42. Masquerade
Chapter forty-two
Masquerade
DELANE
Iwasn’t breathing. I placed my cell back into my purse, wondering what I looked like now. Was my hair okay? Did my makeup run? Was there any rips or tears in the dress? I adjusted my mask.
I was panicking.
Before I had the chance to dig into my purse for that backup makeup Chelsea gave me, the limo door swung open, and I was exposed.
I took a deep breath and stepped out into the setting sun. There were so many people gathered around Noah’s home already, that now I started to feel jitters.
And there he was, holding open the door for me, staring as I adjusted my dress.
I took a little dip. “Hey.”
It was impossible not to meet his eyes through his navy-colored mask. I felt my face begin to burn and I fiddled with my dress nervously. He looked incredibly handsome.
“H-How do I look?” I questioned meekly.
His mouth opened but nothing emerged.
Damn.
My confidence faltered.
That bad?
“You look absolutely stunning,” he breathed.
I could feel my lips lift into a smile. “Uh, thank you.” Relief washed over me in waves.
He smiled and my heart thumped.
His hand extended for mine. “Let’s go inside.”
I sucked in another breath of air, taking hold of his hand and allowing him to lead me inside.
The place was packed; hundreds of people were dancing in disguise. I couldn’t recognize anyone, which made me feel a thousand times better. Because that meant they couldn’t recognize me either.
Noah had immediately pulled me to the dance floor, without notice.
And five minutes in and I had already stepped on his foot.
“Ow.”
“I’m so sorry!” I mouthed in horror. I was so embarrassed, I wanted to shrink into the floorboards.
He laughed quietly. “It’s fine, Delane.”
I covered my face with my hands, forgetting that it was technically already covered with my mask. “Really, this is mortifying. I promise you can just leave me at a table. I can’t dance!”
He smirked at me. “Calm down.” He reached forward. “Come here, closer to me.”
I moved forward tentatively.
“Closer,” he coaxed, lightly brushing my elbows with the palms of his hands.
I took another step, my hands pressing to his chest. We were closer than ever, and I was feeling hot. “Is this…good?”
He let his hand glide to my waist, pulling my body flush into his in one swift movement. His hand stayed at my hip.
“That’s better,” he said with a wink.
I blushed.
“Now Delane,” he started softly, taking my arm and guiding it upwards so that my hand could rest on his shoulder, almost wrapping around his neck. “You keep this hand here.”
Our free hands intertwined. “And this hand is mine.”
Was I breathing?
“Y-Yours?”
“For the dance of course,” Noah smiled. “Unless you want me to keep it.”
He chuckled deeply at whatever look came across my face. I was so glad for the mask at this moment. I was surely red from my forehead down.
“It’s a joke, Delane.”
“I knew that…” I suggested with a nervous shake of my voice.
“I believe you,” he murmured, taking a step to the right as the slow ballet music began to harmonize through the room. “Now, follow my lead.”
I lurched in the direction of his step, like a giraffe on stilts.
“Slowly,” he reminded. “We’re not in a race. Look—” He stopped abruptly to show me the steps. “When I lead with my right foot, you’ll step with your left, see? If I want you to take a step back, I’ll lightly push your hand in that direction, so you know which way to go.”
I observed intently. I wanted to get this right. Noah was so eager to teach me, and that excited me. I wasn’t used to that. I spent a good majority of my time helping people, and I hadn’t had many experiences when someone showed me something new. I was the novice now, and he was the expert.
“We’re going to do a right step, then a left, left. You’ll mirror me. But–” His hand squeezed my hip, and he pressed me closer. “Let me lead you. Feel the direction of my body, and where I want to take you.”
“M’kay…” My lips trembled as the words came out. We practiced the steps a few times off to the side of the dance floor.
“That’s it…okay, now here, try it one more time,” he encouraged me with a smile.
Right, left, left. Right, left, left. I sang in my head.
I hadn’t realized I was staring at my feet until Noah eased my chin upwards. “You’ll trip doing that. Look right here—at me, okay?”
I nodded, speechless.
“Ready?” Noah grinned.
Without waiting for my response, Noah led me to the center of the ballroom.
At first, I thought I might collapse from the pressure of being amidst all of the party guests.
But before I knew it, I was moving with him, elegantly gliding along with the music, trying my best to follow his lead.
I stayed close to his body, letting him whisk me around.
My nerves started to dissipate, and he lightly pressed my hand, pushing me back from him and then spun me back into his arms. He did the motion again, creating space between us, and then twirled me, once, twice—until I was laughing aloud, falling back into his grasp clumsily.
“I did it!” I cried out with joy as the song ended. Although I was a little dizzy, I had never enjoyed myself so much.
“Yes, you did.” He stroked my arm. “You dance beautifully. A natural.”
Our eyes locked and I was blinded from anything else instantly. I felt like I could drown there, in his eyes. And I wouldn’t mind it at all.
“Your eyes are gorgeous,” I blurted out.
His lips curved into a smile. My pulse quickened.
“Funny. I was thinking the exact same thing about your eyes.”
I beamed, taking hold of his arms again. “Yeah?”
He took a deep breath. “Yeah. You amaze me.”
I was at a loss for words. This was it, I could feel it.
“Whenever I’m around you,” he exhaled. “I’m happy.”
“I make you happy?”
“Yes. You do.”
I tilted upwards. I thought maybe another song had begun to play, but I wasn’t sure. I didn’t care, to be honest. Our lips were mere inches apart and I wanted to kiss him, so badly.
I knew that tradition dictated that men should make the first move. But fuck tradition, I was about to take what I wanted, for the first time in my life. I slid my hands around his neck.
“Delane…” My name eased so gracefully out of his mouth.
“Yes?”
Yes, whatever you are about to ask me. Yes, to it all.
“Can I—?”
My concentration was broken by another voice.
“Can I cut in?”
NOAH
Hands slipped behind my neck and Delane placed her head on my shoulder. I pressed my face into her red locks, breathing in deeply. She smelled like flowers.
“Delane…” I opened my eyes to meet hers.
I felt exposed. It took everything out of me to open myself to people. But my feelings were overpowering me, and I wasn’t sure what I could do to suppress them anymore.
“Yes?”
“Can I—?”
“Can I cut in?”
Delane and I turned simultaneously.
My mom stood there, waving at me. Perfect timing, I thought bitterly.
“Sure thing, mom,” I said, but it took a great deal for me to relinquish Delane. I directed my gaze back to her. “Will you be alright for a few minutes?”
“Oh, yes, I’ll be fine,” she answered cheerily, despite my mood. She pointed to the platters of refreshments in the back. “I’m just going to get something to drink, okay?”
“I’ll come find you after.”
I saw my mom grin at me from the corners of my eyes.
Delane disappeared into the crowd of mysterious faces and my mom popped in front of me, bouncing on her feet. She placed her hand in mine and snuggled close.
“Having fun?” she asked in a jovial tone.
I brought her to the floor, absentmindedly leading her about the room in a dance. “Yes.”
Taking her hand from my shoulder, she brushed my bangs out of the way of my mask. “That’s wonderful news, dear. I knew that you would enjoy this. I am happy to see Delane back again.”
I nodded, trying to peer over her shoulder to see if I could spot her. She caught my eye and waved. I relaxed.
My mom sighed mid spin. “Honestly, hon, your father is just a mess. I am stressed.”
I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. In my brain I said: Who gives a fuck?
“Oh? Why is that?”
“It’s the Thornes,” she whispered into my ear.
I chuckled. The issues with our families never stopped. We could all die and our children’s children would still be pointing fingers. “Isn’t he always irritated with the Thornes?”
She shuddered—not because she was cold, but because she was angry, which I didn’t often see my mother get. “Yes, but they are so rude!”
“Define rude, mom. Everyone can be rude.”
“Well,” She leaned in closer. “They are coarse and uncouth. Two of them have already disrespected Damian for his work on a case earlier this month, and I find it so impolite that—”
I stopped dancing. We stumbled mid steps.
“Wait,” My eyes shot to hers. “What did you say?”
She frowned. “Are you alright, Noah?”
“Mom, what did you just say to me?” My voice escalated.
I could tell was trying to keep her voice low so that no one else heard her. “W-Well, I am trying to tell you about our guest’s rudeness…” she stuttered.
I looked around the room. Those signature colored, grey Thorne eyes peered from every other mask, ostensibly scrutinizing me. I couldn’t believe this. How did I not notice their entrance? They would have had to be announced.
“Mother,” I took her by the arm, pulling her to the other side of the floor and out of the way of the dancers. We were already getting bumped and odd stares. “Why didn’t you inform me of this?”
“Inform you of what, dear?” She touched my face. “Hon, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”
I grit my teeth. She couldn’t even begin to comprehend my panic. “You invited the Thorne family to this event, that’s what’s wrong!”
I couldn’t even fathom encountering Silas right now. Or Delane seeing him without any preparation after what went down.
“Honey, please calm down,” my mother reprimanded softly.
“It would have been rude of us to exclude them from this occasion. Though we might not be best of friends, it is only in elegant taste that wealthy families such as us are known to extend pleasantries to other families like ours. It’s a reputation thing. Imagine if…”