She understood then the dark blue box and golden ribbon, every part of this dress being a message of his to her. Davina hated how much she enjoyed the way she looked in the gown. She felt feminine and pretty in the tulle dress.
He nodded with a deep smile, it was so profound that even his dimples were visible, before stepping back, bowing, and then pushing the incoming male to the next girl that stood beside Davina. It felt like her heart was melting inside of her chest.
“Remember that night that we snuck out of Sadoc’s party? Up on the roof?” Ron asked, wrapping his hand around her waist once again, pulling her closer into the heat of his embrace. “That night, I couldn’t help but realize that you were the reason that the moonlight had been so enchanting. Just like tonight.”
That was when she realized how the moon’s light showered them both. His long eyelashes fluttered as his gaze scanned her expression. She looked away immediately.
“I don’t understand why your expression seems distraught when I’m only giving you what you asked for all those months ago. Or did you think I wouldn’t notice that the little fire couple you made that night wasn’t an indirect to me?” Ron chuckled.
Of course, she remembered everything. She held close to her heart every glance, every smile, every chuckle, and every word. She recalled the way she could dance with him because she never longed to dance with any other man that wasn’t him.
“None of that matters anymore. We’re strangers now.”
“Strangers don’t look at each other the way we do,” he whispered.
She could feel his cool breath freshen her cheeks. Davina sighed, trying her very best to avoid eye contact with him.
Every muscle in her body began to tremble, she felt as though she would shatter into a million little pieces right there in front of him. “We’re strangers because you wanted it this way. You were the one who decided to harvest a deep hatred for me.”
Valerie called for the partners to switch. Ron stepped back, bowed, and shoved the young man away. Davina turned to the young Mistran girl who was beside her, waiting for her next dance partner, with a look of confusion.
Davina turned to the partners on her right only to find Isaiah with a look of fury as he danced with the girl before him. Davina gulped.
“I’m so sorry for that. Holding onto that hate was not worth losing you to another man,” Ron confessed. Davina dared a glance into his eyes.
Davina raised her right hand, and Ron raised his left. Only their palms touched as they circled each other.
“I’ve come to believe that you’ve merged the line between hate and infatuation that you don’t know what you feel anymore.”
“I know what I feel, and it has become more potent than the power of hatred and a simple infatuation for you.”
What was he trying to tell her? She shook her head.
“You’re going to be mine again.”
“I doubt it.”
“You can doubt all you want. I have hope for the both of us,” he claimed, a grin wide on his face.
Her heart dropped. Salt singed her eyes as she looked at his smile. A smile so sincere she never could compare it to anyone else’s.
Davina yearned deeply for Ron to be correct, that she would be his again. She fought hard to make him hate her, that way it would be easier for her to say goodbye to him. For some time, she was successful. Here was the man of her dreams, confessing his truth, willing to fight for her no matter what it would take to get her back. She smiled at him.
“There is one thing I can come into agreement with your fiancé…you are the most beautiful of all.”
Davina let out a shaky breath before glancing at Isaiah’s trembling face, his eyes were wild as he watched them waltz.
Ron must’ve caused so much confusion among the other dancers because most of the couples ended up with different partners. Davina felt her cheeks heat at the thought of what he caused on the dance floor… for her.
At first, Davina believed that with time her feelings for Ron would slowly disappear. But as he stood before her, his left hand interlocked with her right, and his other hand was wrapped around her waist, she realized how terribly wrong she was.
“Meet me by Somerlane Lake tomorrow, five hours after noon,” he whispered in her ear, before landing a soft kiss to her cheek.
He let her go, took two small steps back, and bowed with a soft gaze, their gazes locked on one another. The guests who had remained in their seats cheered for the finalized dance.
She felt a sharp grab of her arm. Isaiah’s nostrils flared and his entire face reddened, suffocating any personal space she once had.
“Remember how we are to be married soon. My future wife cannot be seen dancing around with her ex-lovers,” Isaiah muttered deeply.