Sparks Fly (An Aleheather Story/AU)

Chapter 11

There was a sudden silence and suspense in the room as the audience waited for Alejandro to speak, sparking a tension in the atmosphere which only seemed to be further exacerbated by the bright white lighting in the event hall.

Heather couldn't believe that he was standing right there at the very back of the crowd. First my mom, and now Alejandro. What is he doing here? Did he actually buy a ticket to my launch party?

At the same time, Nathan gritted his teeth at the sight of Alejandro. It was the Spaniard again. Way to ruin things.

"This question is for Heather," Alejandro began in a soft voice as he held onto the microphone. "To the young woman who was left disappointed by a man - what would you say to her if the man realized he was an idiot and never wanted to hurt her?"

Heather closed her eyes. Trust him to use my own speech against me. There's no way I'll be giving in.

"Well," Heather confidently retorted moments later as she re-opened her eyes. "I would tell her that the damage has been done and it's time for her to move on."

Nathan smiled to himself in satisfaction at Heather's response.

Alejandro took a step closer towards the stage. He then gazed up, right into her grey eyes as he spoke again. "What if he wanted to let her know that he has feelings for her and has never felt like this with anyone else before?"

Heather stood completely frozen on the stage. Is he actually serious now or is he just saying that to play me again? No, remember he's a player. Don't look into his eyes, she ordered herself. She forced herself to look elsewhere - anywhere but those beautiful - no, sneaky emerald green eyes.

"I- I would still say that it's too late," Heather finally managed to respond, her head turned away.

Alejandro couldn't take his eyes off her for even a moment. She was wearing a dark red long dress with a split on the side, and her long, raven black hair was neatly pulled up into a high bun. She's still so beautiful.

He saw the pain and sadness in her eyes.

But he also caught a glimpse of something else. It was only one tiny glimpse, yet it was all that he needed.

He slowly continued to walk closer to where Heather was standing on the stage, slowly sealing the distance between them, until he was less than ten feet away from her. With every step that he took, Heather felt as if she were slowly losing control of her emotions, her feelings and her thoughts, and as if she were being pulled towards Alejandro like a magnet. She gulped. No, be strong. Don't resist. Don't give in...

Alejandro took another few final steps closer towards the stage, and at this point they were now only five feet apart. He then took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment. He needed to take a leap of faith.

The words then came out of his mouth: "What if there was the slightest chance that she still felt something for him too?" His voice was shaky; breathless; raspy yet at the same time ever so soft and ever so gentle.

Fuck. Oh my god. Fuck. What is happening? Heather could now feel her entire face flushing a bright red that was almost as deep as the color of her dress, and her heart pounding heavily against her chest like a drum. She swallowed again and took a step backwards on the stage to regain her composure, but it was no use. And then as if on cue, the butterflies in her stomach instantly appeared as if they'd suddenly and desperately been released from a cage.

"I...I...um, I-" Heather stammered. At this point, her entire mouth felt dry and she would now finally admit that she was at a complete loss for words.

Nathan immediately noticed Heather's expression and an irritated scowl formed on his face. This cannot be good. I must step in and act now before this escalates.