Armel glanced back at Rose as he ordered more drinks for the group. He was determined to make her give him a chance. He knew his plan could easily backfire and make her not want to see his face ever again, but there was a slight chance it might actually work and he was holding on to that for dear life.
“Here’s your drink,” he said after he came back from the bar, letting his hand caress her back lightly for a brief moment before settling her drink in front of her.
Rose was watching the crowd, she was aware of the glance from Armel but she didn’t indicate that she noticed. Instead, she kept her eyes and attention elsewhere. There was a lot about him that Rose really didn’t know how to feel about.
“Thank you,” she said nodding her head slipping her hand away from his and placing the drink in front of her. She decided to see what his plan was.
He smiled and tilted his beer to his lips as he drank from it. He was about to say something when the music changed and he got an idea. “Come on,” he told her, nodding to the dance floor. Maybe he couldn’t win her with words, maybe they just needed to share a dance or two instead.
Raising an eyebrow she looked from her drink to him, she’d danced with him before, it was different, everything was different. She nodded her head. “One song,” she warned before taking a sip of her drink and letting him lead her on the dance floor.
“Or two,” he said, winking at her as he took his hand and led her to the middle of the dance floor.
He gave her a twirl and wrapped his arm around her, making her move close to her but still with some distance between their bodies. He swayed at the rhythm of the music and looked down at her. Did she know everything she made him feel? Probably not. Or she did but denied it. “Are you enjoying yourself tonight?”
Rose followed his lead, she’d always been good at dancing, the years of training to be little miss perfect helped, and it was useful in her craft. She did enjoy it but she still kept herself emotionally at a distance. “I do enjoy a good dance,” she told him. “Are you enjoying being in Atlantis?”
“Only a good dance? Not a good company?” he asked with a questioning eyebrow. “I am. It’s more exciting than back home, and that’s saying a lot considering we have superheroes and aliens,” he chuckled. And he got her again. That made this place a lot better.
“We have superheroes, aliens and more here,” she smirked. “Vampires, witches, you name it,” Rose responded as he twirled her again. “And the company isn’t bad, a little pushy, a little cocky, but not bad.”
“Fish or unicorns who turn into human beings, don’t forget that,” he pointed with a small chuckle. Atlantis was crazy, but it was slowly becoming home for him.
This time he pulled a little closer after the twirl. “I’ll tell that company of yours not to be so pushy, though he might have a hard time. He really likes you, you know.”
Rose laughed with a small smile. She didn’t know how she felt verses how the person she’d pretended to be felt, it’d been a while but it was still something she wasn’t separating well. “Are you sure that isn’t the past coming out with familiarity?”
He shook his head. “I know what my feelings are, and they have nothing to do with those in the past.” Yes, they had a past together that wasn’t real; but here in Atlantis he had been able to see how Rose really was, and those feelings had nothing to do with what she was talking about.
Rose believed that he believed what he was saying but she also knew the power of romanticising situations and something about Atlantis was filled with the ideals. She nodded but didn’t respond to anything, she wasn’t sure how she felt about him, if she wanted that kind of relationship or if she felt he was better suited to someone else.
He twirled her around and pulled her closer. “What are you thinking about, Rose?” he sometimes had a hard time reading her, and this was one of those situations. He didn’t want to be pushy, so if she didn’t want to share them he’d understand.
She looked up at him for a moment. There was no denying that he was an attractive man. There was a lot about him she liked but she couldn’t, she wasn’t sure she did feel the way he wanted her to. “I think you make a wonderful friend,” she said finally almost painfully. She was glad the song was winding down but didn’t pull away just yet.
She had to say that word. Friend. It felt like a bullet to his heart but he kept his smile on his face. He was good at masking his feelings, he was a spy after all. “Is that what you really think of me?” he asked, his voice losing all the playfulness and just needing the confirmation.
He masked it well, but she knew it wasn’t what he wanted to hear, the last few months only proving that. She enjoyed his company, loved having him around but she was the one that struggled the way they’d used each other before, sure there were very real moments but that nagging worry would always be there for her and she knew it. She wasn’t however going to admit that. “It is,” she confirmed her own heart clenching just a little bit. “A very good one.”
He nodded, giving her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes like it always did. “I’m lucky to be your friend, Rose,” he said softly, taking her hand and pressing a small kiss to her knuckles just as the song ended.
If she wanted him only as a friend, then he would be just that. He knew when to stop. He wasn’t giving up, he was simply stopping because there was nothing to fight for. She didn’t want him. He could get over that with time. Although at that moment it hurt. It hurt a lot. And Armel felt like he needed some fresh air after that.
Rose nodded with a smile and watched him as he moved away to get some fresh air. She felt horrible, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him, but she also didn’t want to string him along. He deserved someone who would give him more than she could offer.