Dangerous Love

Chapter 1

I was walking towards the huge stairs that led to the ballroom. I stopped in front of it and took a deep breath.
I hated this. The proms, the liabilities, everything!
"And now, I'd like to introduce my beautiful daughter Melissa to you."
I flattened my red dress, laid the red mask on my face and tied a knot on the back of my head. Then I turned around the corner to walk down the stairs. The room was full of people in dresses and suits with masks to hide their faces, they who cheered, when they saw me. I took another deep breath, then swallowed that uncomfortable feeling and walked down the stairs. I looked at my parents, who smiled at me. Jonathan who stood next to them smiled as well. I put on a fake smile and stopped at the end of the stairs, so everyone could take a closer look at me.
Jonathan took a step forward - ready to ask me for my first dance - when suddenly a masked man appeared in front of me. His blue eyes shimmered under the red mask he was wearing, as he smiled at me. He took my hand and kissed it. "May I ask for this dance?", he asked with an angelic voice. First I looked at him in shock, but then I smiled and replied: "Yes."
He led me to the middle of the room, laid his right hand on my hip and pulled me closer to him. He took my right and and I laid my left one on his arm. The music started to play and we swirled over the floor.
"What are you doing here?", I asked him quietly and a litte worried.
"I'm dacing with the beautiful woman I love.", he simply replied, making me I blush, which made him smile.
But then my mood shifted again. "It's too dangerous. If my father finds out who you are-"
"That's why it's fortunate that this is a masked ball. He will never find out.", he said and spun me around. I laughed a little and we continued our dance. He smiled at me and my heart started to melt.
"My father will kill you.", I eventually said, not being able to just enjoy the moment.
"He doesn't know me."
"He hates everyone who's not my-" I stopped, unable to say the word out loud.
He spun me around again. "Your what?", he asked curiously.
I was wondering if maybe he already knew, what I didn't want to put into words. "I can't tell you...", I simply said quietly.
The music slowly stopped playing, he spun me around one last time and kissed my hand again. "I realy enjoyed our dance, Mademoiselle.", he said smiling.
But I couldn't shake that uncomfortable feeling of everyone - especially my father - staring at us. "Please, go. I beg you. It's too dangerous."
"Don't you want me here?"
"No, that's not it. There's nothing I want more, than dance with you the whole night, but..." I couldn't bring myself to say it.
"I will stay. If you want it or not. But for now I'll stay in the background, before someone notices.", he said, kissed my hand again and walked away.