Chapter Eight: Dancing Around Fire
1269 Words
Summer’s first instinct was to look away.
Her second was to pretend her heartbeat had not reacted so violently to simple eye contact across a crowded room.
Unfortunately, neither instinct worked particularly well.
Levi’s gaze remained on her for one brief moment longer than necessary before several executives approached him near the entrance, pulling his attention elsewhere.
Summer immediately grabbed a glass of sparkling water from a passing tray.
Amara watched her carefully.
“You look stressed.”
“I am stressed.”
“No. Different stressed.”
Summer took a long sip of water.
Across from them, Lione looked like he was seconds away from becoming unbearable.
“Oh, this is fascinating,” he said softly.
Summer pointed at him threateningly.
“Don’t.”
“I haven’t even said anything yet.”
“That’s what concerns me.”
Amara folded her arms.
“If you become annoying, I will report you to your family.”
“My family already knows I’m annoying.”
“That explains the emotional fatigue in your brother’s eyes.”
Lione actually laughed at that. A real laugh this time. Sharp and bright enough that several nearby guests glanced over briefly.
“You know,” he said to Amara, “I think we’d either become very good friends or actual enemies.”
“There is no friendship here.”
“Your hostility wounds me.”
“It should.”
Summer sighed quietly beside them.
This was somehow her life now. International diplomacy and verbal combat with billionaires.
***
Dinner itself was organized with painful elegance.
Long tables lined the center of the hall beneath warm crystal lighting while place cards directed guests with terrifying precision.
Summer found her assigned seat and immediately regretted everything. Because directly beside her was none other than Levi Fernandez.
“Oh no,” she whispered under her breath.
Amara looked at the seating arrangement and burst into silent laughter.
“You’ve angered the universe somehow.”
Summer looked upward briefly as if asking heaven for patience.
Levi approached moments later.
Tonight, up close, he somehow looked even more unfairly composed.
The black suit fit him perfectly without appearing overly formal, sleeves tailored neatly against strong forearms lightly bronzed from years spent outdoors rather than offices. His dark hair remained slightly untidy despite the elegance around him, softening features that might otherwise have looked too severe.
He noticed the seating arrangement. Then looked at Summer.
Something subtle flickered in his eyes. Possibly amusement.
“Ms. Knightly,” he greeted calmly.
Summer narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Mr. Fernandez.”
Amara watched both of them like a scientist observing potentially explosive chemicals.
Lione appeared beside Amara seconds later looking delighted by fate itself.
“This evening improves continuously.”
“You’re enjoying this too much,” Summer muttered.
“Yes.”
No shame whatsoever.
***
Dinner conversations flowed smoothly around them; policy discussions, sustainability investments, international partnerships, economic strategies.
Summer participated naturally when spoken to, balancing warmth and professionalism with practiced ease.
But beside her, Levi remained mostly quiet. Observing more than speaking. Listening more than reacting.
At one point an older executive began loudly discussing youth advocacy programs in the painfully condescending tone powerful men often used when speaking about younger generations.
Summer smiled politely through most of it.
Until he said, “Well, idealism is admirable, of course, though eventually realism becomes necessary.”
Ah. There it was.
Summer set her glass down carefully.
“With respect,” she replied pleasantly, “most progress in history started as unrealistic idealism.”
The man chuckled lightly.
“Yes, but passion and governance are very different things.”
“And yet,” Summer continued calmly, “many governments now depend heavily on solutions originally proposed by activists, researchers, and community organizations they once dismissed.”
Several nearby guests quieted slightly.
The executive smiled thinly.
“Young people tend to underestimate complexity.”
Summer smiled back just as sweetly.
“And older people sometimes mistake delay for wisdom.”
Silence.
Lione nearly choked on his drink beside Amara.
Amara looked deeply proud.
The executive stared at Summer for one long second before laughing awkwardly and shifting the conversation elsewhere.
Summer reached for her water calmly.
Then realized Levi was looking at her. Not casually. Carefully.
“You enjoy dangerous conversations,” he said quietly once surrounding discussions resumed.
Summer leaned slightly closer so only he could hear.
“I enjoy irritating arrogant people.”
A pause.
Then, very faintly, Levi smiled. Actually smiled. Small. Brief. But real enough that it transformed his entire face unexpectedly.
Summer froze for half a second.
Because suddenly she understood why his rare expressions felt unfairly powerful.
He noticed her noticing. Which immediately made the smile disappear again.
Coward.
***
Later that evening, the formal dinner transitioned into a smaller reception space where soft jazz music drifted beneath quieter conversation.
Summer escaped toward one of the balconies needing air before social exhaustion physically ended her.
The night air felt cool against her skin as she stepped outside overlooking the lake.
Geneva glittered below like scattered gold.
Behind her, balcony doors opened softly.
She didn’t need to turn around this time.
“You disappear often,” Levi said calmly.
Summer leaned lightly against the railing.
“You keep following me.”
“I was already coming outside.”
“Convenient.”
Levi stepped beside her, leaving enough distance to remain respectful.
For a while neither spoke. The silence between them had become strangely familiar now. Not empty. Just… quiet.
“You embarrassed that executive,” Levi said eventually.
Summer groaned softly.
“He started it.”
“You enjoyed it.”
“…Maybe a little.”
Another brief almost-smile.
Summer glanced sideways at him.
“You know, you smile like someone unfamiliar with the concept.”
“I smile normally.”
“No,” she said seriously. “It looks like your face is negotiating against it.”
That earned an actual low laugh from him. Soft. Unexpected. Dangerously attractive.
Summer immediately looked away toward the lake.
Beside her, Levi rested his arms lightly against the balcony railing.
“You were right earlier,” he said after a while.
“About what?”
“People mistaking delay for wisdom.”
Summer blinked slightly.
The city lights reflected faintly in his eyes now, softening some of the constant sharpness in his expression.
He continued quietly, “Most institutions wait until problems become profitable before caring.”
Something about the bitterness hidden beneath the calmness caught her attention immediately.
“That sounds personal.”
“It’s observational.”
“Same thing sometimes.”
Levi looked at her then. Directly.
And for the first time, Summer saw something beneath the composure. Not anger. Disappointment. Old disappointment. Heavy disappointment. Like someone who had spent too long seeing the worst parts of powerful systems from the inside.
“You really loved the military once,” she said softly before thinking.
The silence afterward stretched carefully between them.
Levi’s gaze shifted toward the lake.
“Yes.”
Just one word. But unlike before, this time it sounded less guarded. More honest.
Summer studied him quietly.
The former commander. The executive. The man who looked permanently exhausted by rooms full of powerful people.
None of those versions fully matched the person standing beside her now beneath the Geneva night sky.
And somehow that made him even more dangerous to her peace of mind.
Behind the balcony doors, music and conversation continued softly.
Inside; wealth, power, politics.
Outside; just two people standing quietly beneath city lights pretending the tension between them wasn’t becoming impossible to ignore.
- Writer
