Re: [New Year’s Eve: Hannah & Jeremiah]
She assumed he'd been born with a silver spoon, and maybe that was the house on the lake, or maybe it was his manners, but mostly it was the way he held his arm out for hers, and that made her think of fancy dinners and pretty dances. Amy had grown up wealthy, married wealth, but Hannah had lived out of rooms since she'd left Florida. She wasn't wealthy and she wasn't comfortable, but she knew enough to hold his arm like she'd been taught when she was young, and she had Amy's poise, especially at events. Marcus had gone to galas and galas and charity events and charity events, and Amy had known just how much to smile when she stood at his side.
Hannah smiled as much as she wanted to. She smiled a lot and bright, and she tipped her head up to look at the chandelier with blatant awe. She'd never, ever seen something like that with her own eyes, and she glanced over at him, remembering his suggestion about being both fireworks and symphony, and she nodded. But she was still awe-eyed wide, and she stayed like that as he talked to her of travel. "I guess traveling alone might not be as fun," she admitted, and Hannah had never considered people when she dreamed. She'd kind of just thought herself apart, and apart didn't have people. But here they were, and they were going to dance.
Dinner came first, though, and what a dinner it was! Opulent, beautiful, and Hannah used all the right utensils and smiled coy and cornflower at the others sharing the table with them. It could've been a good place to network, but Hannah wasn't built to be that kind of machinating. Her smiles were honest, and her laughter was true, and she reached over and squeezed Jeremiah's hand thoughtlessly and often, sharing with him something he'd probably already heard their dinner companions say.
Then, then, dancing. Dancing, and the dance floor was beautiful, and Hannah liked being in Jeremiah's arms, and there she was. She thought the fabric of her dress felt like a caress when she moved, and she thought the entire gathering like flowers twirling in a field. She leaned close, whispered in Jeremiah's ear, and her hand was light upon his shoulder. "Don't you think they're like flowers? The women in their dresses, they look like petals while they dance," she mused, drawing back just enough to look at his face. "Have you been to many places like this?" she asked, impulsively changing the question a moment later: "No, no, instead, tell me about your best and most favorite New Year's Eve."