Nomads

Chapter 37

She was absolutely breathtaking.

Luca actually forgot how to breathe for a moment after his eyes landed on Mara. While he was able to quickly regain control of his breathing, the words remained lost on him as he took in her beautiful dress, her silky locks, and her stunning smile. She looked more confident, more comfortable in her skin than she had all semester. And it made his heart soar.

When her eyes fell on him, he saw her get momentarily flustered by his crisp suit & bowtie look before collecting herself much more quickly than he had.

He watched her smile shift into a teasing one and knew he was a goner. As she elegantly floated toward him, he felt his lips crack a defeated smile before she could even say anything.

"Yep," he murmured when she stopped in front of him. "You're right. I should close my mouth before I catch flies. I'm staring too hard. You're just so beautiful; I can't help it."

She blushed, smoothing the crease of his suit jacket. "You should dress like this more often," she murmured, choosing not to tease him.

His smile widened and he reached forward and slipped his hand into hers. "You think so?"

"Mhm," she hummed, biting her lip. "That's the only compliment you're getting out of me; you better milk it for all it's worth."

He scoffed lightheartedly. "Oh please," he muttered. "You can't take your eyes off me."

"I could say the same thing about you," she retorted with a cheeky grin.

From somewhere outside their own little world they were in, exaggerated gagging could be heard. "Geez, Luke. I didn't know you were so cheesy. How does that work on you, Naomi?" Teased Julia.

Mara's grin widened. "I dunno; the guy just gets me."

"Can you guys stop staring dreamily into each other's eyes long enough for us to get a group photo?" Sarah grumbled, the smirk on her face betraying her.

Mara blushed, taking a step back and breaking the little trance Luca was in. "Yeah, of course. Where do you want us to stand?"

***

After the pictures they took separate cars to the dance: Mason, Sarah, Maggie and Julia in one; Luca, Mara and Amir in the other. They were initially supposed to pick up JJ on the way, but the day before she had told Mara that her childhood friend from out of state agreed to be her date last minute and would be driving her there.

When they got there, she felt stares pricking her skin but she shrugged it off, having left the shawl she bought in the car. The girls had put so much effort into making her look so beautiful; it would have been a shame to cover herself up like she was ashamed of the way they made her look.

Luca tried his best to remain by her side at first, but all sorts of people pulled them apart every chance they got. She ended up on the sidelines with Mason for a few minutes as they both needed a break from dancing while Luca was stuck in a conversation with a classmate on the other side of the room.

"Having fun?" she asked, flashing him a smile as he fiddled with the cuffs of his sleeves.

He hummed noncommittally in response, not taking his eyes off the dance floor where Julia could be seen dancing with a guy.

"Who's that guy Julia's dancing with?" Mara asked curiously after she followed his line of sight to the couple.

"James Dalton," he grumbled rather bitterly. Mara bit back a laugh at the realization that Julia had taken Maggie's advice in trying to make Mason jealous, and actually let one out upon noticing that it was working based on the look on his face. He had been uncharacteristically grumpy for most of the night; probably because Julia had stuck to James like glue and all but ignored Mason's entire existence.