep.

When Hannibal stopped the car outside of her home, Alana turned her head to look at Hannibal.

“You think of me as more than your friend?” and, of course, the woman that he was having an affair with. That much was painfully obvious to the both of them, though.

“Of course,” Hannibal replied. “I believed we were enjoying the evening as a couple.”

A couple. The phrase ran through her mind a few times before Alana gave Hannibal a grateful smile. After some hesitation, Alana replied, “We were.” She then kissed him tenderly upon the lips and he returned the gesture, just one of those small things that neither of them would ever be able to forget.

“Thank you Hannibal,” she said softly. The way she spoke was almost seductive. Almost. Hannibal knew her seductive tone, and that wasn’t it. “I enjoyed the night.” There was another soft hint of hesitation before Alana asked, “Would you like to come in?”