Severed Ties

A Dance for You and I

Cameron

Just watching her with that easy smile, sparks in her eyes, and laughter from her perfect mouth,  as she danced around the living room to advert jingles of all things, there was nowhere I would rather be.

She rushed over to me, a wild smile carved onto her face, her hands outstretched soft brown palms gripping onto mine and pulling me from where I was leaning back on the table. 

"Come on Cameron, live a little," she was high on happiness despite our situation, the past few weeks had been draining on her, but it was moments like this when she let all of that go, and pushed that away as she tried to shine brighter than any star. 

"Darling, I was having too much fun watching the show," and she scowled at me, her button nose scrunching up as she stuck her tongue out, "I bet you can't even dance,"

"Have you forgotten the Bloodhound Ball," I quirked a brow as she pulled me closer, wrapping both hands around my neck, she began to sway from side to side, closing her eyes slightly before opening them, and they glowed deep honeyed brown, that when it caught the light it melted into liquid gold, so captivating. 

Ethereal.

"How could I forget," she breathed out, "A lot happened that night,"

"Things that should have never happened," I murmured placing my hands on her waist the bad of my thumb running against the slightly exposed skin at her hips where her shirt had ridden up, she shivered at my touch and a smirk carved its way onto my lips, her breathing became ragged but there was serenity all over her face.

"Yes, well I think I need a reminder of that dance," there was mischief in her voice.

"Is that so?"

She laughed a little, "It very much is," and she broke free of my grasp, I couldn't help but notice the coldness that her lack of touch brought to me, she must have seen the dip in my smile and the confused look, as she soon bent down in a flourish, placing her hand before her and asking, "What do you say, Grayson? Care for a dance?"

"With you, darling, always," and once again she was in my arms, leaning against my chest, her ear pressed against where my heart was beating erratically. She smelt divine, a mixture of jasmine, and sweet roses, she smelt like home. 

The TV buzzed in the background, returning to the soap that she had been watching, the intro music sung out, a soft piano melody that suited our dance well enough, then more instruments were added as we danced in our living room with not a care in the world, she smiled and it tugged at the depths of my heart, I wanted to hold her close forever, cherish her, and that was when I spotted her engagement ring, still firmly on her finger, winking in the lamp light, I never saw her without it. 

She must have noticed me staring at her hand as she clutched it close, thin fingers running down the intricate pattern of a rose, stopping over each diamond and sighing, "You didn't think I'd take it off, did you?"

There was a seriousness in her voice, something that coated the words with a certain sense of vulnerability, "I-" I couldn't find the words, I loved that she had kept it one, but I hated the way it had ended up on her finger, me throwing the box at her, watching her sadly slip it on her own finger, a look of disappointment and longing in her eyes as she watched me walk off, arrogance in my step, hatred in my heart. 

"I thought once you knew the wedding wasn't going to happen you would take it off," and I knew the moment the words fell from my lips they had been the wrong thing to say. 

Alara's face fell, twisting itself into a look of abject pain, tears pricked at her eyes as she staggered back a little, still clutching onto the hand with her ring, a look of dejection painted across her features, and all she managed to whisper was, "What makes you think the wedding won't happen anymore, do you not want it to?"

"No, Sweetheart, I want it more than I want anything in the world," and before I could stop myself I was right next to her, engulfing her in a hug and tightening my grip on her, begging the world not to let the best thing in my life slip through my fingers, she wasn't crying anymore, she choked out some words that were muffled against my shirt, before she pulled back, a certain flare in her eyes, as she pushed me away and punched my shoulder. 

"Hey what was that for?"

"For being a jerk!" she snapped, letting herself laugh a little, "You just stood there and said I should take my engagement ring off and that we weren't getting married anymore!"

"Well, I didn't say that exactly-" I tried to reason with her, but Alara wasn't having it. 

"You said that, how could you say that, when I love you," she clamped a hand over her mouth and her eyes widened. 

Something so pure of full of happiness rushed through me, as a grin tugged on my lips, she was flushed red.

I love you.

"God, I didn't just say that," her head was in her hands, and I could help but admire how beautiful she in that moment, with messy hair and a baggy t-shirt that fell to her mid-thigh, distressed jeans that had been through the works and just over her shoulder was one of my hoodies, she looked perfect, absolutely perfect. 

I took her in her arms, "Why don't you say that just one more time for me, darling," she raised her eyes a look of unadulterated innocence swept across her features. 

"I hate you."

"No," I grinned from ear to ear, "You love me."