Page 63 of Reckless Dare

Nitya was right. After finishing the drink, she could feel a small pleasant buzz inside her head.

“I’m fine,” she said with a smile. “And you are right. I do feel better.”

There was an amused grin on Nitya. “All right, go find your partner. The dances will begin in a few minutes.”

Smiling with her new-found courage, Ava went towards the middle of the dance hall. The place was packed with every undergraduate student from Simha University.

All the guys looked similar with black tuxedos. The only things differentiating them slightly were the masks covering the top portion of their faces.

How am I supposed to find Neeraj?

She bit her lip wondering if she could ever find him. She had left her phone back in her room as they weren’t allowed inside the event. Only professional photography was allowed.

Great. Now I’ll have to spend the rest of the evening wandering around to look for a guy in a red, gold and black mask.

The soft music playing in the background came to a halt. A fourth year senior student hosting the event began the announcement.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the masquerade! Are you ready for a memorable night?”

There were deafening cheers.

“Then grab your partners and let the fun begin!”

Loud hip hop music began to play while the students paired up to dance. The lighting from the chandeliers above dimmed a little.

Ava bit her lip, still looking for Neeraj while people around began to dance. Some were grinding against each other, and some were dancing with a distance, but the entire atmosphere changed to a highly charged one.

She didn’t know how long she continued to walk around and was about to give up and go to the huge open balcony when someone bumped into her from the front. She was about to fall back when masculine arms held her.

She turned to thank the person but was pleasantly surprised. “Hey!” she greeted loudly against the music. “I was looking for you.”

It was Neeraj. He was wearing the exact mask as hers with the red, gold and black colors. The bow tie to his tuxedo matched with the deep black and red of her dress.

He didn’t say anything and held out his hand. As soon as she put hers in his, he pulled her into his arms and began dancing.

Smiling, she went along. It wasn’t like any of the dancing around them. They weren’t grinding to heavy beats and neither were they standing apart and moving together. His hands were on her waist in a firm grip, holding her close.

A strange spark of awareness slid through her. She could feel the heat of his palms through the material of her dress and also feel his body heat against hers through their clothes.

She cleared her throat noisily and kept up with her smile.

“Thank you so much for the dress,” she said. “It is stunning. I have never worn such a beautiful dress before.”

He was quiet and continued to move them to the music.

Feeling strangely shy, she continued to talk. “But just so you know, I haven’t had much luck to market it yet. Maybe during dinner when the lights are brighter I’ll show it off better.”

He was still quiet and the trickle of awareness grew stronger. Her skin was peppered with goosebumps and her heart began racing.

She was confused by her reaction. She had never felt that way with Neeraj.

Ugh. It must be those champagne cocktails.

Ignoring her racing heart and goosebumps, she kept her smile pasted. “By the way, we need to get some pictures clicked together tonight. Or my sister will not keep quiet.”

He didn’t say anything and spun them away from the crowd toward the edge. He then paused briefly before signaling one of the photographers standing at a distance. The guy came immediately and clicked a few pictures of them.

Ava blinked at the flash. “Oh,” she said with a laugh. “That was quick.”

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