𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒// ɢɪʟʙᴇʀᴛ ʙʟʏᴛʜᴇ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

𝐗𝐈

1st POV

   the laughter and chatter coming from the ball room filled my ears as i brushed through my hair. to say i am nervous is an understatement. i am absolutely terrified.

   i mean i've never danced with anyone before but because gilbert asked me, i'm 10x nervous. i told celeste how i was feeling and she only responded with, "your in love with the boy y/n! just admit it!"

   is she correct?

   i mean come on, it's just gilbert.

   gilbert.

   "are you ready dear?" i heard my mother ask as she placed her hands on the back of my chair, "this is the one night we don't have to work and here you are. in your room."

   i set down my brush and turned to her, "mother?"

   she looked down at me and furrowed her eyebrows, "oh no dear what is it?"

   i looked at my mirror, studying my hair and with curious eyes i asked, " how do you know if you are in love with someone?"

   her eyes widened, "your in love with someone? who?"

   getting up from my chair i went and closed the door to my bedroom, "well i'm not sure if i'm in love with him, hence why i'm asking you, and i am definitely not telling you."

   she sighed as she sat on my bed patting next to her. as i sat she turned to me, "y/n when you truly love someone, you think about that person constantly, craving connection with them both physically and emotionally. you want to know their thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs and you want to be all of those and more for him. if you love him, take what i said into consideration. now come on, the dance is beginning and i think gilbert is waiting for you."

   i turned to my mirror and studied my dress. it was flowy with puff sleeves and barely brushed the ground. my hair was pinned up with a few strands falling down resting on my shoulders. walking to my desk i grabbed a simple pearl necklace and placed it around my neck. taking one last glance at myself in the mirror i exited my room.

   as i walked down the set of stairs i scanned for a tall brown haired boy. i was too busy searching for gilbert that i missed a step and tripped down the stairs. as i prepared for the humiliation and the floor ahead of me, i felt two arms snake around my waist, stopping me from embarrassing myself even further.

   "uhm, y/n? are you okay?"

   i tensed as i recognized the voice, "gilbert! thank you so much for- uhm, saving me!" standing up straight i patted his arm and led him to the ball room.

   oh god that was awkward.

   the music started and gilbert grasped my hand and pulled me closer to him. he took the lead (thank god because i can't dance) and spun me around the ballroom without breaking eye contact. pulling me closer i stared into his brown orbs as he turned elegantly, his body in tune with the slow music. yet, there was a sort of harshness to him, like he was someone who shouldn't be underestimated. i didn't quite care at the moment. was it because i was falling in love with a boy i hardly knew? the warmth between us grew more powerful by the second. my heartbeat was growing steadily along with it. our dance was perfect; everything from our breathing to how our bodies moved stayed in sync. if, by the end of this dance my breath is taken away, i would know the exact reason why.

   that was when i decided to let go. let my worries, my pain, and sorrow go. right here, right now i was living. nothing else seemed to matter anymore; i allowed him to take me anywhere he pleased on this dance floor. he went right, i went right. he sped up, i sped up. we continue like that until we had to separate, though i was sad to be away from his warmth. when the song ended we smiled at each other before noticing the snow flakes falling from the sky. while we were lost in each others embrace we failed to notice that we ended up outside. gilbert laughed as he brushed the snowflakes off of my shoulders and in that very moment i wondered why i didn't see it before. gilbert was the one for me. in my eyes, and because of that dance, i can see how perfect he truly is.

   gilbert's hands slipped down the smooth curve of my sides to rest on my hips as he drew me in. my heart was beating so wildly i could only take little sips of breath. we were so lost in each other's eyes that neither of us noticed the snowflakes melting like tears on our skin. his face bent down into mine in a slow motion, like a dream, blurred, and then disappeared as i felt his soft lips close over mine.

   breaking apart he cupped my face and rested his forehead on mine, "i think i love you y/n"