Becoming the Luna

Chapter 55

Virgil carefully guides me through to the tables and chairs set at one end and I gratefully sit, feeling a bit dizzy from the people and the crowd milling around.

"You look like you need a drink." He observes, hovering over me in concern.

I want to tell him not really but he looks really worried about my drowsy expression, I want to tell him that it's just my introvert acting up at having to be outside and with people but he looks like he really wants to get me the drink so I nod.

I shrink into myself when he strides powerfully through the ballroom, my gaze is fixed on him and I'm not surprised when this is the same with more than half the occupants, it's Virgil after all.

He looks at home in the trench coat and knee-high boots like he's worn them all his life, a slight smile on his dashing face as he makes his way back to me, for a couple of minutes I forget about my social anxiety and just sit there being proud as hell of my date.

"Hi baby, missed me?" Virgil drawls, when he gets back, kissing my forehead before sitting beside me.

My brain stops working for a couple of seconds and I just sit gaping at him.

"Hayden?" He calls me in worry, waving his hand in front of my face.

I blink furiously. "S-Sorry, I spaced out a bit, thanks."  I murmur to him accepting the drink. "I didn't have the time to miss you anyway, you were just gone a couple of minutes."

"What are you both doing here sitting down?" Shana crashes into our table in her usual energetic way, stringing Mae along. "Let's go dance, here Virgil, dance with Mae first, I want to dance with Hay." 

Before any of us can react to her decision making, she has already latched onto my hand and is pulling me to the dance floor.

"Do you think it's safe to leave Mae with Virgil?" I can't help asking Shana when she finally finds a position that she thinks is perfect.

"Virgil knows that I know where he sleeps, he'll behave." She shrugs and we start swaying gently to the music. "So how are you enjoying the dance?"

I shake my attention from a couple beside us that are dancing vigorously to look at her. "It's it's fine." I trail vaguely, slightly distracted with everything going on.

The lights dim and more people move to the dance floor, it feels claustrophobic and I really want my bedroom right about now.

"Mind if I cut in." Dale's silky voice halts my impending panic episode and I look up to see leaf green eyes flash out of a handsome face.

"This is going to get me killed but I have no qualms sacrificing for the greater good." Shana says seriously, fluidly handing me over to Dale who doesn't hesitate before replacing her.

I just stare after a retreating Shana with an open-mouthed expression, she did not just do this to me.

"Hey, Hayden." Dale murmurs to me, pulling me close to him with an arm around my waist and the other entangled with mine. "You look good."

I look up at his face and instantly regret my decision, he has a smirk on his handsome face, green eyes glinting and I wonder why I never meet normal people, no everyone I meet has to look at home at a model photoshoot.

I gulp, self-conscious of how close we are. "Hi, Dale." I whisper in return, it's lucky that the lights are dimmer because I'm a hideous shade of red.

We start to move around in tight circles which is basically what everyone is doing, my second hand that isn't held in Dale's warm grip is resting on the lapels of his Royal blue coat.

I didn't have the time or presence of mind to appreciate his outfit when we first came in because Elise had a way of making me lose concentration by just existing, he's in Royal blue and white colors and although the colors suit him, I'm pretty sure he'd have never had worn them on his own.

He's well over a foot taller than me and I'm wishing I wore heeled boots because looking up at him only to see him almost leaning over me with that look in his eyes couldn't be good for my mental health, I lose sight of the people around us, well I wasn't looking at them to begin with so I don't notice us getting closer to the middle of the dance floor.

Not until Dale spins me around and catches me with an arm around me, my balance off-kilter, there's a smattering of applause like the rest of the ballroom can't really tell what happened but it looked cool enough for them.

Still in that slanted position, I turn my head to the side to bury my face in Dale's chest and make a strangled sound.

He's still content to leave me like this but he leans forward to whisper in my ear. "Sorry, that was unexpected."

His low voice makes me shut my eyes tighter and I want to tell him that, that's not actually the problem here but I don't get that far.

A shadow looms over and instinctively I turn my head to look at who it could be, and I have to say that I am not surprised at all who it turns out to be.

Virgil...

"Thank you for watching over my date." He says curtly to Dale. "Can I have him back?" He asks with stiff courtesy.

Dale chooses this moment to right my position and I go falling against him as he does this, my balance non-existent. "Of course." Dale says with that same dark politeness but he makes no move to give me back, instead, he leans forward to place a fleeting kiss at the junction where my neck meets my face and I feel my cheeks light up. 

"Some other time, Hay." He whispers, eventually handing me over and strides off through the dancing crowd.

The giddy feeling swirling around in my tummy is short-lived because I see Elise glaring at me from a short distance away, she had most likely bumped into her date because she was draped all over him and I wonder if she had seen me dancing with him.

"What are you looking at?" Virgil asks, replacing Dale's position.

I drag my gaze away from Elise's menacing look and gulp. "N-Nothing." I stutter softly, looking away.

He hums at this content to just move around gently with me, I'm starting to get tired from standing straight through three dances so when this one comes to an end I don't hesitate before I lean up to Virgil.

I frown, because he has to lean his head forward for me to get to his ear even though I'm standing on my tippy toes. When did I get so short?

"I need to get a drink, I'll meet you at our table." I say, already making a move to slip away.

His hold on me tightens and I look up at him in surprise - mistake! Big mistake! - Virgil staring at you with full attention is brain-damaging and that's why he's saying something but I can't hear him.

"Huh?" I mutter, confused.

He pulls me even closer - unnecessary in my opinion - and buries his face in the crook of my neck, just to whisper his previous words that I was too distracted staring at his face to listen to.

"I said, why don't you go on to our table and I'll get a drink for you."

I have to consciously remind myself to listen to him and not get overwhelmed by the tickling sensations of his mouth so close to my ear.

I frown up at him, tapping his side so that he would lean forward for me. "But you got it for me the first time." I complain pettishly. "I want to get it for myself this time."

"Fine." He accepts grudgingly. "But you promise that as soon as you get your drink you'll come back?" He asks seriously.

I shrug at this. "I might want to freshen up at the restroom." I say vaguely not missing the way his brows furrow at this and I find myself reassuring him. "I won't take long I promise, I'll be back before you know it." I say to his face, the music is turned down low to signal a new dance and with a different dance comes the lighting up of the ballroom again.

Like Virgil had anticipated it, or maybe he didn't because it's at that exact moment he's leaning forward to place a quick kiss on my lips. "If you're not back on five, I'm coming for you." He says lowly, letting me go.

I've never moved so fast in my entire short life of seventeen years, my hands are thrown over my ears in mortification, I almost want to forget about the drink and go straight to the restroom but my dry throat says otherwise.

I don't look back when I start for the makeshift bar at the far end of the ballroom, I can clearly feel the eyes on me and I hope I don't trip over my anxiety and kill myself.