Hate Me Love Me

38| On Your Lips 🩰

֍҉֍҉♥҉֍҉֍

"Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet." --- Plato.

֍҉֍҉♥҉֍҉֍

'In order to kiss someone,' Marcus explains. 'You need to have nice teeth. Clean teeth.'

I nod seriously. 'Definitely. Kissing people with gross teeth is gross.'

He gently squeezes my hand as we dance, moving slowly to the music, around the couples.

My eyes travel to where Clementine is dancing with a brown-haired boy, and it brings a smile to my face when I see the expression on her face.

She definitely likes him.

I rotate us so I'm facing Alaric. He's glaring at Marcus, a slender glass of pomegranate juice in his hand. Once again, I look him over and sigh.

He's in a dark black tuxedo, white shirt tucked into black slacks, and a black tie is around his neck. His hair is styled with even more perfection than it normally is, and I just want to run my fingers through it. His lips are stained dark from the juice, and his eyes are even darker as he finally looks away from Marcus, and at me.

The look he gives me makes me blush furiously. It's the same look he's been giving me for the past hour, ever since I got here.

'I don't know how to feel about my dance partner getting horny about another guy,' Marcus jokes, and I smack his shoulder and laugh.

'I'm just nervous,' I let the truth slip.

'Why?'

Because I forgot that Dean Aldrois funds all the balls and he's in this very room.

Because Alaric texted me and told me that his father's here. Dean told his son to stay away from me, and if he doesn't, he won't be able to see his mother.

'Because people are looking at me,' I finally reply. Marcus rolls his eyes.

'You look gorgeous, that's why babe.'

I give him a genuine smile and thank him as the dance ends. We step back and bow to each other, like this formal occasion requires us to.

Some people around me swap pairs and start the next dance, and I let Marcus go and dance with a girl he'd been eyeing. Vincent and Sebastian have a group of girls around them to choose from. I hear a group of boys say 'Merry Christmas' to eachother, having arrived just a few minutes ago

I walk over to the food table and pour myself a glass of mango juice. As I take a sip, my eye wanders back to Alaric. He's nodding at something his father's saying.

And then something magical happens.

Dean Aldrois walks out of the hall with five men in suits following him. Another five men stand beside Alaric.

A girl comes to the table and compliments me, reminding me of Lola, who wasn't feeling well enough to come. I thank her and look back at Alaric, taking another sip of juice to heal my dry mouth.

He's handing purple envelopes to the five men, who take it from him with smiles on their faces. Alaric says something to them and they all nod in unison, walking out of the hall as well.

And now, there's nobody watching Alaric and I.

There's nobody to stop us.

Alaric stands still for a while, staring at the wall in front of him, and then he finally turns to face me. There's a hungry look in his eyes, a smirk on his face, and a fluttery feeling in my chest as he walks across the dancefloor, between the dancing couples, and close to me for the first time tonight.