May I, My Love? ✔

8. t h e f i r s t d a n c e

As we got into position, a slow melody started playing. 'Oh, how wonderful!' I thought. Now, this would make it even more awkward. But the man in front of me didn't seem to mind that much. He held my left hand tightly in his right one, and held my waist firmly with his right hand. I didn't know that there was any space left in between us, but he pulled me a tad bit more close to him, all the while looking at me with intensity I'd never had to face in my entire life.

As we started, our steps unconsciously fell against each other, gracefully moving around on the floor. It was as if we had been practicing for this dance since days, and this was not novel to us. I couldn't comprehend the reason behind it, but it felt so right. In that moment, with my body plastered to his, and his grey boring into my green, I had never felt more alive before. As he took full control over my mind and body, and twirled me around with utmost grace, I realized that I never wanted this moment to end. If only I had a time machine, I would make it so that this moment would prolong to at least a dozen years, and maybe then, would I be gratified.

As the song progressed, only a fraction of my mind was able to focus on the song and its beats, while the rest of my mind had taken a backseat. The world around me had faded into the walls just like paintings of various people hung on the walls in someone's living room. Their eyes, movements, conversations and opinions – any of that didn't matter to me anymore. In that moment, I felt as if my whole existence had been created to meet this man, and now that it had served its purpose, I would be able to die with ease.

Somewhere in the middle, I noticed the utter grace and elegance with which the man danced. His steps were well thought and practiced, and the fluidity of his movements was sublime. I had never gotten a chance to dance with such a perfect man like him, and it made me wonder about his other qualities. We might have been dancing without saying a word to one another, but he still managed to catch my green eyes which were full of burning curiosity and asked me.

"What is the matter, my love? Why do you look so distressed?"

'I can give away all of my prized possessions just to hear this man speak.' Focus, Harmony.

"Nothing important. It's just that I think you have a lot of practice in dancing, so I was wondering if you have any other thing you're talented in."

At this, his poker face threatened to break out into a smile and he gave me a half smirk, seemingly enjoying my compliment. I was never shy to give out compliments to anyone, so that had come naturally to me. But I think he took it as a sign of flirting, and he readied himself to give me an answer, but was intervened by another man.

"May I borrow your beautiful partner for a while, sir?"

I looked at him, feeling stroppy that he had dared to disturb us when we were dancing around so happily. But then, his voice registered in my mind, and I was filled with horror and disgust as I recalled who's voice it was. Wyatt freaking Colton. And then, I panicked.

I didn't want to be discovered by him, but I also didn't want to create a scene here. This man had the audacity to come up here and show his obnoxious smirk to me and ask my hand for a dance? I was sweating and panicking internally, thinking that my partner would gladly leave but that didn't happen. Actually, he did the opposite of what I had imagined.

"No, Wyatt. You can find someone who does not have a partner yet. This woman is my partner, and I'm still dancing."

He spoke to him with finality and something else that I couldn't quite decipher. He seemed to hold some sort of... power over Wyatt, which I liked a lot, but that had me thinking about the identity of this stranger. Who was he who had more power than the son of the man who controls almost everything in the palace? But I was in awe of him as I heard him speak with so much authority, and decided to not question his identity. Instead, I looked at him gratefully and wanted to verbally express my gratitude when he spoke up again.

"Its no problem, my love. I could sense your hesitation from miles away. I am also aware of his reputation, so I wouldn't have handed you over to him. I hope you can trust me on this."

Overwhelmed, I nodded.

"Of course."

So, he not only had illimited talent for dancing and wooing a girl, but also had a strange knack for reading people and was a complete dab hand at silencing people with his authoritative tone and simple but few words. This might not be a lot for some girls, but for me, everything this man did seemed to be a huge deal, and I had no idea what to do about that.

Even then, I did know one thing — that I would certainly ask for his name before we part our ways. I would will myself and gather all of my self-confidence to do it, because if I don't, I will regret it for the rest of my life.