Call Me Ella (ft. Niall Horan)

Chapter 9 - Runaway Cinderella

Chapter 9 - Runaway Cinderella

As we make our way to the dance floor I notice people staring at us. I know they can’t recognise me, most of them don’t pay me the slightest attention when I’m not wearing a mask, but still, I’m afraid they may recognise me even if I can’t do it myself. I can see my stepsisters staring at us, each one with a guy. I don’t know who they are, but I feel sorry for them. I also see my stepmother, but she’s not looking in our direction.

Being so exposed on the dance floor scares me, but at the same time it thrills me, it fills my body with adrenaline at the possibility of being caught. I hope it doesn’t happen, though.

This mystery guy keeps leading me to the middle of the dance floor, right below the mirror ball and I chuckle at the cliché of his choice, but he doesn’t realise. He turns around and looks at me without losing the smile before he pulls me closer and starts to move with me a the rhythm of the music.

Here’s the thing: I’m not a ballerina. I can dance, but I don’t have the grace of a princess. The people who were staring at us before dismiss us because we’re just a regular couple now, dancing awkwardly at the rhythm of a pop song. He’s not bad, but he’s not great either so I don’t feel that bad.

I may have a life creepily similar to Cinderella’s, but I certainly am not princess material. At least not like in the Disney movies.

I look at the mystery guy’s eyes, smiling a wee bit as I think of this whole scene. It would be funny if this ball was held in his name and he were the prince, but it’s not. This ball is not in name of anyone anymore, it used to be for me.

The guy in front of me is not a prince in this context, maybe he can be considered royalty because he’s a celebrity —I think— but he’s not the most important celebrity in this place.

“You have a lovely smile,” he says talking into my ear, as the song is really loud. Plus, this gives him an excuse to be closer. I know the move and it makes me smile. This guy is full of clichés. “Are you a guest here?” He asks next and I pull back to look him in the eyes.

No one can know I’m an employee here, but I don’t like to lie by saying I’m a celebrity when I’m not.  “I can’t tell you,” I say loudly and he raises one eyebrow in surprise.

“Why not?” He inquires again, his hand on my waist moving to the small of my back. “Is it a secret? You’d have to kill me if you tell me?” He ventures and I giggle.

“Pretty much,” I agree and he laughs now.

“Okay, I’ll accept that, Mystery Girl.” I smile because that’s how I’ve been calling him in my mind all this time. “And you don’t want to know who I am or do you already know?”

“I don’t,” I say and he waits. “And I don’t care who you are tonight.”

I know he tries to figure out what my words mean, and whether he should take them as an offence or as something else. When he smiles I know he doesn’t take them as the first and I smile as well.

“That’s refreshing,” he says pulling me closer to his body, his hands tightly on my back, forbidding me to pull back as we keep dancing.

The fact that he says that tells me he is a celebrity as they are always struggling with people just wanting to be near them because they are celebrities. If he knew that knowing he’s a celebrity will only push me farther…

We keep dancing and don’t say much, but I am having fun. Especially when he starts to teach me random moves. I crack up laughing all the time and I’m impressed that I’ve even forgotten about all the other couples dancing around us. I don’t know where Liv and Charlie are and I don’t even know what time is it, but I do notice that when the DJ changes the song and a slow one starts to play around us. He stops and looks me intently in the eyes before he smiles and places his hands on my waist. I subconsciously surround his neck with my arms. He is a few inches taller than me, so I have to look up just to keep the eye contact. He is smiling sweetly at me and I feel my heart racing, it has nothing to do with all the time we spent dancing like crazy. This is completely different and it has never happened to me before. I feel all shy and small and this is so weird for me.