Adrian didn't realise he'd been holding his breath until after she'd answered him and he exhaled with relief. He was good at schooling his expressions, but a part of him felt as though his emotions were very much on display for her. That probably wasn't the case, but Adrian couldn't help feeling oddly self-conscious around this woman, especially after so long.
He laughed at her comment about her two best friends. Their relationship or whatever you wanted to call it had not been remotely public, but she'd talked about them often enough that he felt as though he knew them much better than he actually did.
The compliment pleased him more than he dared to show obviously, but he did smile, at least. "You look amazing," he returned it, though he'd already told her she looked beautiful moments before.
"Dance with me, Ali," he requested a half a breath later, forcing himself to make the request before he lost his nerve again.