Wonderstruck

Untitled Part 1

She absolutely hated these parties. Taking another swig from her glass, she smoothed a hand down her ball gown to straighten the wrinkles in the fabric. The quiet hum of mandolins echoed softly in the background as multiple nobles and aristocrats danced and laughed the night away. Shifting her gaze away from the dance floor, she tried very hard not to look like a desperate wallflower but she had literally been standing there ever since the music began and no one had asked her to dance. Not a soul... With the exception of the four middle-aged women gossiping in the corner of the large room, she had been the only girl who hadn't been asked to dance. And that would have been okay but she clearlywanted to and the fact that none of the young gentlemen were picking up on her signals was starting to get embarrassing.

Maybe she could sneak back to the dessert table without anyone noticing her failure to secure a dance. It was highly unlikely... Ever since she decided to try and hook a dance, she'd felt the eyes of snotty young ladies scrutinizing everything about her; another reason why she hated these damn things. There was always, without fail, some other girls trying to outdo her. And in this particular case, it was the girls who had already worn themselves out dancing with multiple partners. She could hear their insincere giggles from across the dance floor, coming at her like a slap in the face. They kept glancing and rolling their eyes in her direction; judging her.

It was official... She'd been standing there too long.

Sheepishly pulling herself away, she walked back to her seat, trying very hard not to make eye contact with the girls who were now hee-hawing about her defeat. After that, she was very aware of every imperfection; why else couldn't she bag a simple dance?

She was so absorbed in self-pity that she barely noticed the man at the other end of the ballroom, hiding in the background. Glancing up, she saw him - his head cocked, arms crossed, clad in a white cloak that seemed out of place - watching her with a thoughtful smirk.

His stare briefly shifted from side to side, almost as if he was afraid to come out of the shadows before taking a step forward. Her back instantly stiffened as he made his way over. He crossed the distance between them, easily avoiding the dancing pairs along the way, and comfortably sat down at the table, sitting directly across from her, as if they'd known each other for years. He couldn't seem to stop staring.

Clearing her throat awkwardly, she looked to the centerpiece between them - an elegant arrangement of small candles and flowers - and took another sip of her wine. It wasn't that she minded the attention but he seemed so sure of himself... it was just a little intimidating. She had no idea who he was.

She managed to successfully distract herself on the candlelight between them until herapped his knuckles against to table to get her attention. As a reflex, her eyes flicked to his face... He was absolutely enchanting, what with his dark hair and pretty, brown-eyes. His smile was entirely mesmerizing.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked, leaning forward with a wolfish grin.

Clutching her wine a little too tight, she politely nodded, not fully trusting herself to give a verbal reply. It had been a long time since she had seen anyone so gorgeous. Oh, and thatvoice! Deep and rugged - perfect for whispering dirty things in the dark. Did that really just cross her mind...?

She shook her head to rid herself of anymore of those thoughts and earned a slight chuckle from the man sitting on the other side of the table.