Chapter 3 - One dance
1321 Words
Salish stared at him for what felt like forever.
The ballroom lights reflected softly against Rafael’s silver-black mask, making him look even more dangerous somehow.
One dance.
That was all he asked.
Simple.
Harmless.
So why did it feel like agreeing would change something?
“You’re staring,” Rafael said quietly, amusement hiding beneath his calm expression.
Salish blinked immediately.
“I’m analyzing my bad decisions.”
“And?”
“And this is definitely one of them.”
Rafael’s lips twitched slightly.
“But you’re still considering it.”
Annoying.
Why was he so good at reading her already?
Salish crossed her arms lightly.
“You always this confident?”
“No.”
That answer surprised her.
Rafael stepped a little closer, lowering his voice.
“Only when I know I’ll win.”
Their eyes locked again.
And once again, the entire room seemed to disappear around them.
Salish hated how aware she was of him.
The way his voice settled beneath her skin.
The way he looked at her like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
The way her chest tightened every time he stepped closer.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
But before she could stop herself—
“Fine,” she muttered.
Rafael’s eyebrow lifted slightly.
“Fine?”
“It’s one dance,” she said quickly. “Don’t make it dramatic.”
A small smirk appeared on his lips.
Too late.
He gently held out his hand toward her.
Salish stared at it for half a second before placing hers in his.
Big mistake.
Because the second their skin touched, something shifted again.
Not fireworks.
Not magic.
Worse.
Comfort.
Like her body recognized him before her mind could.
Rafael seemed to notice it too because his fingers tightened slightly around hers before he led her toward the dance floor.
Around them, couples moved gracefully beneath the sparkling chandeliers while soft music filled the mansion.
But somehow Salish barely noticed any of it.
She was too aware of Rafael’s hand resting against her waist.
Too aware of how naturally she fit against him.
Too aware of his eyes on her.
“You’re tense,” he murmured.
“I wonder why.”
That earned another quiet laugh from him.
God.
That laugh was unfairly attractive.
Rafael pulled her slightly closer as they moved slowly with the music.
“You know,” he said softly, “most girls are usually trying very hard to impress me by now.”
Salish looked up at him innocently.
“Oh no.”
Rafael raised an eyebrow.
“Oh no?”
“I’m actually trying very hard not to like you.”
For the first time that night, Rafael looked genuinely surprised.
And then—
He laughed again.
A real laugh this time.
Warm.
Low.
Dangerously beautiful.
Several people nearby glanced toward them in shock.
Apparently Rafael DeLuca laughing was a rare event.
“You’re honest,” he said.
“You say that like it’s unusual.”
“It is.”
Salish studied him quietly for a moment.
For someone surrounded by so many people…
He looked lonely.
The realization caught her off guard.
“You don’t smile much, do you?” she asked softly.
Rafael’s expression shifted slightly.
And just like that, the warmth disappeared again.
Interesting.
“I smile enough.”
“No,” Salish replied quietly. “You don’t.”
For a second, he simply stared at her.
Like nobody had ever said that to him before.
Then he looked away first.
“Careful, Salish.”
Her name sounded dangerous coming from him.
“Why?”
“You ask too many questions.”
“And you avoid too many answers.”
Rafael looked back at her slowly.
The tension between them returned instantly.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Pulling them toward something neither of them fully understood.
“You really are different,” he murmured.
Salish tried ignoring the way her stomach flipped.
“Different good or different bad?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
She rolled her eyes dramatically.
“You’re exhausting.”
“And yet you’re still dancing with me.”
Before she could reply, another voice suddenly interrupted them.
“Well this is interesting.”
Salish turned slightly.
A tall blonde girl stood nearby wearing a sparkling red dress and an annoyed expression.
Her eyes were locked on Rafael.
Not friendly eyes either.
Possessive ones.
Ah.
Problem detected.
Rafael’s expression instantly hardened.
“Vanessa.”
So this was Vanessa.
The Vanessa.
The ex-girlfriend.
Or current situationship.
Or rich-people emotional disaster.
Whatever she was, Salish already disliked the energy.
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“You disappeared all evening and this is where you are?”
Rafael’s face remained unreadable.
“I don’t remember asking permission.”
Vanessa’s eyes shifted toward Salish slowly.
And immediately sharpened.
Well.
That was awkward.
“Who’s she?” Vanessa asked coldly.
Before Rafael could answer, Salish smiled sweetly.
“The girl dancing with him.”
Vanessa clearly wasn’t expecting that answer.
Rafael looked amused again.
Dangerously amused.
Vanessa forced a fake smile.
“Cute.”
“I try,” Salish replied calmly.
The tension between the two girls became almost visible.
Rafael sighed softly like a man already tired of nonsense.
“Vanessa—”
“No,” Vanessa interrupted sharply. “I actually want to know why every girl here suddenly means nothing the second she walks in.”
Oops.
That sounded personal.
Salish immediately tried stepping back.
“Okay this feels like rich people drama and I don’t think I belong here—”
Rafael’s hand tightened slightly around her waist before she could move.
“You’re staying.”
Salish looked up at him.
Dangerous sentence.
Very dangerous sentence.
Vanessa noticed too.
And she absolutely hated it.
Her expression darkened instantly.
“You’ve known her for what? Twenty minutes?”
Rafael’s voice remained calm.
“And?”
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“You’re unbelievable.”
Then her eyes landed fully on Salish again.
“You should be careful.”
Salish blinked.
“Excuse me?”
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Rafael gets bored easily.”
Okay.
Now she was irritated.
Salish tilted her head slightly.
“Good thing I’m not here to entertain him then.”
Rafael actually smirked.
Vanessa looked seconds away from exploding.
“You know what?” Vanessa snapped. “Forget it.”
She turned sharply before disappearing into the crowd dramatically.
Silence followed.
Then—
“She seems lovely,” Salish muttered.
Rafael rubbed his forehead tiredly.
“She’s dramatic.”
“She looked like she wanted to kill me.”
“She probably did.”
Salish stared at him.
“And you sound completely okay with that?”
“You survived.”
“I almost didn’t.”
That earned another small laugh from him.
Honestly?
Rafael laughed more around her than he probably had in months.
And that terrified him slightly.
The song slowly came to an end.
But neither of them moved away immediately.
The space between them still felt too small.
Too warm.
Too dangerous.
Salish became painfully aware of how close they still were.
Her hand resting against his shoulder.
His fingers still against her waist.
Those eyes watching her again.
Like he was trying to memorize her.
Then suddenly—
The ballroom lights flickered once.
Twice.
And the music stopped.
Murmurs spread across the room immediately.
“What happened?”
“Is it the power?”
People looked around in confusion.
Then the massive screen near the stage suddenly turned on by itself.
Static flashed across it briefly.
And Rafael’s expression changed instantly.
Cold.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Salish noticed immediately.
“What’s wrong?”
But Rafael was already staring at the screen.
The room slowly fell silent.
Then a blurry video appeared.
A man.
Running.
Gunshots echoed faintly through the speakers.
People gasped.
And suddenly the video froze on a familiar face.
Rafael’s face.
The ballroom erupted into shocked whispers immediately.
Salish’s heart dropped.
What the hell was this?
- Writer
