A Tale of Redamancy

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I stared at his hand before gently placing mine on top of his as I followed him to the dance floor. I then faced him as he softly grabbed my waist and my hand again and we were off, following the flow of the music. Being this close, I could get a good look of his charming face. He had black hair and bangs that just reached his eyes. Oh and his eyes were bright blue, piercing as they moved around the room. I remembered all those shirtless pictures in the book I read of him were so nice...

I blushed a deep red as I felt his piercing gaze turn to me as I looked to the side. I realized then that it was super quiet and uncomfortable dancing with him. I need to get him to like me so he won't end up killing me in the future, I thought as the dance slowed up a bit.

"So... Mary is a sweet girl. She must have a lot of friends?" He said nothing as I bit my inner cheek. I tried again.

"Uh... what Mary said... were you snoring much on your way here?" He glared at me, burning with anger. He has some anger issues.

Suddenly the flow picked up and we were off to the races. The room was spinning, laughter and conversation filled up the room. I looked around in awe when suddenly my ankle wobbled and gave out, and I winced, letting go of Theodore as I stood in the middle of the dance floor. Theodore stood right next to me.

"What's wrong?" He said. His voice was low with hints of concern. I was bent over, dizzy and hot, with my hands on my hips as I thought, do I walk it off or seek medical attention? I decided on the first option. I stood back up and smiled, brushing his shoulder with my hand.

"Don't worry Theodore, I think I just twisted it, want to go dance one more time for tonight?" I saw him hesitate a second before following me. I took another step and saw the room tilt, realizing I was falling. I felt two arms wrap around my waist as I leaned into a warm embrace. I turned my head and looked up to see Theodore staring back at me with a blank expression. I tried to brush him off as he took off one hand around my waist and instead grabbed my legs and picked me up bridal style. I gasped.

"Theodore-what?" He walked over to our parents who turned to us, confused.

"Mr and Mrs Valerius, your daughter fell, I think due to exhaustion. May I take her out to get fresh air?" My father nodded and pointed to an exit.

"Take that door which will lead you into a hallway. Go all the way down and it will lead you to the greenhouse." Theodore nodded and walked me out. I shielded my face from the guests since I knew I was a red tomato.

As soon as we were in the hallway I tried to push him off.

"Theodore let me go, now." I couldn't breathe, I was shaking. He looked down at me and gently put me down. I took several steps away and turned around, breathing heavy. I was so scared for no reason. I couldn't stop shaking.

"Are you okay?" I heard Theodore's voice and I remembered that he wasn't here to hurt me and I relaxed. I gripped my dress and turned around.

"Yes, sorry, I was embarrassed. Shall we walk?" He looked like he was about to refuse. I then bent over and took off my shoes, and looked up, smiling and started to walk away. He soon followed.

When we reached the end of the hallway, I opened the door and stepped onto a cool stone, holding the door for Theodore as we walked into the greenhouse. I found this place a favorite due to the quiet and peacefulness of it. I found some steps on the side and instantly sat down, stretching my legs out. Theodore sits down in front of me and grabs my foot. I frowned about to pull away when he looked at me softly.

"Please let me look." I nodded. My ankle was puffy but I didn't mind. I watched Theodore being gentle with my ankle as he put it on the ground and got up to sit next to me.

"So how bad is it doc?" I said teasingly. He looked at me then forward again, mumbling that I just twisted it and it will be okay. I smiled and faced forward also.

After a long period of silence I was about to doze off when Theodore said "I'm sorry." I turned to him. He was looking straight at me. His eyes changed to a dark blue, surprising me. I shook my head.

"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong, I was tired from dancing... besides I've dealt with worse." I replied. Theodore was about to answer when suddenly Mary popped her head out the door behind us.

"Diana you're okay!" She cried. She walked over and sat in front of me. I smiled warmly.

"Of course darling, I just injured myself a little no worries." I yawned as Mary began to scold Theodore who replied back to saying he already apologized. They'll playful banter was amusing. At some point of their conversation, I fell asleep.

***

Theodore was listening to Mary complain about some of the guests at the party when he felt a soft pressure on his arm and looked over to see that Diana fell asleep, her head tilted and leaning on his arm. Mary noticed.

"Oh no, I should wake her up-" I shook my head.

"Let her sleep. It's her birthday after all, she should have the gift of a peaceful sleep." He replied. Mary nodded and left to go adventure around the greenhouse, observing all the exotic plants.

Looking at Diana closely, Theodore noticed how innocent she looked while asleep, taking in every detail of her.