The Elusive Heart of Nova Hart ✔

51// things left unsaid

This is for my mum :') for understanding my need to write and write and write without fussing about it.
And because she's obsessed with Graham lmao xD

THINGS LEFT UNSAID

    Graham thought his lungs had given out the moment she came into view.

    He'd always known Nova was an extraordinary beauty queen, but right now... Nova Hart was a vision.

    And this was the girl he was letting slip through his fingers?

    He cleared his head. He wasn't letting her slip through his fingers — how could he, when he'd never even had the chance to hold her to begin with? He wasn't even in the running for her kind of dating material.

    Nova was on a whole other level and sadly, Graham was a little too late.

    "Graham," she blinked, blue eyes staring at him in shock and... dare he think it — happiness?

    "Great to see you too, Hart," he grinned, his tone void of the awe he truly felt. Something flickered in her eyes... And her smile seemed to dim slightly — was that disappointment? But why would she feel disappointed?

    "But... Y-you said you aren't coming to the dance," she frowned and in a heartbeat, Graham's eyes were captivated by those sinfully red lips. "So what are you doing here?"

    What was he doing here? He'd asked himself that ten times before he left his house, ten times on the way here, and another ten times as Caroline opened the door.

    Truth was, Graham hadn't the faintest clue.

    He just knew he had to see her — had to get a glimpse of the girl he was losing his heart to on the night that she was going to meet the guy she'd already lost hers to.

    Timing. Timing was everything. And Graham's was a little off and he stood to lose the one thing he didn't want to lose, which was also ironically the one thing that was never his to lose in the first place.

    And he just wanted to drink in the sight of Nova for now.

    "Just wanted to make sure you were all set for the big night," he told her, settling for a half truth, because part of the reason he was here was that he knew this meant a lot to her and he wanted to help calm her nerves whichever way he could.

    "I don't know what I'm going to say," she blurted. "... To him, I mean."

    Graham chuckled, "Nova, trust me, the moment he fixes his eyes on you, he isn't going to be able to speak."

    She looked taken aback at the compliment, but Graham knew it wasn't because she didn't know she looked stunning — so it had to be because she didn't expect one from him.

    Good, he thought to himself. That meant he wasn't letting it slip how much of an effect she was actually having on him.

    "Thanks," she smiled then, lighting up the entire room, and his insides too, in the process. And then the smile wavered. "I'm going to trip on my feet when he asks me to dance or something. Probably take him down with me."

     "That's not going to happen, Nova," he assured her gently.

    "I'll let you in on a little secret," she leaned in a little closer and mock-whispered, "I'm not that great a dancer."

    Graham laughed, carefree and unrestrained. "I know," he was grinning madly, "knew it since the moment I saw you dancing around to—" and he suddenly realised what he was saying, but it was too late.

    He watched as the flawless skin on her forehead creased, as her perfectly shaped eyebrows pinched together, and as her lips turned down at the corners. "What?"

    He felt his ears burn. "Uh," he scratched the back of his neck before looking a her sheepishly, "we were much younger. It was Addy's birthday party... And I kind of walked in on you belting out to dancing queen." He felt another fit of laughter stir within his chest at the memory but he suppressed it. "Nice moves you had there."

    He saw her cheeks grow a furious shade of pink, a mortified look taking over the previously confused expression.

    "I did not —! I was — b-but that... What?!"

    This was gold.

    Graham wondered if anyone had ever, ever seen a flustered Nova Hart. If anyone had ever made her lose her balance and cracked that cool exterior.

    "How come you never told me?" She asked, sill shocked, after the initial embarrassment had worn out.

    He shrugged, "didn't want to burst your bubble. You looked so happy and just... so free there. I don't know."

    He met her eyes, and suddenly there were so many words at the tip of his tongue.

    Stay.

    Don't go.

    Be here, I'll dance with you.

    Ditch the dance with me tonight and we'll go looking for gummy bears and biscotti ice cream and whatever it is that makes you happy.

    He doesn't know how bad and dorky a dancer you are like I do.

    Just stay. Stay, stay, stay.

    But the words never left his mouth.

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Sorry for that cliffhanger last chapter (not really sorry)