Page 74 of Fortress of Ambrose
As the music switched to a peppier cadence, Yagrin released her waist and turned her out, letting go of her hand. She moved like the music was inside her, bouncing around in her bones. She held her skirts to show off her footwork, tapping her heel and toe in a rhythm to the measure. He laced his fingers behind himself, the music nudging him with the next step. They touched elbows, rotated and touched elbows again. The teases of closeness with her only made him eager for the next count where he could pull her close again.
She curtsied, and he extended his arms, inviting her back to him. She grabbed his hands and held on with a tightness, a request to never let her go. And it ruined him. He wanted to hold on to her, too. He wanted to live in the present. Nore was here. Now. He squeezed her hand with both of his, clinging to their grip.
Her whole countenance brightened. Her smile deepened, tiny lines reaching her eyes. It felt good to make her feel good. The more eagerly she danced, the more the music began to feel like it beat inside Yagrin, lightening the weight on his shoulders. He danced harder, letting himself breathe in this moment and enjoy it for what it was. He worked his body, each dance step, sharply, precisely, until he lost any awareness of the world around them.
“You’re good,” he said.
And this is…fun.
Her cheeks were pink. He could feel her racing heart through her fingertips. He zipped up the space between their bodies, holding her closeto him. Their faces touched, cheek to cheek as they swayed for the next four count. The heat of her made his own heart leap. The music jumped. They spun bodies pressed together. The notes rose higher and faster, and they went around and around and around, quicker each time. She giggled, scents of honeysuckle and lavender swallowing him. He slowed them down, and when they’d nearly stopped, he spun her out and let her go one last time, preparing for the finish.
“Can you do it?” he asked.
“Canyou?” She smirked in that sly way she did, and it made him grin.
He steadied himself, bracing to catch her. She padded toward him quickly. His hands grazed her ribs as he gripped her tightly. She trembled. Her stare bored into him as he lifted her in the air.
“I have you.”
She let go of his shoulders, swept her arms overhead, and bent back for the finish.
The audience around them exploded in applause. He brought her body down, sliding against his, carefully. He set her on her feet. Her arms roped around his shoulders, placing her lips a breath away from his. They froze as the final measure of the song played. The audience roared louder when it finished. Litze Oralia watched from the refreshments table, slamming her hands together.
He couldn’t breathe. Everything he wanted to say tangled in his head.
“I am so sorry that I hurt you,” he said as more applause roared around them.
“Yagrin—”
“Listen, please. I really like you. I like being with you. But you deserve someone who isn’t holding back from you.”
“You don’t have to hold back from me,” she said as he loosened their embrace.
“I do.” If Red couldn’t be brought back to life, then he wouldn’t want to be with anyone else. But those words would hurt her more than they would help. He was many things. But loyal to those he loved most of all. “Because—”
“Encore,” the audience shouted. “Encore!”
Nore squeezed his hand, and the joy in her eyes sent a thrill racing across his skin. He pulled her into him in an embrace, and the applause turned to cheers. Nore nuzzled his neck. Her mouth found his ear.
“We are their feature presentation,” she said, pressing against him, and it felt like a puzzle piece of him just slid into place.
“Alright, alright,” he announced, and signaled for the Audior to play something slower this time. “Ready?” he asked her.
“I’ve been ready, Yagrin. I am just waiting on you.”
His heart did funny things in his chest. The music began, and they swayed slowly for the first few beats. Several joined them on the dance floor. Nore’s arms were around him, and he let himself gaze squarely into her eyes.
“I couldn’t have done this with anyone but you.” That was true. There were things about Nore he adored that were different from Red. Nore was the right person for this moment, for this situation he found himself in in life. He wouldn’t regret that. How could he regret feeling things for someone like her? She was a walking anomaly that defied everything about the Order. He loved that about her most. Her audacity. To just exist as she is. That was something Red would never be able to understand. A whole part of him she would miss.
“What are you thinking?”
“That I wish this song would never end.” His chin hit his chest. It felt wrong to say. But this moment was so sweet, so unaffected, so pure, he wanted to keep it. His life had been a continuous reel of disappointment. Even with Red, he had to leave. He couldn’t justbewith her all the time like he wanted. But with Nore…His chest ached.
“You’re torturing yourself,” she said. “I can see it in your eyes.”
“It’s just very complicated.”
“It’s not.” She stopped dancing.
