âI donât know how to dance⦠Iâll skip,â Lauren excused herself. She had been sipping juice and enjoying cake on the couch until Landon had suddenly invited her to dance.
Having watched her parents and Betty dance before, Lauren felt that dancing wasnât something she could 1. Besides, she believed she would never have a chance to be in the spotlight anyway.
*Itâs alright if you donât know. I can teach you, Lauren,â Landon reassured her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
She hung her head low, a tiny patch of cream at the corner of her lips. She mumbled, âIâm not dancing, Landon. They all dance well.
âI would only embarrass you because I donât know how to dance. Besides, I donât like crowded places. I panic when there are too many people around.â
Landon was shocked and upset. Laurenâs second excuse was the real reason behind her refusal to dance.
Despite his attentiveness, he had let his excitement get the better of him, forgetting that she suffered from autism and social phobia.
He silently chided himself for being thoughtless.
â¦
âLandon, are you angry with me?â she asked anxiously when Landon remained silent. Her feet turned.
inward in her Mary Jane shoes from her nervousness.
= = 5 He quickly knelt before her and wiped away the cream on her lips. He then tasted it, exclaiming, âAh.
How sweet!â
Lauren instantly blushed and clenched her fists. âWhy did you eat it? Thatâs ⦠dirty.â
âNo, how could that be? Youâre sweet, and you smell good,â he said as he held her hands. His eyes sparkled with sincerity.
Her heart raced. She asked, âIs that true?â
âYes. When have I lied to you?â He gazed into her eyes and suddenly broke into a mischievous grin.
âYou seem bored sitting by the side. Shall I teach you how to dance?â
âB-But Iâm a slow learner,â she replied, not feeling confident.
âThatâs fine. Iâll teach you. We can take our time,â he whispered into her ear, his warm breath tickling it, just like how I taught you to kiss.â
#
Lauren gasped in embarrassment, her face red. Landon couldnât help but softly slap himself on the cheek, chastising himself for being unserlous and flirty..
The Taylor family seemed to be in a good mood as well. Colene had had too much to drink and started dancing with Tatiana while drinking from a wine glass.
âI donât want to dance with you. Youâre clumsy. You might be good at prosecuting suspects, but not at dancing!â Mandy remarked at Cyrus as she twirled.
âHow did your dad and I give birth to a bad dancer when weâre so talented in music and dance? Itâs strange.â
Cyrus shrugged. âA good dancer might not be a good policeman. Itâs not like I can subdue suspects by dancing in front of them.â
Mandy retorted, âIt would have been great if you could do that. You donât even need to point a gun at them -suspects would faint from your poor dancing skills!â
The guests laughed at the mother-son duoâs banter. At the same time, Rose was drinking alone in a corner. She teared up at the sight of the joyful family.
âMs. Emerson,â Silas called out to her. She snapped back to reality and found him standing in front of her with a bright smile, extending his hand in a gentlemanly manner.