Page 78 of Gracefully Yours

I thought I knew every part of Charlotte, but I realized there were so many things she kept hidden, not wanting the world to see underneath her bright, smiling face.

All this time, I thought I’d loved her. But I hadn’t known the first thing about that, not really. She’d always been important to me, but now… looking over at her with her cheeks warm from the outside temperature and a slightly pink nose, I thought maybe I had known nothing at all. She’d always been mine, yet I’d had no claim over her. I’d dated other women, too. When I realized friendship with Charlotte was more important to me than any attraction or desire I felt towards her, I tried to move on. Get her off of my mind.

But it never worked. Because they were neverher.

And now… I extended out a hand towards her.

“Shall we dance, darling?”

CHAPTER19

Charlotte

Daniel pulled me into his arms, twirling me around the dance floor.

I’d never known how fast my heart could beat just from a man’s embrace. There certainly hadn’t been any dances like this before. One arm was curled around my back, resting on the small of my back, but just that touch heated me through the fabric. The other was holding my hand, even as we swayed around the floor for our first dance.

We hadn’t taken lessons, but Daniel knew I didn’t need it. I’d taken ballroom lessons since I was little, and dance was in my blood. But he never once stepped on my toes. His steps were in perfect harmony as mine, every bit as graceful as I was.

My heart swooned. “When’d you get so good at this?” I murmured to him as I rested my head against his shoulder for a moment.

He cleared his throat. “I, uh… Took lessons.”

I looked up at him, right into those brown eyes I’d spent almost a decade looking into. But this close, I could stare at the little flecks of gold in his iris. The deviations in color that made up the rich hue.

He’d taken dance classes? Forme?

Was this my quiet best friend who preferred a night in to going out, the one who loved math, who I’d catch strumming along to his guitar or playing piano—who always watched me dance and hardly ever joined me?

But then, he’d come to every one of my recitals in college. He’d walked me to class when I was wearing my pink leotard. He’d picked me up when I got off late from teaching classes.

And he’d surprised me by learning all on his own.

“Daniel…”

“It was no big deal, really.” He raised his shoulders in a shrug.

“Maybe not to you,” I muttered. But it was a big deal for me.

Because this didn’t feel fake.

It wasn’t like the cake tasting where we’d pretended to be one happy couple, or holding hands as we walked around his Dad’s property while deciding where we wanted to have the wedding. Doing it on his own meant no one was there to witness the gesture. He did it forme.

It was like our little secret, a kernel of knowledge that warmed me from the inside out.

“Who told you that you could be so perfect?” I murmured under my breath, but when I looked up at him, the way he was gazing at me took my breath away.

Would it ever stop?

“Only for you,” he promised, resting our foreheads together.

The butterflies exploded in my chest, and I had a hard time reminding myself that this was all just pretend. That it was just a fairytale I wanted to believe in.

Daniel kissed my forehead as our dance ended, and I gave him my best smile as he pulled me to his side, letting the masses come over to congratulate us.

“I can’t believe you’remarried,”Angelina nudged me as my three best friends surrounded me later, pulling me into one corner of the thankfully warm tent.

Looking down at my ring, I couldn’t help but agree. Because it didn’t feel real. “I know,” I giggled, sipping on my champagne. “It feels surreal.”

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