Page 71 of Isabella and the Slipper

He ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry.”

Chapter 22

Isabella turned away from him, her heart pounding in her chest from the kiss, and from Chase almost finding out who she was.

He reached out and touched her shoulder. “I didn’t mean to ...”

Her fingers trembled as she tried to calm her racing heart.

He kissed her. And it was amazing. Seriously, it was fireworks in the sky kind of amazing.

But she wondered if had he done it just to try to remove her mask? To find out who she really was?

“You promised,” she said, hurt lacing her words.

He put his arms around her shoulders, pulling her back to his chest. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

He stood there for a moment, hugging her close. She smelled his cologne, and it made her knees weak. When he let her go, she took a step away.

“Please forgive me,” he said, his voice soft.

She turned toward him and swallowed the pain of his kiss. The kiss that didn’t mean what she had hoped it did. “It’s already forgotten.” A breeze raised goose bumps on her skin, and she hugged her arms.

“Are you cold?”

“Kind of.”

He shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket. “Here.” He helped her slip her arms in. “Better?”

She nodded, his smell now enveloping her.

They continued to walk around the school, but some of the magic of the evening was gone. She couldn’t quite let go of the kiss and the reason behind it.

She could imagine how things would have gone had he gotten her mask off. He would have looked at her and said, “Isabella?” The question would have been full of shock and disbelief. He would have recoiled from her. And the look on his face. She didn’t want to think about that. Would it have held disgust? Disappointment? Both?

She tried to steady her breathing as they neared the front entrance again. She suddenly wanted the evening to end. Only, Savannah wouldn’t be back to pick her up until midnight, when the dance ended. She had to stick it out for a while longer.

“Ready to go back inside?” Chase asked, his voice low.

“Yes.” She shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to him. He gave her a long look before putting it back on.

Once they were back in the gym, Chase took her hand. “Let’s start this date over. Will you dance with me?”

She nodded, and they once again went out on the gym floor. The same place where this whole thing started. The pain from that first meeting bubbled up and added to her embarrassment. She’d been so unremarkable, he couldn’t even remember what she looked like. He hadn’t really seen her and hadn’t cared to. He was looking at a pig.

Chase pulled her close, holding her hand up and stepping in time to “One Call Away” by Charlie Puth. His touch sent her heart into overdrive again. A lump swelled in her throat.

They danced several more songs, Isabella bracing herself against the pain of being in his arms. She stuffed her hurt deep inside and forced a smile. She could handle a few more dances.

The band announced the last song, and relief flooded Isabella. It was almost over. And then she could disappear and not have to deal with it anymore. They were almost done with their school project. She could go back to texting him and never reveal who she really was.

He seemed to sense her mood because he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I messed everything up, didn’t I?”

She blinked, trying not to let her tears spill over onto her cheeks. “I’m fine,” she lied.

“No, you’re not. You’re shutting me out. I can see it.” He frowned.

She bit her lip, unsure of what to tell him. “I’m sorry. This was a bad idea.”

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