I was determined to hold my own. The dance may have looked and felt different, but it was still a waltz, and that meant that the footwork was generally the same. My other saving grace was the fact that, while still a lying cad, Bastian was a very strong lead and wittingly or no he was making me look far better than I was. Uncle Joe would have been proud.
As we twirled around the perimeter of the dance floor I waited for him to say something. After all, he had to know that I’d recognized him, so it was only a matter of time before he came at me with something: an excuse, a test question, or maybe even a threat. But the longer I waited the more clear it became that he didn’t plan on saying anything… at all. It looked like he didn’t have anything to say. But that was fine… because I had plenty.
“Nothing to say this evening?” I asked, keeping my sarcasm – just barely – in check.
“Forgive me,” he replied after a moment, though there was a new aloof, almost bored air to his tone, “I am not myself tonight. You look lovely this evening, and are quite a… proficient dancer… for an American.”
“The dance?” I asked, gritting my teeth as I let his blatant insult go. “Is that really what you want to discuss?”
“We are dancing ,” he said with a haughty inflection that made me want to stomp on his foot, “so it seemed an appropriate subject. Would you prefer the weather, or perhaps a commentary on the entertainment this evening?”
God, what an ass!
I hadn’t known him all that well in school, so I wasn’t sure if he was acting this way to try and repel me and my questions, or if “self-righteous dick” was just his natural state, but I was not about to be deterred. “I was thinking something more like Mr Sacklehide’s honors English class, or maybe Mrs Tatala’s Algebra 3,” I said innocently, listing a few of the classes we’d shared.
Certain I had him in a corner, I looked up at his face as I waited for him to respond, looking for the spark of panic in his eyes. Unfortunately, he must have been prepared for my veiled accusations, because all I got from his expression was confusion and a mild hint of annoyance. “Am I supposed to know what you are referring to?” he asked after he realized I was not going to expand.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure you do.”
“Then it would appear you are mistaken,” he replied casually, actually having the gall to roll his eyes.
So this is how it was going to go? Denials and lies? Playing dumb? Treating me like a pest wasting his precious time? Not a chance. If this asshole actually thought he was going to get away with this, he had no idea who he was dealing with – but he was about to find out.
Game on.
I stared out over his shoulder as I tried to decide my next move, afraid that if I looked at his expression again I might smack him. However, as we rounded the next corner of the dance floor and I saw a pair of blue eyes watching me like fiery ice chips, I realized I wasn’t the only one currently teetering on the edge of violence. I couldn’t remember a time when anyone had looked at me with as much fury and hatred as those eyes shot at me now. However, it wasn’t until I moved from the eyes to the entire face that my shock turned to irritation, as I realized that the glare burning through my head belonged to none other than – surprise, surprise – Shannon.
What the hell was with this chick?
Though no sooner had that thought crossed my mind than I noticed that she wasn’t just looking at me but at Bastian too. Her eyes bobbed back and forth between the two of us, and suddenly it became totally obvious what her issue was… and it took everything in me not to grin.
She was jealous.
Were they a couple? Had I cut in on her man? Wrong as it was, I had to admit that my eviler side liked the idea of stepping on her toes way more than it should have. I glanced up at Bastian to see if he had noticed her too, which he clearly had, though he
As we twirled around the perimeter of the dance floor I waited for him to say something. After all, he had to know that I’d recognized him, so it was only a matter of time before he came at me with something: an excuse, a test question, or maybe even a threat. But the longer I waited the more clear it became that he didn’t plan on saying anything… at all. It looked like he didn’t have anything to say. But that was fine… because I had plenty.
“Nothing to say this evening?” I asked, keeping my sarcasm – just barely – in check.
“Forgive me,” he replied after a moment, though there was a new aloof, almost bored air to his tone, “I am not myself tonight. You look lovely this evening, and are quite a… proficient dancer… for an American.”
“The dance?” I asked, gritting my teeth as I let his blatant insult go. “Is that really what you want to discuss?”
“We are dancing ,” he said with a haughty inflection that made me want to stomp on his foot, “so it seemed an appropriate subject. Would you prefer the weather, or perhaps a commentary on the entertainment this evening?”
God, what an ass!
I hadn’t known him all that well in school, so I wasn’t sure if he was acting this way to try and repel me and my questions, or if “self-righteous dick” was just his natural state, but I was not about to be deterred. “I was thinking something more like Mr Sacklehide’s honors English class, or maybe Mrs Tatala’s Algebra 3,” I said innocently, listing a few of the classes we’d shared.
Certain I had him in a corner, I looked up at his face as I waited for him to respond, looking for the spark of panic in his eyes. Unfortunately, he must have been prepared for my veiled accusations, because all I got from his expression was confusion and a mild hint of annoyance. “Am I supposed to know what you are referring to?” he asked after he realized I was not going to expand.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure you do.”
“Then it would appear you are mistaken,” he replied casually, actually having the gall to roll his eyes.
So this is how it was going to go? Denials and lies? Playing dumb? Treating me like a pest wasting his precious time? Not a chance. If this asshole actually thought he was going to get away with this, he had no idea who he was dealing with – but he was about to find out.
Game on.
I stared out over his shoulder as I tried to decide my next move, afraid that if I looked at his expression again I might smack him. However, as we rounded the next corner of the dance floor and I saw a pair of blue eyes watching me like fiery ice chips, I realized I wasn’t the only one currently teetering on the edge of violence. I couldn’t remember a time when anyone had looked at me with as much fury and hatred as those eyes shot at me now. However, it wasn’t until I moved from the eyes to the entire face that my shock turned to irritation, as I realized that the glare burning through my head belonged to none other than – surprise, surprise – Shannon.
What the hell was with this chick?
Though no sooner had that thought crossed my mind than I noticed that she wasn’t just looking at me but at Bastian too. Her eyes bobbed back and forth between the two of us, and suddenly it became totally obvious what her issue was… and it took everything in me not to grin.
She was jealous.
Were they a couple? Had I cut in on her man? Wrong as it was, I had to admit that my eviler side liked the idea of stepping on her toes way more than it should have. I glanced up at Bastian to see if he had noticed her too, which he clearly had, though he
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