Voir Dire (N.H.)

thirty-one

Kelsey tried her best to paint her face with excitement and eagerness as she and Mallory made their way to the after party. Inside though, she was filled with dread. She wasn't sure what she was most scared of. Was she more afraid that Niall would want to speak with her or more afraid that he wouldn't? Was she more scared that he likely moved on with Krystal or scared that he hadn't?

Then there was the fact that Kelsey had signed a contract. A contract that explicitly forbid any contact with Niall. Her stomach began to lurch at the thought of someone from Capitol being here. Would she be kicked out of Stanford just for attending the same party as Niall?

Kelsey fidgeted with the hem of the little black dress she had slipped into for the evening as they waited in line at the entrance to the large ballroom where the event was being held. Mallory, wearing a form-fitting red dress that showed off her former track star legs perfectly, was rambling on about who might be at the event, and whether it was entirely inappropriate for her to ask for a photo should the opportunity arise.

Kelsey felt bad for ignoring her friend. She knew she should be living in the moment, enjoying the opportunity of a lifetime to rumble with the stars. But she couldn't stop searching the crowd, looking for the face that she was so desperately trying to avoid. Maybe he wouldn't even be here, and all this anxiety would be for nothing.

"Passes please ladies?" the tuxedo-clad man standing at the front of the double-door ballroom entrance announced, temporarily interrupting Kelsey's search for Niall. She reached into her clutch to withdraw the two passes which Basil, as promised, had delivered to their hotel room door a few hours earlier.

"Enjoy," the man smiled, extending an arm in a welcome as Kelsey and Mallory stepped into the expansive ballroom.

It took their breath away at first. Sky high ceilings with glistening chandliers. Small tables covered with black drapes at which people mingled with drinks in hand. In one corner a DJ played music to a crowd that was slowly accumulating on the dance floor. In the other, an ice sculpture and bustling bar filled with people. Waiters spread through the crowd with plates hors d'oeuvres and glasses of champagne.

"Wow," Mallory whispered under her breath. Kelsey nodded in agreement.

With the exception of the 40 Love album release party, Kelsey had never really experienced Niall's world. She'd imagined it- the scene in her head based off thing she'd seen in the movies. But this. This was it. Seeing it in person for the first time makes Kelsey realize just how intimidating it was. And reminded her of just how much she didn't fit into this world.

"Champagne ladies?" A waiter approaches them, offering two glasses of the bubbly golden liquid.

"Thank you," Kelsey replied, grabbing a glass and quickly bringing it to her lips.

"Let's dance!" Mallory exclaimed, pulling on Kelsey's arm and dragging her towards the dance floor before she even has a chance to say no.

Kelsey saw him enter as she was dancing. He's dressed in all white, the top few buttons of his collared shirt undone, likely revealing his tufts of chest hair. He's laughing, chatting up with some man in the line in front of him. She scanned the crowd for signs of Krystal behind him- knowing she's likely lurking nearby, but when she doesn't see her, she breathed a sigh of relief, trying to return her focus to the beat the of the music instead of the beat of her heart.

Niall was hesitant that Kelsey would even come. When Basil told him that she turned down the offer to come back stage, he'd felt defeated. Maybe she didn't feel the same way after all this time. But he could have sworn they shared a moment. It was fate wasn't it? That they would be in the same place at the same time?