Episode 13: Slow Dance

Episode 13: Slow Dance

Noah wore a cheeky smile as he watched his best friend's lips unfurl.

Christopher still had his hand wrapped around his wrist which appeared terribly painful from Leslie's point of view.

She found herself about to get involved, however the victim had already managed to free himself.

He placed the same hand which had been bruising him onto her own lightly.

Her entire form froze at the feeling of Christopher's touch which he surprisingly didn't remove upon contact.

"If you're so bothered by someone else touching her why don't you grow some balls and do it yourself?"

A livid expression painted his face as a pair of sexy lips parted but Noah was quick.

"Don't be a coward," he admonished softly. "To new beginnings, remember?"

With a pat of farewell on his back, Noah silently excused himself, leaving the two of them stunned as their hands were still intertwined with each other's.

Is he really going to leave me to fend for myself like this? What about the jealousy plan? Has that all gone down the drain from a slight revelation of Christopher's agitation? The woman thought with a lost expression seeping into her features.

One daunting latch of the wrist and that was all it took for him to flee like rats off the Titanic.

Yet he had the audacity to be preaching about being a coward.

Ha!

The pot really was calling the kettle black.

"Well?" Christopher's voice sliced through her thoughts sharply and she found her eyes flickering up to meet his.

He gave a half-smile that stirred a strange sort of emotion inside of her, one far too complicated to even categorize. "Are you interested in a dance or not?"

She swallowed, pupils expanding at the fact that he was actually entertaining the idea.

"I-" her voice was timid, "I'm not that good of a dancer."

Taking a step forward, still holding the palm of her hand in his own, he pulled her closer to him when there was only a mere inch left between them. She couldn't help but notice how even with heels on her forehead barely was on the same level as his chin. His shoulders were broad and he smelled of something intoxicating.

"I'll teach you," he murmured softly and escorted them to the dancefloor in an elegant twist of his body.

Leslie gulped as his deep, blue eyes which resembled the ocean lured her in. With her hand curled around his gently, she felt absolutely enthralled by this image of him. He was holding her with such care, like a fragile china doll he was scared to accidentally break. The soft piano music swept through the area with a calming tune; sweet and melodic. As the vibrant lights dazzled with a kaleidoscope of colours; the woman couldn't help but get caught up in it all.

"Breathe, Miss Quinn," he said and her eyes snapped up to him as she became abashed by his attention.

Never had he done something this...this intimate with her and it was making the confidence she had prior come crumbling down in an instant.

It was shameful to be honest but Christopher was a force of a man to be reckoned with.

"Why did you make such an offer?" She inquired.

He looked at her positively confused.

"To dance."

His jaw tightened at the clarification.

"I figured it would be rude of me to not do so after the little stunt Noah pulled. I would apologize for his behavior but similar actions of his are inevitable in the future."

Her lips twitched at that.

It sounded awfully similar to the apology his friend had given during their first encounter in which he had departed abruptly.

Guess they do have some things in common after all, she gathered in amusement.

"Are you saying I'll be keeping you company long enough to witness that?" Her eyes watched him like a hawk.

It was now or never.

Christopher took a glance down at her after being distracted by something across the room for a second.

His features seemed to become conflicted by such a question.

At him turning introspective, staring into mid space, Leslie could take a good guess at what was on his mind and before he could give an ambiguous reply, she reassured him.

"It's okay if you don't know what exactly you're feeling towards me at this moment."

"Is it?" He asked with a perfectly arched eyebrow.

The fact that he seemed so interested in her thoughts regarding his indecisiveness was refreshing.

It made her become more inclined to unravel him - truly get a peek at what was going on in that genius brain of his.

"Mhm," she hummed. "I heard you're not exactly well-versed about your feelings."

"Who said I had any feelings for you?"

Ouch, was her automatic reaction to the full brunt of such a comment.

It was much more impactful than Noah's "you're not my type" one.

She would have taken it as a sign to back off if it wasn't for the way he was looking at her.

With shimmering affection.

"Your eyes," she said.

His hand momentarily tightened around her own.

"They're the ones telling me that you have feelings for me."

He gulped.

"Are they lying?"

He nodded his head slowly, his mind attempting to find a place for this new information amongst the prevailing thoughts of self-doubt.

She smiled. "I think you're the one who's lying."

The words hang between them, thickening the mood with its searing and combative nature.

His eyes tear themselves away from the heat of her stare. "You're unbearably intrusive, has anyone ever told you that before?"

"Once or twice," she shrugged.

He scoffed.

"But that still doesn't serve as a denial of my guess so I'll take it as being the truth. You are lying about not liking me."

His eyes found hers sharply.

"I do not-"

"Think about it for a second before you're quick to deny it because one day maybe you'll wish you never did," she advised earnestly, eyes seeking out the truth. "At that point in time it will already be too late and the only thing you'll be left with are regrets."

"Regrets?" The word rolled off his tongue in a sour way.

She silently watched him, subconsciously aware of the music which had transitioned into a somber tune in the background.

"I've never regretted any decision I've made in my life," he revealed.

Then his eyes darkened considerably upon her act of drawing a deep breath, dreading what was to come.

"And it won't be starting with you."

Fuck!

His unembarrassed honesty was heart wrenching.

It was a hard slap in the face with a reality check.

The severe kind which made tears well at the corners of her eyes.

She swallowed.

"Do you really mean that?"

His gaze was unwavering.

"I do."

That was it.

That was the last chance she would be giving a man like him.

Giving him one last lingering stare, she turned away, a whirlwind of her rose gold dress being the only thing which left a trace on the dancefloor.

Despite telling herself not to cry, Leslie felt a pitiful tear roll down her cheeks.

Wiping at it angrily, she almost bumped into the figure of someone but thankfully halted on time.

"Sorry," she apologized quietly, attempting to go around them but a hand grabbed at her arm.

"Hey, what happened?"

Her eyes glanced up to see a worried Noah.

His handsome face was marred with an unsettled emotion as he took in the shaken up state she was in.

"I turn my head away for less than a minute and I see you running away from the dancefloor like Cinderella who suddenly remembers she has a curfew."

She let out a humorless chortle.

"Hate to break it to you, Noah, but there won't be a happy ever after in this fairytale of mine."

He frowned.

"What does that mean? Did Christopher say something? Wait...did he not say anything at all?"

She would have laughed at his high pitched ending but the sentiment wasn't reaching her.

Numb.

That was all that she felt at that moment.

Rejection was something that was hard to come to terms with but if he really wasn't interested in her, why should she pursue the topic anymore?

Sure, he was a gorgeous man.

Definitely her style and more but feelings couldn't be forced and it wouldn't make any sense to fool herself into believing that.

She sniffled with a soft shake of her head.

"Leslie," Noah sighed, the sympathy he felt leaking from his speech.

"He's not interested." Was all she could say between shaky lips.

A deep breath followed as she solidified the reality, this time more for her own sanity's sake.

"He's not interested in me."

Noah gave her a look of disbelief.

"There's no way," he shook his head. "I've known him all my life and I can vouch that he is very much so drawn to you."

"I don't care about any of that when he flat out denies it to my face!" She snapped.

He flinched.

"Les..."

"How much more of my dignity do I have to lay out on the table in order for him to even consider the idea of us? I've never been one to be biased about the gender roles of who woos who when pursuing a relationship but I also have my pride as a woman. I don't want to be one that is caught up in my own fantastical ideals while he really doesn't feel anything for me. It just isn't worth all the hassle."

Noah spared her a downcast look which spoke volumes on how disappointed with how things turned out.

"Are you sure about this?"

"I saw it in his eyes, Noah."

Those deep blue irises which cut through her, leaving thousands of scars.

"I'm sure." She nodded acceptingly.

Her hand wiped at her eyes, a remnant of her mascara on the fingertip.

"You're a good friend." Her acknowledgement was truly heartfelt and he gave her a broken smile.

"Christopher is a complete fool."

A throaty laugh erupted from her. "Tell me about it."

He sighed.

"Do you have a ride to take you home? I can have my driver escort you like earlier."

"No, it's fine," she dismissed. "I already called myself a lift."

"Ah," he nodded.

Then a silence enveloped them as they looked at each other introspectively.

"So this is it then?"

"I guess."

Heaving one last sigh, Noah stepped forward and gave her a goodbye hug. "Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."

"An autographed copy of your new book would be nice."

He wanted to laugh but the sadness behind it was heard.

She probably needed it for more than one reason; moving on being the biggest of them all.

"I'll have it sent to your address in no more than two day's time." He promised.

When he let her go, she couldn't help but wonder why her heartstrings couldn't be tugged at the sight of someone like him.

He was just as handsome and successful as Christopher was.

Not to mention he had a much better personality than that ice king.

But that was just not the way the heart worked.

It always seemed to long after something that wasn't within our reach and that was why the ache of not acquiring it was so hurtful.

"See you, Leslie."

She gave him a tired wave before heading for the exit down the winding hallway.

Checking her phone, the woman noticed that the taxi was going to be delayed five minutes due to a sudden downpour.

The showers were visible from where she stood, coming down heavily and somehow it felt like a representation of what was going on inside of her.

Speaking of a storm brewing, a detached voice which she knew all too well came from behind her.

"Miss Quinn."

Her nails dug into her palms painfully as she turned around to face the man.

"What do you want now?"

He seemed taken aback by the force of her words and the mockery behind it wasn't missed.

"You left in a rather abrupt manner so I came to check if you were," he gulped at her smoldering gaze. "If you were alright."

"As if you care."

His eyes scanned her taut expression as her hands folded across her chest defensively.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh don't give me that look, Christopher," she castigated, really not caring about anything right now. "You know exactly what I'm referring to."

He opened his mouth to answer but then rethought his words.

"I truly don't know. So if you could shed some light on the topic that would be much appreciated. You know, instead of you being so passive-aggressive about it."

"I'm being passive-aggressive?"

The tone in which she asked it should have been enough of an indication for him to be aware of walking on thin ice but he frankly didn't seem to care.

"Are you listening to yourself right now? Or is the rain so loud that it makes such a common task difficult at this moment?"

Leslie burst with such a big laugh that it could have been mistaken as jolly.

Her eyes turned cold before turning towards him with an emotionless, "You tell me."

With one hand swinging the door open, it didn't take more than two steps for her to be attacked by powerful raindrops. They began to soak the entirety of her dress, making it stick to her like a second skin and she didn't seem to care for the danger of her heels on the slippery ground as she marched to the parking lot.

Just as her phone buzzed with a confirmation message from the driver, she spotted a car pull up.

Her feet moved towards it but a hand shot out and gripped her into stopping.

"Are you crazy?" Christopher growled lowly, but the fierceness of it was conveyed.

Leslie tried to shake his hand off but he wouldn't budge.

"Let me go."

His stone cold eyes were glaring into her.

"I said let me go."

After snapping out such a hateful command, she was seconds away from being respectful to their remaining professional connection and cursing him in every language she knew.

"I said let go, you fuc-"

"Is this because of what I said on the dancefloor earlier?"

She gave him a gobsmacked look which yelled are you kidding me?!

The nerve of this man.

It was like he thrived off of her embarrassment.

"It is, isn't it?" He asked rhetorically, the pads of his finger still pressing into her skin.

"I-"

"You don't have to agree if you don't want to," he said, suddenly reclusive as his hand released the grip it had on her own.

"Do what?" She blinked at him, confused.

His jaw clenched.

"Are you really going to make me say it out loud?"

Leslie's brown eyes continued to stare at him cluelessly but he mistook it for stubbornness.

His mouth then moved with the issue of a sentence but thunder crackled in the distance.

"What did you just say?"

He gave an exasperated look but repeated himself, the honk of her taxi driver being the disturbance.

She looked over at it and gave him a signal of giving her a minute then she turned back to the man before her.

"Sorry, I still didn't catch that."

Christopher looked like he was seconds from exploding before he pulled her forward with a slick arm around her waist.

The tips of their noses brushed as a water droplet fell down the tip of his black hair.

She marveled at the fact that he had actually come in the pouring rain after her.

His blue eyes arrested her in a manner it never did before as his chest rose before her. Every beat of his heart could be felt as she was this close and her eyes flipped up in surprise at how erratic it was. Was she affecting him this way?

"I said-"

The honk of the taxi driver came and she whipped her head around with an exasperated look.

"Give me five minutes!"

Christopher looked anxiously back and forth between the vehicle then at her.

When it seemed there wouldn't be any other interruptions, he opened his mouth, "I said you don't have to..." but then his gaze caught sight of the driver aiming at the steering wheel.

His eyes widened and there was a desperation to beat it this time.

"Be with me!" he shouted breathlessly and she was almost swept off her feet.

The honks which followed were nothing compared to the beats her heart produced at that.

"E-Excuse me?"

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to." He assured her quickly.

What?

Christopher had asked her to be with him?

Did that mean he's asking her to be his girlfriend?

Wait, had asked her?

She trembled in his arms and it wasn't because of the cold.

When? Her mind was reaching at strings, desperate to sew back the common sense she had back together.

"Wait- what?" She blew out in confusion, her vision of him becoming less blurred.

In fact, it was clearer than ever.

"I thought you said you've never regretted any decision you've made in your life," she meekly recalled.

"I did."

"And it won't start with me." Her voice became meeker as the emotions those words conflicted resurfaced.

"It won't." He confirmed.

Her brows furrowed.

"So why would you..."

Then it clicked.

Leslie Quinn, you're one over-dramatic piece of work, her subconscious dished out.

Christopher's eyes watched her intently as she slapped a hand over face, the impact sounding much louder thanks to the moisture from the sky.

"I'm such an idiot." She groaned.

His form relaxed as he was quick to catch on to what was happening before him.

"You interpreted my words in a different way than I intended, didn't you?"

Her lips curled with a feral growl.

"What do you expect? Every time I take one step forward you take two steps back. That was my last chance in trying to get you to admit to any feelings you have for me. When you said that, I felt like that was the clearest rejection a person could ever receive. There was no other sense for me to pursue the topic any further."

"You really are an idiot," he agreed but his eyes were so uncharacteristically warm she couldn't argue with him.

She stared at him directly in the eyes for a second because of the power they were wielding.

When a cold finger grasped at her chin, bringing back her attention to him she almost jumped out her skin.

"So what is your answer?"

An air of expectancy swirled around them.

She felt herself becoming more greedy seeing as he was showing such a display of impatience.

"Usually during scenarios like this, you know in movies or books the male lead takes this opportunity to steal a kiss in the rain."

He looked at her unimpressed.

"Or not..."

His lips twitched, but then he took off his jacket which surprisingly wasn't as soaked as she expected it to be.

Her heart skipped a beat when he slung the item around her exposed figure.

"I'd much rather we get out of this rain. It wouldn't be particularly ideal for both of us to get sick again now would it?"

A feeling of disappointment hit her with a feeble punch.

"It's my mistake." She suddenly said, making him look at her in bewilderment.

"I forgot that you're not like most guys out there," she concluded, feigning a level of disenchantment.

His eyes sparked with a bit of hurt.

Though it slowly disappeared when her arms slung themselves around his neck and she watched his eyelids lower with anticipation.

"That's totally fine by the way. I can always play the role of a girl crush female lead." Grasping the back of his head possessively, she drew him in closer. There was a sharp intake of breath which revealed how affected he was by that move.

Their lips brushed teasingly, and she looked straight at him.

"After all, she's so much more exciting." Leslie appraised, smirking as his Adam's apple bobbed back and forth nervously.

His big, blue eyes were luminous. There was a short moment when she caught a glint of rain on his unfairly long lashes and her heart skipped a beat.

Conquer me, he proposed, that is if you dare to.

It was a challenge.

One for the taking.

That is if she was still brave enough to do so while being knowledgeable of all the turbulence awaiting them.

Screw all of that, Leslie thought fervidly before tilting her head up and claiming his lips on her tippy toes.

***

A/N:

Me celebrating my OTP's progress from the sidelines

And can I just say how much I loved how this chapter turned out? Definitely one of my favorites. Leslie taking the initiative in things is a huge turn on for me. Girl crush indeed 😍

And Christopher learning from that?

Also, if you were listening to that beautiful song on the side (or top) while reading you're a legend. It adds so much more flavor ✨

[connect with the author:

insta: @writtenbyzan_]