Tethered Souls | Books 1, 2, and 3

16 | Paris

━━━─── • ───━━━

• Luna •

Luna stood back in the ballroom of an eighteenth-century hotel, watching Chase and their dance instructor show him how to use his feet while dancing with a partner. Sarah sat in a chair next to a long table with large speakers and a laptop facing them.

"Now, we can add the bride," the instructor said, shifting her eyes to Luna.

She knew how to dance, but Chase insisted on having lessons before the wedding.

"Once the music begins, you'll lift both of your arms and reach for his. He will have them extended for you."

"Okay."

"This isn't so bad," Chase said, grinning. "I think we're getting the hang of it."

"Yeah," Luna replied, exhaling a deep breath.

"Remember, you can hold your partner's hand as high as you want, but stay within eye level and don't raise the shoulder too high," the instructor told them. She then pressed a button on the remote, starting a soft jazz tune. "Once you get comfortable in each other's embrace, it'll be time to work on your footwork."

Luna stopped swaying and cleared her throat. "Lacey?"

"Yes?"

"Does it matter what type of shoes I'll be wearing? I might change them and wear flats."

"It will depend on how you dance. It's all about the movement and staying intact with your dance partner. Even if he is the leader, you don't want to mess up a simple dance routine in the middle of the dance floor."

"No, we don't," Chase said, staring at Luna.

"This next step is great for beginners. It works well with most slow songs. Chase is going to start with his left foot and take a step to the side. Good. Good. Let's count. One. Two. Three. Four. And for Luna," she continued, guiding her. "When he moves to his left, you will move to your right."

Luna's neck was arched up as she kept her eyes on Chase's.

"Let's count. One. Two. Three. Four. Good. One. Two. Three. Four . . ." she trailed off, staying next to them. "Once you have mastered the basic steps, Chase could surprise Luna with a fun little turn."

Both the instructor and Luna snickered when she ended up stepping on Chase's foot, slamming forcibly on his toe.

"Sorry," Luna hissed. "My heels slipped."

"I'm okay," he said, groaning.

"The leader's footwork is basically the same as before, only this time you'll be indicating a turn while doing the basic steps," Lacey said, eying Luna. "Are you okay, Luna?"

"My shoulder has been hurting. I was taking photographs earlier."

"I told her to take it easy this morning, but my future wife does what she wants," Chase remarked.

"I wanted to finish shooting some pictures for my website. My clients enjoy my scenery shots, and the field behind our house had every flower blooming."

"I get that, but I texted you thirty minutes before coming home that I wanted to take you somewhere nice," he argued.

Lacey stepped away and sat down beside Sarah as she colored in her coloring book.

"When you told me to dress nicely, I didn't know you were taking me here. I thought it was for something fancy and you wanted us to hang out with your friends. I wasn't prepared for dance lessons."