บท 42: Melting Ice
Jack's actions were well within the vision of William and the group. As he approached the stage, they were filled with trepidation. They had thought that Jack was going mad at that moment.
And, the moment that he stopped behind Ben, they thought that Jack was going to make his move then. But, in the end, the news that they received almost made their minds buzz.
It was so mind-blowing. The person that had just been bragging about being the hostess's partner, was rejected. It turned out that, he had previously asked for the chance, but, was turned down.
But now, as they thought about this, they couldn't help but wonder, what had given him the confidence to say that he was going to have the first dance in front of them?
But all the same, they were quite pleased seeing the dark expression on his usually arrogant face. For the first time, they could see him losing. Furthermore, they were quite waiting for the race that would take place this night, where he would lose once again.
But, what they were wondering about was the fact that, how had Jack known that Ben would be rejected. That was the question that was in their mind at that moment.
But, in the next second, a bomb was detonated in their minds the moment that they heard Celine's words. "The one behind you."
The person that was standing behind Ben at that moment, was obviously Jack. The others were quite a distance away from the dance floor.
The group looked at each other with funny expressions. It was obvious that none of them believed what they were seeing.
"Ouch! Why did you pinch me?"
"I wanted to confirm that I wasn't dreaming. Although it's only eight, I don't trust myself to be awake at this moment."
"Then, why not pinch yourself?".
"I already said that I don't trust myself."
"…."
"Was Jack messing with us before?"
"I don't know. But, I think that's true. After all, he stood up and headed towards the dance floor without being called."
"I see now. That's the reason as to why he came without a partner. It turned that his partner was the organizer of the banquet!"
"Yeah, no wonder he was staring at the door that led behind the stage previously during the meals."
"Did we just invite someone to his own banquet?"
"Hahaha, this is a new record that we've made."
"By the way, they're quite a couple, right?"
"Sure, they match each other."
"I like seeing Ben's current expression."
"By the way, that lady, I heard that she's from the Gravy family?"
"You mean the one that's from the capital?"
"I think so. After all, to be able to invite all these big wigs here, she must have some kind of reputation."
"But I don't think that's true. After all, if she's a member of such a prestigious family, why would she need to start a small company in our small Inchoate city?"
"Yeah, you're right."
As they talked, Jack and Celine had already began dancing with the others arm around the other's body. Their moves were trained, showing that they had both learnt about dancing, and they weren't noobs.
Previously, Jack had looked into her eyes when she was looking at his direction. At first, he had thought that she was looking at Ben. In the end, even after Ben moved, he saw that the eyes were still looking at him.
The moment that he saw the very same expression as he had seen three times before, he immediately understood that she wanted him to be her partner.
Jack was also full of questions that he would like to ask her about. This was going to be a good chance for him to ask that question. After all, their meetings before had no exchange of words.
Now, as he felt her arms around his neck, as well as the softness in his hands as he held her slim waist, Jack could still feel that, there was quite a big difference.
During his practice in dancing, he'd obviously held a girl the same way. But in the end, the feeling that he was getting right now was completely different.
Jack was someone that did things to the perfection. When he was learning about dancing, he was around six years old. He had put in a lot of effort to learn, all of this was to impress his mother. In the end, when he was fifteen, he had stopped training as his mother had died.
"I can see that you didn't want to participate in this dance previously?" Jack took the initiative to ask.
Celine stared at him for a moment before she replied with a question of her own. "How did you know?"
"You stood at the door. The meal was just before the dance, about ten minutes. But, you appeared there. It was obvious that you didn't even want to show your face on the stage at all." Jack said all this as they continued moving according to the beats.
"You're quite perceptive, I see. Anyway that was the truth. I didn't want to participate in this at all. But, when I saw you, I had to participate. After all, I'm quite curious about you." Celine said as she followed his movements as he led the dance.
"After all, the two times that we've met in the same week, you always got to hold me. As you're the first man to hold me like that other than my father, of course I had to be curious about you." Celine continued.
Jack was silent for a moment before saying, "You're not the only one. After all, the moment that I see you, I can detect some sense of familiarity. I was wondering if I had ever met you before."
Celine raised her brows at Jack's words. She could already tell that he was telling the truth from his current expression. But, what had made her have that reaction was simply because, she too, had sensed some kind of familiarity from Jack.
But, no matter how much she tried to remember, she couldn't tell if they had ever met before. This was quite strange. But, to think that they had met before and none of them could remember, wasn't that absurd? That was unless all their memories about the other were wiped out.
And for that, it was impossible. Nobody had the ability to change or delete their memories about the other, right?
"What do you say that we have a simple chat after the dance?" Jack asked. He wanted to know more about this girl, a girl that had made his nights sometimes sleepless and sometimes, so sweet that he didn't want to wake up.
Celine looked at him and smiled. "That will depend on how you perform in this dance."
As she smiled, Jack who was standing right next to her, in front of her, her face close to his, he could see how beautiful that smile was. The two dimples immediately made her look like a different person. This was the first time that he was seeing her enchanting smile.
Not knowing why, but, it seemed that he had been affected by her smile, as he returned the gesture. Unlike the previous shallow smiles, this was one that was full of his true thoughts at the moment. This smile was sincere.
When Celine saw that smile etched on his face, she couldn't help but be dazed for a moment. That smile was indeed filled with a male's charm. Coupled with the handsome face, she thought that Jack was like a prince right from a painting. And because of this, her smile became even brighter.
The spectating crowd was amazed by the two. Not only were their dance moves well coordinated, as if they had practiced together before, but, their moves completely matched the rhythm of the music.
When Celine smiled, it was like a blooming flower. And then Jack smile in return, it was like the cold moon giving a sense of warmth. The two smiles immediately attracted the appreciation of the spectators.
Even Ben, who was watching the duo dance angrily was forced to admit defeat. After all, the two smiles really complemented each other.
But, what he and the others were wondering about was, 'What are they talking about in that they're smiling like that?'
Even Faith was stunned by the smile that erupted from Celine's face. This was the first time that she'd seen that kind of carefree smile on her face. Even when facing her, who was like her sister, the smile was different from this. Even to her parents, it was always a smile that was different.
In other words, this smile was quite unique. As for Jack, she didn't know why but, she nodded her head as she looked at him.
But, the show wasn't over at all. The reason for that being that, the music had reached the part that would need fast movements. This was Celine's request to the one that was in charge of music.
Back to the couple…
"You ready to have a competition on this dance?" Jack asked with a smile. This was the smile that he had only shown to his mother. Ever since her death about four years ago, he had never shown it to another person. But now, he was showing it to a person that he didn't even know.
Currently, it was as if all the people in the hall didn't exist at all. All that was there was, the two of them, the music and the dance floor.
If there was a person that knew these two well was present, he/she would be completely stunned by this scene. Why was that?
It was because, Jack's smiles were rare and shallow. Although they were sincere, they were never that much enthusiastic.
On the other hand, Celine's smiles were only seen by her parents, grandparents and finally, Faith, who was like her sister. In front of her subordinates and strangers, she was like a beautiful sculpture made of ice.
Her expression was always cold. No matter if she was praising someone or talking about punishment, her expression remained the same. The only thing that changed was her tone.
But now, these two people, who always had no smiles on their faces or were rare to smile, were brightly smiling at each other. Without them noticing it, the ice in their hearts had began melting.
With a competitive spirit and eyes that were filled with determination, Celine replied, "Let's do it then."
Her words were like a signal as the tempo of the music immediately shot upwards and so was the movement of the two.
Their first competition immediately began. As for the results, that would have to wait till the song ended.
****
Author's Note;
Huff! Finally done! Thanks for your patience. Luckily, I've managed the four chapters today. I hope that you'll like it.
Oh, before I forget, please, remember to support this book through power stones, comments and reviews. And if you like fantasy, you can check out my other book, 'The Golden Star'.
Thanks, let's meet up tomorrow for the update!
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