If I Could Dance With You Again

IICDWYA: 39

Chapter 39

The room buzzed with a lively anticipation as Aaliyah introduced Ruby and Wren to the group of boys. She had rehearsed this moment in her mind, imagining polite smiles, casual banter, and perhaps a touch of curiosity. However, the reality unraveled in a way entirely unforeseen, leaving Aaliyah stunned.

Ruby was poised, her warmth radiating with quiet confidence, while Wren carried an enigmatic aura that captured attention effortlessly. The boys, initially caught off guard, exchanged quick glances that hinted at a sea of unspoken thoughts. Aaliyah had expected them to react with mild interest or charm, as was their usual demeanor. Instead, their expressions shifted into something bordering on awe, mixed with unmistakable bewilderment.

The air grew heavy with palpable tension. One of the boys, Soonyoung, stammered out a greeting that seemed to falter halfway through. His voice, usually steady and teasing, wavered as though Ruby and Wren held some unnameable power over his words. The others followed, their usual camaraderie disrupted, their responses awkward and fragmented.

Aaliyah couldn't help but notice the subtle dynamics at play. Ruby's confident smile seemed to disarm them, while Wren's quiet intensity held their attention captive. It was as if the presence of the two girls had shifted the equilibrium of the group, exposing vulnerabilities that none of the boys had expected to reveal.

"What's with you guys?" Aaliyah finally asked, breaking the silence that had begun to feel suffocating. Her tone, a mix of curiosity and humor, was an attempt to restore normalcy.

"Uh, nothing," Soonyoung replied too quickly, avoiding eye contact. His usual bravado was nowhere to be found. "Just... didn't expect this."

The others nodded in agreement, their reactions too synchronized to be entirely convincing. Aaliyah's mind raced to understand the cause of this odd behavior. Was it Ruby's poised demeanor? Wren's enigmatic charm? Or something else entirely that had sent their usual self-assuredness into the wind?

"Why don't we try ordering now?" Ruby's casual voice just stunned one of the guys. She then raised her hand and signal one of the waiters.

Ruby was one vocal person who didn't seem to mind looking at the menu and asked for what the three girls preferred. The boys already had their orders and were only waiting it to come.

"Ruby already knows all of you since she did her research the moment I was hired by your company. And she was confident that she might get some..." Aaliyah could not continue since Ru already put her hands over her friend's mouth.

The guys were stunned at their closeness especially when Ru and Aaliyah had eye-war in silence. "This is normal. Don't mind them," Wren told them.

One of them was too curious about what Aaliyah meant. But also didn't try to be nosier since they just met.

Wonwoo nodded his head at what Wren said, his expression calm yet thoughtful. "Yeah, normal," he muttered, his voice almost drowned by the ambient clatter of the restaurant. He seemed to be weighing Wren's words, as if trying to convince himself that the eye-war and silent exchanges were indeed as ordinary as they appeared.

It was a fleeting moment, yet it held a certain gravity that didn't go unnoticed by the group. The idea of "normalcy" between Ruby and Aaliyah seemed to take on an entirely new meaning, one that was layered with unspoken understanding and an almost palpable bond. Wonwoo's subtle agreement acted as an anchor for the others, grounding the awkwardness that had briefly taken hold.

"Nothing," Aaliyah seemed to have surrendered at a different gaze by Ruby as if she understood what her friend meant.

"How are you here?" Soonyoung uttered shocking his two friends.