The Pact

31. the last dance

"Beck," I breathed, mustering up the courage to turn and face him.

He looked breathtaking. He was wearing a crisp black suit, complete with a light green tie. The colour matched the dress I was wearing, and I couldn't help the small flutter in my chest at the thought.

His hair was slicked back, and his face was clean-shaven. He was gorgeous.

I stared at him, unable to speak, but unable to look away from him.

He let out a shaky breath as he stepped forward, "Hi."

My hands shook.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words would come.

He approached me, clenching and unclenching his fists as if he was fighting the urge to cup my face in his hands. "I'm sorry, Em," he whispered.

I swallowed thickly, forcing myself to look up at him.

He continued, "I wanted to tell you. I wanted to talk to you. But I-" he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before looking behind me at the setting sun.

"Dance with me," I cut him off, my voice soft and quiet as I stared up at him.

His eyes snapped to mine. "What?"

"Dance with me," I repeated.

He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head at me. "Em," he whispered, his eyes shining, a stark comparison to how they were when I saw him last.

I swallowed hard, my eyes filling with tears as I watched him. "We can talk after but, just for now, please dance with me?"

I watched as he took a shaky breath. "Okay." He whispered, nodding as he stepped forward, taking my hands in his and guiding me to the center of the terrace.

The music drifted out from the open doors of the ballroom, and Beck's hands slid around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

He stared down at me, his hands trembling against my waist as he brushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

I wanted to speak, but the words wouldn't come. So, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, resting my cheek against his chest.

I listened to his heart hammering against his ribs, matching my own rhythm.

I had missed this. I had missed him. I had missed us.

I let out a breath, pulling back so that I could look up at him.

He was already looking down at me.

He was looking at me like I was the only thing in the world.

My fingers slowly reached up to run over his face, tracing his features as I took him in. He let out a shaky breath, leaning into my touch as he cupped his hands around my face, running his thumbs along my cheekbones.

I closed my eyes, letting out a soft sigh as he brought his lips down to meet mine.

The kiss was soft and tender, but it filled me with an overwhelming amount of emotion.

I didn't want to let him go.

His lips were soft against mine, and he tasted like sugar. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, pulling me flush against him as we continued to sway in place.

He was so warm.

I let out a soft sigh, smiling against his lips as he moved his mouth against mine.

I had missed him so much.

I had missed his arms around me, I had missed the way he kissed me, I had missed his eyes, I had missed him.

I pulled away from him, resting my cheek on his chest as I wrapped my arms around him.