𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 ᵍⁱˡᵇᵉʳᵗ ᵇˡʸᵗʰᵉ

32

A/N: have 'dancing with our hands tied' on REPEAT for this chapter. 

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛ ♛┈⛧┈┈•༶

"Yes?"

- Charlotte Wells

---

"As promised, today we'll be practicing for the country-fair barn dance."

The students all stood in a line in front of Miss Stacy, Charlotte with her hands crossed and leaning against the wall behind her.

"We shall," Rachel smiled. "Pay attention to the patterns students."

Charlotte grimaced as the music started. Disgust was clear on her face as she leaned to her left to whisper in Ruby's ear. "I'm not doing any of this."

Ruby snickered under her breath.

"Now, please form your sets of six," Miss Stacy smiled once she had finished demonstrating. "Boy girl, boy girl."

Charlotte pulled out her notebook, leaning back against the wall and ignoring the chatter around her.

"Charlotte!" Rachel called out loudly towards her.

Charlotte jumped at the sound, causing some of the other students to laugh. "Yes?"

"Go participate," Rachel said.

"I'm fine here."

The girl rolled her eyes as Rachel yanked the book out of her hands, dragging her to stand beside Anne. "Stand here, and dance."

Charlotte clenched her jaw, realizing she was standing in front of a smiling Gilbert. As the students attempted to dance, she kept her eyes away from him.

Charlotte trudged back to her notebook while all the girls rushed to the cloak bay once the dance was over. She had barely written two words in when the girls stomped past Miss Stacy and towards her.

"Charlotte," Josie announced her presence, ignoring Charlotte's loud sigh and eyeroll. "You could be pregnant from doing the dancing."

All the brunette did was raise an eyebrow and widen her eyes in shock. "I'm sorry?"

"My mother said if you even touch a boy you could become pregnant. And Miss Stacy assured us that we weren't but how do you know she's not lying?" Ruby answered hurriedly.

Charlotte ran her hands over her nose. "Okay, Ruby, none of you will get pregnant just from holding hands. I promise."

"I'm only trusting you because you're my best friend," Ruby huffed.

"Well, Moody needs someone to sit with him while he can't dance." Charlotte raised an eyebrow at the way Ruby's eyes brightened ever so slightly.

Charlotte nodded, moving to stand beside Anne and in front of Gilbert once again as Moody began playing his guitar.

As much as Charlotte tried to avoid eye contact with the boy in front of her, once she looked at him, she couldn't stop. She didn't know what it was, but something was tying her eyes to his and gravity was blocking her from looking anywhere else.

Even as she had to spin around two other boys, she couldn't stop looking a him. It wasn't the fact his hair was curled perfectly that day, or his suit was ironed. She continued looking at him because he continued looking at her.

A smile finally broke across her flushed cheeks as he grabbed her hand, spinning her around until she was stood beside him.

Even as the sets changed, and she moved to stand beside him, he continued glancing down at her every five seconds. She could feel tiny sparks in her hand as he held it. Gilbert didn't hold her hand harshly, with enough grip that even if he didn't want her to, she could pull away.

And she didn't.

Charlotte shook her head with a smile as the two stepped around each other, shoulders almost brushing. She felt her entire body heat up and fireworks shot through her everywhere.

Gilbert looked at Charlotte like she wasn't an ignorant girl, he looked at her like she was a person while nobody ever had. Maybe that's what made Charlotte's lips part and her eyelashes shutter as she blinked.

She grabbed his hand again, spinning beside each other. Gilbert's hand remained outstretched for one second as she let go, moving to switch sides. His and felt empty and cold without hers in it.

As the music stopped, she remained looking at him as he stood still.

She furrowed her eyebrows as the blood pumped through her and her stomach was churning. She gave Gilbert a nod, before hurriedly walking towards the cloak bay and grabbing her back.

As she rode Whiskey home, the gears in her head churned at the feeling inside her. She didn't know what it was, and she had never felt it for anyone else. But when Gilbert was with her, looking at her, holding her hand, it was the only thing she could feel.

She had her entrance exams to focus on, she still hadn't decided if she even wanted to go to Queens. She couldn't spend her time worrying about what Gilbert thought about her or what this feeling was.

Charlotte placed her head in her hands and let out a loud groan in frustration. Whiskey walked on, unaware that his owner's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped slightly, realization of what the feeling she felt was hitting her.

She felt butterflies. 

---

6/03/2024

ahshdhhehheehehheehe. I love knowing what happens in the next chapters.