Page 188 of From Rivals to I Do

She smiled up at him and that seemed to shake away his nerves. “Okay,” he said. “Be careful, though. I’ve been known to cut a mean rug.”

She started to walk, but he stopped. “Hey, so…if I told you that I was a good dancer back in the day, but I haven’t danced in public in a long time, would you hold it against me?”

She got up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Just let me lead,” she said, pulling him along.

They stepped onto the dance floor, and Camilla immediately started swaying to the music, letting her hips swing with the beat. Abel watched her for a moment, his face going pink around his cheeks. Then she reached out to him and pulled him close, moving her body against his.

“Come on,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Just stick your leg in between mine.”

“What?” he said with a chuckle.

She nodded down for emphasis. “Stand with your leg between mine. That way, you can follow me without stomping on my feet.”

He nodded and stood with his leg between hers and put his hands on her hips. As she moved, he followed, keeping the beat with her as the jumping rhythm bounced around them. She noticed that he was looking down at his feet, so she touched his chin, pulling it up until he was looking at her.

“Keep your eyes on me,” she said. “That’s it.”

He was smiling, and she felt him relax into the dance. He was a little awkward, but he wasn’t completely rhythmless. In fact, the longer they danced, the more natural it was beginning to feel. Before long, he gained more confidence. He spun Camilla around the dance floor like he’d been dancing his entire life.

“Told you,” he said to her. “I’m a born dancer.”

She laughed, and the two of them danced until they started to lose their breath. Two, three, four songs went by before Camilla started to feel like she couldn’t dance anymore. She just kind of fell into Abel’s arms, laughing and panting all at once.

“Are we having fun?” he asked, and she nodded enthusiastically. The music changed to a slow song, and Camilla pulled away, thinking that he would be too worn out to continue. He held her fast, however, and pulled her close.

“One more,” he said.

She smiled and fell into the slow, rocking beat of the song. The beautiful voice of the female singing soared over their heads. I could fall in love…

“Camilla,” he asked her. “Do you…do you really want this? To be with me, I mean?”

She crinkled her nose at him. “That’s a weird question to ask.”

“I know. I just…this whole thing feels so good, you know? I don’t want it to end.”

“Neither do I.”

He paused, an entire world going on behind his eyes. “Camilla—”

She put her finger to his lips to silence him. “Just dance with me, okay? We can figure out the rest later.”

He looked down at her, his brown eyes smoldering. “You’re really something, Ms. Nunez.”

She smiled. Then she pulled him down to her and kissed him, long and deep. The world fell away around them, and for a moment, they were suspended together outside of time. His kiss was electric, vibrating through her skin and making her heart skip a beat. Her hands reached up, her fingers intertwining themselves in his dark locks.

He was it. This was the man for her. She had no doubts about it. She never thought she’d find love again in this lifetime.

In the next moment, she was pushed away from him. An intrusive hand grabbed hold of her and pushed her backward, making her stumble a few steps. The fantasy was over, and she was standing in the cold, watching as Rafael grabbed Abel by the collar.

“I told you!” he shouted. “I said to stay away from her!”

He pushed Abel hard, sending him backward across the dance floor. Abel stared up at him, stunned and confused. “Rafael! What the—”

“You weren’t supposed to keep going out with her! What’s wrong with you?!”

Camilla spotted the bouncers by the door, alerted to the commotion. She jumped in front of Rafael. “What are you doing? What’s the matter with you?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” said Abel. “Are you out of your mind?”

---