The Greatest of Them All

You Broke the Rules

It was the right thing to do, right?

Yes, Bobby decided. He made the right choice to stop things. She had been drunk and upset. She was still with Gary. That's not how he wanted to start things off with her.

But God, to have her approach him like that, to be so close, to feel her press those gorgeous, soft curves against him...His body ached in protest at her absence. He couldn't believe he had managed to push her away. He wanted her so badly.

But he had caught a glimpse of her expression as she walked over, before she had made eye contact with him. She looked like an injured animal, agitated and hurting. The pain in her face muted a bit when she approached him, but he could still see it. And he could tell that she was trying to escape it through him.

He didn't want to just be Sadie's escape from Gary. The idea of being a mere distraction was unbearable. He wanted her full attention. He didn't want this facsimile of a relationship that he'd been entertaining with Lottie. He wanted something whole and complex and nuanced. And he wanted it with Sadie. He longed to bury himself deep inside her life. Oh fuck. The intensity of his feelings crashed over him. He wanted to fall in love with her.

When she had pulled his arms around her while they danced, he almost let himself go, but the thought of being invited into her life only to make a bigger mess of things stopped him in his tracks. He wanted to help her put things back together when they fell apart, not create more chaos.

It was the right thing to do. But the hurt look she gave him was a knife to his chest. He wanted to make it explicitly clear that he wanted her, that this was not a rejection. But loud music, cameras, and a crowd of people aren't conducive to complex romantic confessions. Instead he fumbled something about it "not being right" and she had disappeared.

Suddenly he wanted to explain all of this to her and make sure she was okay. He needed to find her. He made his way toward the villa.

As he searched the different rooms, he thought about how strange it was that Gary was flirting so shamelessly with Hannah. He had Sadie. And as far as everyone could tell, he cared about her. Why would he give that up?

A quieter, more secret part of him that he wouldn't acknowledge did hopeful jumps for joy at the prospect of Sadie being available.

As he turned into the dressing room area, someone smacked hard into his chest. When she staggered back, he saw it was Sadie. Her face was deathly pale. Her eyes stared at him wildly, but didn't seem to really register his presence. If she looked like an injured animal before, now she looked like one scurrying to escape a predator.

"Sadie, what's wrong? You look like you've seen Nessie!"

She shook her head and gestured chaotically toward the terrace. Her breath quickened to hyperventilated gasps. Bobby gently placed his hands on her arms and pulled her closer. Her face looked so distraught. "Come here," he wrapped his arms tightly around her, hoping the pressure of the embrace would help calm her down.

Her heart was racing, but her body relaxed against him for a moment. Noises came from the terrace and he felt Sadie's body tense again. "I have to go," she whispered, her voice panic-stricken.

"I'll go with you." He said calmly. He kept an arm around her as he led her out of the dressing room. He didn't understand why she so urgently needed to get away, but he could tell she meant it. He guided her down to the firepit, one of the few unoccupied spaces. He finally let go of her shoulders and took a seat, gesturing for her to join him. She sat down tensely for a few seconds before immediately standing up again. She frantically paced around the fire, anxious electricity swirling around her. It was like watching a top spin.