| New Year's Eve |
[10 Jan 2008|10:17pm] |
[Continued from The Masquerade]
He felt ridiculous. He'd never socialized on New Year's Eve before, not among a large crowd like this, and the fact that it was a costume ball, of all things, was not helping his sense of humor. He had a drink in his hand, at least. Oliver skulked through the doors, the purple mask he'd gotten for the occasion shielding his face from view. He'd at least take one turn around the place, see what it was like. They'd done an impressive job on the decorations, he had to admit. The spellcaster watched the lights overhead as they twinkled, debating on how long he planned to stay. A brand new year was approaching at last.
Maybe this one would be better than the last.
The first time looking someone in the eye after spending a night together could be nerve-wracking. Though their memories would've had the tally slightly higher, history only recorded the night spent in Oliver's hotel room. It was certainly the time that mattered in Hannah's heart. Afterwards, there wasn't a chance for them to react. The PTBs had snatched her away to take care of Tristan. Since she promised him she'd stay, Hannah wasn't sure how Oliver would feel about that. Or her.
Maybe he did have a date, or he was hoping he'd run into a particular person. There was no way he'd expect for Hannah to be out in public at a masquerade, but there he was, and he looked very handsome, and oh...
She wrung her hand to keep from biting her nails. Wearing emerald green as she left Whistler's side, a curious thing happened as she approached Oliver from behind. She slipped out of phase and reappeared in bright blue. Hannah felt a pang of hope mixed with guilt that gnawed on her stomach. She knew there was a reason she shouldn't be doing this but...
"Oliver? Will you dance with me?"
It was like a soft breeze blowing across the back of his neck, and Oliver turned his head, the defensive posture of his body relaxing a few telltale notches when he spotted the blue dress and the girl in it. "I always find myself thinking you're a dream," he told Hannah a bit solemnly, but there was a hint of a gleam in his dark eyes as he looked at her. The hand not holding the glass reached out and grasped one of her delicate wrists when she drew close enough, and he lifted it to his mouth for a kiss, pressing his lips to where her pulse point once was. Solid. She felt so solid.
"You mustn't disappear before midnight," he told the blonde, setting the half-finished drink aside because he'd lost interest in it. A lady had asked him to dance; how could he say no? The spellcaster lifted one finger to his lips in a 'shh' gesture. "If there's to be something to celebrate, I would like for you to be here to witness it."
“You make my knees knock,” she admitted breathily, finding her fears allayed by the intimate kiss to her wrist. In some ways, it went farther than a more blatant gesture would have gone. Hannah found herself wanting to touch him in return. She went on tiptoes and pressed her mouth against his neck. It struck her anew how tall he was compared to her, at least twelve inches more.
“I’ll try really hard to stay,” she said, her earnest expression telling him that she hadn’t meant to slip away the last time. Hannah laced her fingers into his and led him towards the dance floor. It was an intensely visible place to be, but beneath candlelight and a mask of glitter and feathers, she would not make much of an impression, other than that of a diminutive blonde in costume. In the center of it all, she let go of Oliver’s hand and faced him, surrendering her lead to follow his.
Her lips were open and her cheeks had gone rosy with excitement. “I’ve never danced with a man before,” she confessed, never having gone to a school dance. “But I won’t stomp your toes.”
( Dancing )
( Magic Trick )
( Muse )
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