FTRS/RAR One-Shots

Heavin-The Annual White Family Ball

DEVIN

Devin shuffled her feet back and forth, scraping her black flats against the floor. The maidservant the Whites had given her had been shocked by her decision not to wear heels-but they hurt her feet. She would be dancing today, and heels weren't going to help her mediocre skills. 

Heath liked to dance, she remembered. He'd make fun of her shoes-he always noticed everything she wore. He was perceptive like that. Usually she didn't pay much attention to what she wore, but today she felt extra beautiful. Clad in a soft, tulle, rose pink dress that reached the floor with a pure white bodice, she truly felt like a princess. 

A passing guard had complimented her lacy white three-quarter sleeves-probably mistaking her to be older than fifteen, but she'd cheerfully accepted the praise with a smile and a curtsy. Heath would have scowled and put his arm around her-he tended to be protective. The thought made her laugh.

He was late. 

Heath had promised to escort her in; partly, she knew, to prevent anyone else asking her, and partly because he wanted to be presented with her in front of his parents. She noticed that Heath tended to stand up straighter in his parent's presence, showing her off a little, like she was the thing he was most proud of. She was both embarrassed by it and proud of it.

And now, the ball had almost began, and he hadn't showed. Checking the clock on the wall, she quietly informed the patron standing by the door that she would be announced alone. Clearly, word must have got around that she was Heath's personal guest, so he didn't question her.

Suddenly, the ballroom doors opened. The patron cleared his throat. "Presenting-Her Royal Highness, Miss Deviniara Nile of Cobblestone Creek-"

"And Heathcliff White, of the Whites." Heath cut in, smoothly dashing up to take her arm. Though his voice resonated throughout the ballroom, his tone was somehow intimate . "Hey." he said, quieter.

"Hi." she whispered back. 

As he led her into the room, her breath caught a little. The Whites, as usual, spared no expense on their frivolity. The glistening white floors looked freshly mopped; the walls and ceilings a maze of ornate carvings. There were elaborate banquet tables clad in clean white cloths, laden with hundreds of glass plates. It wasn't the spectacles she'd witnessed at RAR, but it still made her gawk.

Heath noticed her gaping, winking at her. He bent down to whisper in her ear. "One would think an esteemed guest of Heathcliff White would be immune to such splendor."

"Shut up." she brushed him off.

He laughed. "Shall we dance?"

Devin nodded, and he pulled her onto the dance floor. Within moments, he was sweeping her in circles, moving in time with the music. Sweet strains of violin and piano echoed in her ears as he lifted her arm and spun her.

As she spun out of her arms, he used the spin into him as an excuse to whisper again. "You look gorgeous, Devin."

"You too." Devin replied, only half-joking. And he did indeed. Rather marvelous, in a dark ebony suit, unbuttoned where his tie should be. His hair was freshly ruffled, probably a result of him running his hand through it.

He laughed again, low and deep. As he reached his arm down to dip her, her arms arching gracefully, Devin was sure she'd never been happier.

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"Who's that with Heathcliff?" asked Mrs. White's sister, Gretchen. 

Mrs. White smiled at her laughing son and his bright-eyed partner. "Deviniara Nile."