youtube writing prompts

a pride and prejudice spinoff

This work is inspired by a YouTube video posted by oliviaalee, posted December 24, 2020.

-Ω-

She didn't know why she said yes.

Perhaps it was the seriousness in his face, or the quirk of his brow that betrayed a shadow of nervousness. Perhaps it was the telltale click of his shoes, or the way he cleared his throat before he called her name. Either way, she had accepted his offer to dance, despite the unsavory rumors about him that she had heard from his former acquaintance the day before.

What a hypocrite you are, she thought as she dipped into a curtsy, to accept this dance from a man who once proclaimed you to be "barely tolerable". But their hands were skimming each other, she was flying, and her eyes were searching his, trying to decipher this enigma of a man- a puzzle that had her stumped.

He held her gaze, even as the orchestra slowed, signaling the end of the dance. Suddenly, she could not breathe, her corset too tight, the room too warm. Gasping out a flimsy excuse, she slipped into the crowd and towards the doors, away from him and the breathlessness that overtook her.

Leaning against a pillar, gulping in lungfuls of fresh air, her mind spun. Who was he, to so blatantly ask her to dance when he saw her with him- his "former acquaintance" yesterday? Who was he to guilt her, without a word, into spinning in his arms?

She shook her head, trying to dispel the cloud of doubt that flooded her mind. She closed her eyes, head tilting up to the stars. Her heart thudded in her ears, its rhythm in time with the music that bled out into the night, so loud that she could not hear the telltale click of footsteps coming towards her...