Chapter 16 - There You Are #3
"I'm willing to take the risk."
"Your health insurance better be good."
"Excellent."
I smiled.
"Then maybe you'll survive."
"So that's a yes?"
"Fine. One dance."
"I'll take it."
"Ms. Stone."
I turned.
Adrian stood a few feet away.
Oh.
I hadn't even realized he'd been close enough to hear us.
His eyes went briefly to Ethan.
Then back to me.
And he extended his hand.
"May I have this dance?"
I stared at him.
Actually stared.
Because-
Adrian doesn't dance.
"You said no."
His eyes stayed on mine.
"I changed my mind."
I glanced at Ethan.
"Ethan asked first."
Ethan looked from me to Adrian.
Then back to me.
A slow smile appeared.
"You know what? I suddenly feel very protective of my shoes."
I laughed.
"Coward."
"Survivor."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. These are new."
I shook my head, still smiling.
Then I looked back at Adrian.
His hand was still extended.
Waiting.
I placed mine in it.
His fingers closed around mine.
And immediately-
everything changed.
Again.
He led me onto the dance floor.
His hand settled at my waist.
Mine rested on his shoulder.
And that was when this suddenly stopped being funny.
This was the first time we'd touched since the hug.
The first time we'd touched deliberately.
No accident.
No injury.
No tears.
He had asked.
I had said yes.
So we danced.
For the first few seconds, neither of us spoke.
Se?orita played around us, familiar and dangerously appropriate, while I became intensely interested in Adrian's black tie.
Then-
"You haven't looked at me once."
"I'm looking at you."
"You're looking at my tie."
"Your tie is part of you."
"Apparently."
I almost smiled.
"You said you don't dance."
"I never said that."
"You said no."
"That isn't the same thing."
"It was a very enthusiastic no."
"I remember."
"Do you?"
"Yes."
"Interesting."
"Why?"
"Because apparently your memory survived the dramatic change of heart."
His mouth moved.
Barely.
There.
That almost-smile.
I looked back at his tie.
"You're doing it again."
"What?"
"The tie."
"It's a very nice tie."
"It's black."
"I hadn't noticed."
"Clearly."
I bit the inside of my cheek.
For the first time in more than a week-
this felt familiar.
His hand at my waist.
My hand on his shoulder.
That almost-smile he kept trying not to give me.
The quiet irritation in his voice that wasn't really irritation.
Me annoying him because apparently that was simply part of my personality now.
I'd missed this.
I hadn't realized quite how much until it was back.
Maybe he had too.
The thought made me look up.
His eyes were already on me.
And there it was.
The moment I'd been trying to avoid since he'd taken my hand.
The teasing disappeared.
Neither of us spoke.
We just looked at each other.
The song continued behind us, soft and intimate, the words suddenly a little too fitting for two people who had spent the last week pretending there was nothing between them.
His hand remained at my waist.
Mine remained on his shoulder.
Nothing changed.
And somehow everything did.
My heart beat harder.
Adrian's expression had gone completely still.
For one dangerous second, I forgot we were in a ballroom full of people.
Then I looked away.
Coward.
"You're avoiding me."
My eyes snapped back to his.
"That is an interesting accusation."
"Is it?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you've been avoiding me."
His jaw shifted.
"I've been giving you space."
I stared at him.
"Oh."
He looked away briefly.
That was probably the closest Adrian Vale was going to come to admitting anything tonight.
"Thank you," I said.
His eyes returned to mine.
"For what?"
"The space."
Something in his expression changed.
I immediately regretted saying it.
Because it sounded like I wanted it.
Maybe part of me had.
Maybe part of me hadn't.
We kept moving.
A few seconds passed.
Then I stepped directly on his shoe.
He looked down.
Then at me.
"You stepped on me."
"You'll survive."
A pause.
His expression changed.
Not much.
Just enough.
"There you are."
My smile disappeared.
Not because he'd hurt me.
Because I understood.
I looked at him.
Really looked at him.
And for once-
I didn't look away.
Something in his face had gone quiet.
And I knew exactly what he'd meant.
There you are.
The woman who argued.
The woman who annoyed him.
The woman who told him when he was wrong.
Me.
I'd been sitting thirty feet away from him all week.
And somehow-
he'd missed me.
The song began to end.
Neither of us moved immediately.
Then Adrian's fingers loosened around mine.
His hand left my waist.
Slowly.
The space between us returned.
And somehow it felt much larger than it had before the dance.
"Thank you for the dance," he said.
Professional again.
Of course.
I looked at him.
"You're welcome, Mr. Vale."
Something flickered in his eyes.
I stepped away.
And walked back toward our table.
I didn't look behind me.
But for the first time in more than a week-
I wanted to.