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chapter fourteen, you looked like a prince in distress.
YET AGAIN, the, now, nine girls were put into another ball. All of the girls were sewn into their nice dresses and their hair and makeup done to perfection. Most girls wore simple colors, blues, pinks, yellows, but Francesca didn't get to pick her dress. Aaron had laid out a custom made dress for her, it had all of the simple colors, yes, but it was so much more than that.
Her dress had swirls of Barbie pink, berry blue, and hints of gold. Along with white and black, when this skirt would spin it would show an array of those gorgeous colors. Her hair was curled and had sporadic braids all throughout it, gold chins weaved within. Her makeup was done flawlessly, her soft blush, her sharp eyeliner, her pink lipstick that was just the perfect shade. Everything she wore she worse well, as if it was all curated just for her. And it was.
The ball had started, all of the girls standing to the side of the walls, awaiting Aaron to approach them for a dance. Aaron didn't approach anyone, in fact, as he was walking to find Francesca, Kate walked up and started to talk.
"The ball is lovely, my prince," Kate curtsied, a bright, fake smile on her face. Kate's gown was a simple baby pink, it was sparkly and boring. It's what most of the girls were wearing.
"Yes, it is. Miss. Crawford, correct?"
"Yes, Kate Crawford," she pushed her hand forward, expecting him to kiss the back of it. He took her hand gently and kissed the back of it, just like he was raised to do. But just because he was raised to do it doesn't mean he liked doing it, well to anyone but Francesca.
Kate proceeded to make mindless small talk with him, but his thoughts were anywhere but the brunette. His eyes wondered around the ballroom, admiring the decorations and sparkles that coated the air. But soon enough, like a magnet, his eyes found Francesca Heart.
Francesca saw the look in his eyes, the pleading look that only she would know. Her eyes darted to Kate, a frown creasing her lips. She quickly dismissed herself from the conversation she was in, quickly trying to shuffle through the sea of people keeping her from her beloved prince.
Her heartbeat sounded through her ears as her feet carried her to Aaron, a blush tinting her cheeks. He hadn't even said anything, all the did was give her a look. To anyone else, the look was normal and blank. But to Francesca and Aaron, the look was so much more. It was clear the two felt comfort in each other, perhaps too much comfort but that was beside the point.
They knew each other more than anyone else ever could. They simply just had an understanding. No, it was so much more than that. It was like Francesca needed Aaron to breathe, had she truly known what living was like before she met him? She didn't know. Aaron needed her as well, how he was completely sane before his darling Francesca swooped in and saved him from his impending demise, he didn't know.
"Kate, hello, I believe Lord Middleton is requesting your presence." Francesca said as soon as she approached Aaron, smiling at the girl. Kate's eyebrows furrowed and Francesca was happy to help, "ah yes, Lord Middleton, the bald man over there." Francesca pointed, shooing the other girl away.
"You are my night in shining armor, you know that?" Aaron teased, smiling at the girl. He reached out to the butler carrying a tray, grabbing two lemonades. He handed one to Francesca, who accepted it gratefully.
"Well, when I see a damsel in distress I must help him," she laughs, taking a sip of her drink. Aaron smiled at her joke, chuckling. His eyes watched her as she drank the lemonade, his orbs dilating at the sight of the beautiful girl. His eyes followed her every move, more specifically: her lips. The way the lemonade seeped into her mouth through her perfectly parted lips, the way that once she pulled the glass away from her face her lips closed as she swallowed. Her gloved hand wiped the excess lemonade off of the corner of her mouth, her tounge sweeping across her wet lips to clean them off of the tart drink. It all created a rather dirty image in Aaron's mind and he couldn't help but not be ashamed.
His eyes darkened and he couldn't stop himself from staring as he lips once more parted to allow soft pants escape the perfect chamber that was her mouth. It was one of those silly moments that when you drink something and you ingest too much it makes you breathless, but still, it was the perfect image for Aaron. His mind wandered to all the ways he could make Francesca pant like that, the ways he could make her lungs beg for oxygen by just one simple sweep of his tongue.
No.
This is wrong, he thought. He couldn't be thinking this way of his best friend, it would be unethical. Not to mention he could never act on such desires, she was not his wife and she never would be. Right? Surly, he would find someone to marry before all of the girls went home. But even then, maybe he could marry Francesca. It wasn't a bad thought, it just wasn't what they agreed upon. It wasn't in their rule book.
Rules were meant to be broken, and everyone knew it. So, what's the worst that could happen if he broke this one simple, life changing rule.
