All the wrong shades of us

Melody’s POV “Hi,” I wave at the guy at the counter, my laughter easing off me easily, even though it doesn’t reach my eyes. He stops moving, and in that split second, I wait for something to happen. For warmth to pool in the pit of my stomach, for my face to lift in a coquette smile, drawing him in. Nothing happens, not even after his gaze drinks me in, every inch of my body covered by those warm pools.“Hey, beautiful,” he breathes, angling his head as I lean onto the counter, my shoulder-length hair moving with me. The classical piece floats around me, but I don’t feel slow. All I want to do is drown in something. “Can I get that?” I lift a slim finger, pointing to something a stranger is having on the other side of the room. The bartender follows my action. “Sangria?”“That one,” I reply, nodding. He gives me a second look before grabbing a glass from behind him. “Are you new here?”I shook my head. “So old then? ”Another shake.“Come on,” he groans, returning with my wine glass, with berries on its rim, speared on a stick. “You have to be the most beautiful girl in the room. I cannot let you go without giving me something.” This time, my smile is easy. “I guess you’ll find out soon enough. ”He places a hand on his heart in mock horror and then acts like he is falling to the ground. It was the first genuine laugh I have had in weeks, my head thrown back and the sound ringing in the air like the most alluring jingle of bells. It is foreign, even to me. “Were you invited, or did you just waltz into the nearest room selling Sangria?” But my eyes are no longer on the bartender. I have turned around, the berry on my lips, that sweet-acidic taste lingering on my tongue. He had just walked in through the doors, bringing in the cool gust of New York’s air with him. That piercing gaze lands on me instantly, still by the counter, in a small dress that was such a bad idea until a second ago. His eyes take me in, from my strappy heels to the hem of the dress. They linger on my shoulders, on the playful plunge over my chest, and then, stray into my eyes. The rest of the room seems to fade away at that moment, along with the music. I pop the berry, the red juice dripping down my lips. My tongue darts out in that instant, licking it off slowly, swallowing to hide how hard my heart thuds against my chest. He moves then, crossing space slowly, as if trying to figure out if it is the wrong idea. It is hard to breathe, to look at anything other than him, other than those green eyes watching me intently. He smells like the ocean, like taking a walk on the beach in the middle of the night. One hand rests on the counter, and the other atop it, his dark watch blending perfectly in the dim lights.I angle my body in his direction, unconsciously, staring up at him from under my lashes. The bartender returns, the grin in his tone not needed right now. “Hi, Christian,” he beams. “I didn’t think you were going to make it tonight, you know? With the weather and all… ”He doesn’t reply immediately. Instead, he seems to draw closer, like a moth to a flame. I don’t see it, but I feel it. The sudden heat circling us, the urge to touch him.“Yeah,” he breathed, looking at the bartender only for a second. “I didn’t think so either. There was a situation back at the hotel….”“It’s great to have you, man! Mallory would have lost her s**t if you hadn’t shown.”“Right,” he whispers, angling his head. “Do you want a drink?” He doesn’t respond. His lips are slightly parted, and I wonder what it will feel like to taste him. I know that if I take one step forward, the rest of the room will blur. I wonder what will happen next; if I melt in his arms, if my eyes will flutter close, and a soft sigh will escape my lips.“There you are!” A high-pitched voice calls from one corner of the room, getting closer every second, and just like that, the moment is stolen away from us. He moves back an inch just as she arrives in a long black dress, with a deep plunge at the chest. “I was so scared you were not going to make it,” she continues, walking straight into his arms. I look away, trying to remember how to breathe. My pulse slows when the oxygen hits, but my heart…It refuses to listen. “What happened?” “I… erm….” He looks at her, and then his gaze strays back to me. That is when she notices me, too.“Oh my God! Melody!” She screams in excitement, pulling me into her arms. I don’t know which feels better. The fact that she is no longer clinging to him or the warmth of her arms around me. “When did you arrive?”“A while ago,” I murmur, willing my eyes to stop returning to him. I shuffle on my feet, trying to put as much life as I can into my tone. “This is great, Mallory! And the music? ”She giggles, her perfect blonde hair wrapped in intricate curls, catching the lights. “I have Christian there to thank.” Her hand flies to his chest again, and I find the ring. The one she showed me six months ago on a video call. “I mean, he handed me his card and told me to do whatever I wanted with it,” my sister continues, her eyes glinting with so much fervor and passion. “Can you imagine?”“Wow!” I don’t mean it, but I don’t think Mallory catches on. “s**t!” she exclaims suddenly. “Pardon my manners, please. Christian, this is my baby sister that I have been telling you about. The one that schools in Paris.” He nods, but his eyes are no longer on me. “And Melody, this is my fiancé, Christian, the man of the hour.”