invisible string -a.bridgerton

5

   "How are you enjoying this evening, Miss Pembrooke?" questioned Anthony as his sister ran off to fetch herself a drink.

   "I must admit it was quite dull, until merely five minutes ago, Lord Bridgerton," Emma replied with a coy smile.

   Anthony Bridgerton had courted girls before. He had always been confident- shamelessly flirting and sweeping them off of their feet. Yet every rational and rake-ish thought he had ever had seemed to flee his mind as he looked at Emma. He could not muster a single thought that was not about her, not that he wanted to.

   Emma Pembrooke had had crushes before. She remembered years prior when she was a mere pre-teen, the supposed love she had for her next-door neighbor. It was unrequited of course, yet Emma was sure their love had been the most epic of all times. Once she grew out of that she remembered how she would blush when a particular business partner of her fathers would come over to visit. And how she would just happen to be in the library where he sat with her father. 

   Emma was sure she had known what a mere crush was. That is until she met Anthony Bridgerton. The two had barely talked, and yet she felt more for him than all of her previous crushes. The supposed butterflies she had felt in her stomach prior had turned into the whole zoo. The faint blush she used to sport turned into a mind-boggling sensation she could not explain. She could not bear his presence, yet never wished to leave the room.

   "Would you like to dance, Miss Pembrooke?" Anthony asked after about a minute of psyching himself up.

   Emma had expected him to say many things, mostly about the weather or even his sister. Perhaps about the splendor of the room ar the appetizers they served. She was not expecting that question.

   "I would be delighted Lord Bridgerton," she replied giving a small smile to him.

   Anthony offered his hand which she took, and the two made their way towards the ballroom floor.

   The two stood a mere foot apart from each other and waited for the music to begin. In fear of the distraction it was sure to cause for her, Emma avoided the viscount's eyes.

   The music started and Emma could not avoid his gaze any longer.

   The dance was a slow one, not the type where they jumped about, but the type where you would fall in love if you danced it.

   The two slowly got closer together throughout the dance, maintaining eye contact the whole time. The gaze was intense, but Emma tried to pretend that he dances with every girl like that- perhaps that's how he got the status of such a rake.

   Emma could feel everywhere his hand touched. It was as if he had lit her skin on fire. She felt it on her hands, as they joined hands to switch places. He felt it on her waist, as he spun her around. And she felt it on the small of her back, when he dipped her to finish the dance.

   Once the music had ended and Emma straightened back up, she still felt the fire on her back. The hand remained as all of the other couples separated. And as everyone clapped for the dance. It remained.

   The two were close, almost scandalously close. Emma was sure if she leaned forward an inch her nose would brush his. Another inch after that would result in the scandal of a lifetime. Emma took in his face as she stood there, his strong jawline, his messy brown hair, and his hooded brown eyes. Emma had not noticed before, but there were small flecks of green in them. They could have gone unnoticed, but they did not.

   Anthony knew they should part. Yet he could not seem to step away. Her back against his hand gave him an unexplainable feeling. He studied her face, her brown hair pulled back, her high cheekbones, her rosy lips, and her light eyes. The reminded him of honey, honey so sweet he could drown in it. He wished to see them in the sunlight, for he knew they would be radiant.

   Neither one of them knew who stepped away first, but they were both disappointed when they did. Emma could not bear the emotion anymore, so she curtsied quickly and ran away with blushed cheeks. As she hurried away she noticed most everyone's eyes seemed to be on her.

   'Great' Emma thought to herself, a scandal on the first day of the season. To be fair, that does sound like something that would happen to Emma, for however much she wished it didn't, excitement seemed to follow her wherever she went. She willed herself to look cool and collected, yet she suspected that the blush on her cheeks gave her away.

   Emma quickly found her mother and suggested they made their way to leave, as it was quite late in the evening. She then found her father and practically pushed him out the door.

   She risked one last glance around the room, and low and behold she found Anthony's eyes. He was next to his sister and a man Emma had never met but was only looking at her. Emma sent him a smile before being pulled out the door by her mother.

   On the other side of the room, The Duke of Hastings awaited a reply from his long-time friend, yet did not get one. The Viscount seemed to be in a world of his own and he stared off into the distance with a small smile on his face. Simon tried to see what had him so enamored, yet could not find the source of his stare.

   "Anthony?" Simon questioned once again, slightly glancing at Daphne to see if she understood what had happened.

   "Hm?" He replied eyes snapping back to his friend.

   "I said we shall need to get together properly, but it seems something else had you enamored," Simon replied with a smirk on his face.

   "I expect to see you at our club, then," Anthony replied ignoring the last half of his friend's statement.

   "Indeed," the Duke replied, still trying to find what the viscount was looking at in the crown.

   "Evening, Hastings," Anthony quickly said so that he might avoid more questioning about what he was distracted by. Daphne and the Duke quickly said their goodbyes and the siblings went off to find their mother.

   "I believe it is time for us to retire," Anthony said in the company of his family. The woman quickly protested, yet he stood his ground, and they were on their way.

a/n SORRY THIS IS SO SHORT! i had writer's block on how to write the dance :/ I'm SO GLAd you guys like this book!! I'm in my last two weeks of school rn so updates might be slow, but after finals, I promise they will be fast!! I love you!!! anyways why can anthony leave his hand on my back after we finish dancing ;)