First Dance
727 Words
Lia's alarm rang at six.
She turned it off.
Then buried her face back into her pillow.
Five more minutes.
That was all she wanted.
Her phone rang instead.
She groaned without opening her eyes.
"Hello...?"
"You're late."
Lia's eyes flew open.
"Ethan?"
"You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago."
She sat upright so quickly she nearly fell off the bed.
"What? My shift starts at eight!"
"It did."
"It did?"
"It starts at seven today."
"Nobody told me!"
"I sent you an email."
Lia checked her phone.
There it was.
Sent at 5:42 a.m.
"You emailed me before sunrise!"
"You should check your emails."
The call ended.
Lia stared at her phone in disbelief.
"I work for a monster."
Thirty-five minutes later, Lia rushed into Blackwood Tower, breathless.
"I'm here!"
Ethan looked up from his desk.
"Eight minutes late."
"I broke three traffic laws getting here."
"I hope you didn't."
"I was joking."
"I know."
She wasn't convinced he did.
Sophia entered with a garment bag.
"Miss Santos, this is for you."
Lia frowned.
"What is it?"
"A dress."
"...Why?"
"You have another event tonight."
Lia looked at Ethan.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
She sighed dramatically.
"I'm starting to think you enjoy ruining my evenings."
"They're business dinners."
"They're torture."
That afternoon, Sophia escorted Lia to a boutique once again.
This dress was different.
Elegant.
Soft blue.
Simple, yet impossible to ignore.
Lia looked at herself in the mirror.
"I don't even recognize myself anymore."
Sophia smiled.
"Neither does everyone else."
That evening, Ethan waited beside the car.
He glanced at Lia as she approached.
For a brief moment...
He forgot to speak.
It lasted only a second.
But Lia noticed.
"So?"
She turned slightly.
"Does it look okay?"
Ethan held her gaze.
"...Yes."
Just one word.
Yet somehow...
It felt like the biggest compliment he'd ever given her.
The event was held on the rooftop of a luxury hotel overlooking the city.
Music drifted through the warm evening air.
Lights shimmered across the skyline.
It looked less like a business gathering...
And more like a romantic evening.
Lia frowned.
"You said this was a business event."
"It is."
"There are candles."
"There are."
"Why are there candles?"
"I didn't choose the decorations."
She narrowed her eyes.
"I'm suspicious."
"You usually are."
As they entered, dozens of eyes turned toward them.
Whispers spread almost immediately.
"There they are."
"That's the girl."
"They actually came together."
Lia lowered her voice.
"The rumors are going to get worse."
"They probably will."
"You sound completely unbothered."
"I am."
"I wish I had your confidence."
"You don't."
She blinked.
"What?"
"You have something better."
She waited.
"What?"
"You care what people think."
"...That's better?"
"It means you're still honest."
The answer surprised her.
She hadn't expected something so... thoughtful.
Halfway through the evening, the host stepped onto the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
The room quieted.
"We've prepared a small activity."
Lia immediately had a bad feeling.
"Each guest will dance with the person they arrived with."
Her heart stopped.
Completely.
Slowly...
She turned toward Ethan.
"No."
He looked at her.
"No?"
"I don't dance."
"You do tonight."
"I absolutely do not."
The music began.
Couples stepped onto the dance floor.
Lia took one step backward.
Ethan took one step forward.
He held out his hand.
"Miss Santos."
She stared at it
"I'll step on your feet."
"I'll survive."
"I'll embarrass both of us."
"I doubt it."
She sighed.
"You're impossible."
"So I've heard."
After a long moment...
She placed her hand in his.
His fingers closed gently around hers.
Warm.
Steady.
Careful.
He led her onto the dance floor.
The music slowed.
Lia's heart raced.
She looked everywhere except at him.
"Nervous?"
"Terrified."
"You'll be fine."
His hand rested lightly at her waist.
Not possessive.
Not demanding.
Just enough to guide her.
"Look at me," he said softly.
She did.
For the first time all evening...
The crowd disappeared.
The music faded.
There was only Ethan.
His calm eyes.
His quiet smile.
And the strange feeling that, for just one song...
The entire world had slowed down.
Neither of them noticed the cameras pointed in their direction.
But someone else did.
From the balcony above, Victoria watched the dance in silence.
She smiled.
A small, knowing smile.
Then she whispered to herself,
"So that's why you've changed, Ethan."
- Writer
