Chapter 148: This Dance

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: This Dance

For a moment, Marian simply stared at his hand.

The sight should not have affected her.

Unfortunately, it did.

Because suddenly she remembered.

They had danced before.

Several times.

At receptions.

At celebrations.

At gatherings where neither had thought much about it.

Or perhaps neither had allowed themselves to think much about it.

Those dances had seemed ordinary.

This one did not.

This one felt dangerous.

The realization sent another wave of heat rushing into her face.

Because for the first time—

everyone knew.

His hand remained extended.

Patient.

Steady.

Waiting.

Marian suspected he already knew her answer.

The realization should have embarrassed her.

It didn’t.

Slowly, she placed her hand in his.

The contact lasted less than a second.

The effect was immediate.

Marian’s heart completely abandoned any remaining commitment to dignity.

The reaction was deeply inconvenient.

Cassian’s expression softened.

Only slightly.

Yet somehow she noticed.

The discovery did nothing to improve her condition.

Not remotely.

Together, they crossed the ballroom.

The distance was short.

It felt considerably longer.

Mainly because Marian was aware of everything.

The music.

The guests.

The countless eyes following them.

Most of all—

the hand holding hers.

The realization remained alarmingly persistent.

Beside her, Cassian appeared composed.

The sight was deeply suspicious.

"Are you nervous?"

The question escaped before she could stop it.

Cassian glanced toward her.

Then smiled.

A mistake.

An enormous mistake.

Because she immediately forgot why she had asked.

"A little."

The answer surprised her.

"A little?"

"A great deal."

The admission arrived without hesitation.

Marian blinked.

Cassian looked entirely sincere.

The discovery was unexpectedly comforting.

"You hide it well."

"I could say the same."

Marian immediately looked away.

The strategy failed.

Because she could still feel him smiling.

The musicians began.

The first notes drifted across the ballroom.

A waltz.

Slow.

Elegant.

Familiar.

Cassian stopped.

Then turned toward her.

For one brief moment neither moved.

The realization settled between them simultaneously.

This was the part.

Slowly, Marian offered her free hand.

Cassian took it.

His other hand settled lightly at her waist.

The contact was perfectly proper.

Entirely respectable.

Not remotely scandalous.

Marian’s pulse immediately doubled.

The situation was becoming ridiculous.

Because none of this was new.

They had hugged before.

They had held hands before.

She had even kissed him before.

Yet somehow this felt completely different.

Perhaps because this was the first time she had stood this close to him in months.

Perhaps because everyone was watching.

Perhaps because she loved him.

Whatever the reason, the awareness refused to leave.

The musicians continued.

The dance began.

Cassian guided her forward.

Instinctively, Marian followed.

One step.

Then another.

Then another.

Familiar.

Effortless.

As though they had always known how to move together.

Around them, other couples joined the dance.

Marian noticed none of them.

The ballroom gradually faded.

Not completely.

Just enough.

Enough that she became aware of smaller things.

The warmth of his hand.

The steady pressure at her waist.

The quiet certainty in every movement.

The way he adjusted automatically whenever she moved.

The way neither of them needed to think about it.

Five months apart.

And somehow they still fit.

The realization stole her breath.

"You’ve improved."

The comment startled her.

Marian looked up.

Cassian’s eyes held unmistakable amusement.

"My dancing?"

"You no longer look as though you’re preparing for battle."

Marian laughed.

The sound escaped before she could stop it.

"That happened once."

"It happened repeatedly."

"Repeatedly is a strong word."

"It is also accurate."

The smile in his eyes deepened.

Marian immediately decided this conversation was unfair.

The problem was that she enjoyed it anyway.

The dance carried them slowly across the floor.

A turn.

A glide.

Another step.

Their hands remained joined.

The contact should have become less noticeable.

It didn’t.

If anything, the awareness seemed to grow.

At one point, their eyes met.

Neither looked away.

An unfortunate decision.

Because suddenly Marian remembered every letter.

Every conversation.

Every month apart.

Every moment spent wishing he were here.

And now he was.

Close enough to touch.

Close enough to hear.

Close enough that she could see the warmth in his eyes whenever he looked at her.

The realization left her hopelessly vulnerable.

"You’ve been staring."

Marian nearly missed a step.

The accusation was outrageous.

Particularly because it was true.

"I have not."

"You have."

The answer arrived immediately.

Cassian looked entirely certain of himself.

The realization was deeply irritating.

"I was looking at you."

"A distinction without a difference."

Marian opened her mouth.

Then closed it again.

Because unfortunately, he was smiling.

The sight made coherent thought remarkably difficult.

"You seem very confident."

"I am."

The answer arrived without hesitation.

Marian narrowed her eyes.

"A dangerous trait."

"It becomes less dangerous when one is correct."

The man was impossible.

The realization brought an entirely unreasonable amount of happiness.

"You are staring now."

Marian immediately looked away.

Cassian laughed.

Low.

Warm.

Entirely unfair.

The sound settled somewhere beneath her ribs and refused to leave.

The situation was becoming impossible.

The music swelled.

The dance continued.

And for the first time that evening, Marian stopped thinking about the months apart.

Stopped thinking about the waiting.

Stopped thinking about the distance.

Because Cassian was here.

His hand held hers.

His voice was warm.

His smile was real.

And somehow, for this one dance, that felt like enough.

Eventually, the music began to slow.

The final measures approached.

The realization arrived with immediate disappointment.

Too soon.

The thought appeared before she could stop it.

Cassian looked as though he shared the sentiment.

Which somehow made everything worse.

The final note sounded.

The dancers slowed.

Then stopped.

Applause drifted through the ballroom.

Polite.

Expected.

Ordinary.

Cassian released her hand.

The loss of contact was immediate.

And deeply unfortunate.

For one brief moment neither moved.

Neither seemed particularly eager to step away.

Then reality returned.

The ballroom.

The guests.

The reception.

The countless eyes.

Marian’s face immediately warmed.

Cassian’s smile returned.

Warm.

Familiar.

Entirely unfair.

And somehow that made everything better.

The dance had lasted less than ten minutes.

Adrian noticed every second.

The realization irritated him immediately.

Because he had spent most of those ten minutes pretending he wasn’t watching.

The effort had been unsuccessful.

The invitation should not have bothered him.

It had.

The hand should not have bothered him.

It had.

The dance itself should not have bothered him.

It had.

The realization settled badly.

Because Adrian could not identify a single legitimate reason for any of it.

The memory replayed anyway.

Marian placing her hand in Ashford’s.

Ashford leading her onto the floor.

The ease between them.

The familiarity.

The smiles.

The laughter.

Tiny things.

Meaningless things.

Except they weren’t meaningless.

Not anymore.

Since when?

The question arrived unexpectedly.

Then refused to leave.

How long had Ashford been looking at her that way?

How long had Marian been smiling back?

How many conversations had happened while Adrian was looking elsewhere?

How many moments?

The questions irritated him.

Not because he believed Ashford had spent years scheming.

Objectively, Adrian knew better.

Yet the questions remained.

Persistent.

Unwelcome.

Impossible to answer.

The worst part was Ashford.

Not because he was dancing with Marian.

Because he looked entirely at home doing it.

As though standing beside her belonged to him.

The realization offended Adrian immediately.

For eighteen years, Marian had occupied a place in his life so permanent that he had stopped noticing it.

Now someone else stood there.

Someone else occupied that place.

The thought settled badly.

The impulse arrived without warning.

Cross the ballroom.

Interrupt them.

Separate them.

The thought struck with startling force.

Adrian froze.

The realization followed immediately afterward.

What am I doing?

The question landed hard.

Because the answer frightened him.

Not because the impulse existed.

Because it felt natural.

The applause faded.

The music ended.

The dance ended.

None of it mattered.

Because the problem had never been the dance.

The problem was what the dance revealed.

The ease.

The familiarity.

The certainty.

The way Marian looked at Ashford.

The way Ashford looked back.

The irritation returned.

Sharper this time.

More difficult to dismiss.

Because the reality in front of him offended every instinct he possessed.

And for the first time, Adrian found himself acknowledging a truth he had spent months avoiding.

He was not okay with this.

Not even remotely.

End Chapter 149