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She was dressed in white.
The first time he met her, she had been in white. The only person in the entire room wearing a white dress. She was alone, dateless, but she hadn't seemed to care at all. Most if not all of the young men there were watching her, wanting nothing more than to be the lucky man to claim her as his own. But no one made a move. They just watched her as she danced with the several other people on the dance floor.
He made eye contact with her from across the room, and as she caught his eye she smiled at him. Her eyes never left him as she walked toward him.
As he took her hand in his, he can feel the other men's eyes staring hard at the two of them, but he doesn't look away, scared that if he does she'll be gone, and the night will prove to all be a dream. She's still smiling at him as she asks, "Would you like to dance?"
He finds himself nodding in response, and she led him to the middle of the dance floor, where he took her in his arms. She put a hand on his shoulder, and he took the other in his own as they swayed to the music.
"If I may ask, what's a girl like you doing alone at a party like this?" he can't help but ask.
She shrugged then smiled again. "Looking for the perfect guy," she replied.
"Well, you've got plenty of options tonight," Ned said.
She laughed then said, "I'm with you now."
They danced in silence for a long moment. He softly said, "They're all staring at us."
She nodded. She was gazing into his eyes. "It doesn't matter now," she said just as softly.
The lights have gone dim by now, and the room is silent except for the slow song being played.
A few couples have joined them in dancing now, but the two of them remain oblivious to the world around them as they continue to dance until the last note is played. It is only then that they pull apart and she's smiling once again.
"Thank you," she said. She started to turn away but he caught her hand again.
"I don't think I caught your name," he said.
"Nancy," she replied. "Yours?"
"Ned," he said.
"Nice to meet you," she said.
Before they can say more, another young man finally gathers the courage to come up to her and ask for a dance. She accepts his offer and with a last look at Ned, she follows her new dance partner to another area on the floor.
Several songs later, Ned is still in the same spot that he was in the moment that he left her. He's danced with several young women since then, but he is still waiting for the opportunity to see her again; the opportunity to hold her in his arms again, even for just one more song. Finally, as the DJ announced the last song, he gave up all hope. He turned, ready to leave. He's almost to the door when he feels someone touch his should lightly. A moment later, he's staring into a pair of bright blue eyes.
"You're leaving?" she asked softly.
Ned smiled. "Last dance," he said. "I just thought—" he broke off.
She smiled sweetly at him. "One more dance," she said.
It was more of a command than a request, but he didn't care, because this was what he had been waiting for the entire night. He followed her to the dance floor.
The song was upbeat and fast, but she still made it a point to linger in his arms as much as possible, and she didn't hide it. Then, all too fast, the song was over, and they were left standing in the middle of the dance floor, staring deeply into each other's eyes.
"Thank you," she said softly. "For an amazing night."
He squeezed her hand. Before he could say anything, she suddenly slipped something into his hand before closing his fingers over it. It was a small piece of folded paper.
When he looks up again, she's gone, lost in the crowd of leaving couples. He looks back at the slip of paper and opens it, wondering. On it was scrawled a telephone number.
He sighed. Tomorrow she would probably wake up, completely forgetting him, and it would be a waste to get high hopes for someone like her.
He put the paper in his pocket before leaving.
The number was eventually lost as he was moving his belongings from home to college. He felt guilty at first, but then remembered his thought from long ago—a girl like that would most likely not remember him. The guilt finally went away for the longest time.
As he got wrapped up with schoolwork and friends, everything else seemed to get forgotten. His fraternity held parties almost every weekend, and it was constant chaos for the first month back at college. But it was at one of the parties that his life changed once again.
The party was held outside for once because of the beautiful weather. It was dark outside, but the full moon glowed brightly, lighting up the sky along with the several shining stars. As a fraternity brother of his mentioned earlier, it was the perfect night for romance—for those who were lucky enough to pick up a date.
Ned had not wanted to go. But his roommate pushed him more and more until he finally agreed to go. His roommate had been pleased at his accomplishment of getting him to attend, and had told him to dress nice in case he met a girl there that may be interested in him. Ned had rolled his eyes then, but for the oddest reason he found himself listening to his advice.
The party was already going strong by the time they arrived, with the music pounding and people dancing. As Ned watches several couples dance together, even though it's not a slow song, the memory of holding Nancy in his arms long ago comes back so strong it felt as if he were there again. A new hurt was brought up, along with the guilt he had forgotten long ago. The guilt of not calling; the guilt of forgetting her or trying to forget her.
He turned to leave, but his friend caught his arm. "Where're you going? The party just started!"
"I've got to go," Ned said. "I can't—"
"Just wait," his friend interrupted him. "There's someone I want you to meet."
Before Ned could protest, he found himself being led through the crowd until they finally stopped in the middle of the dance floor. His friend looked around the crowd a moment. Then, spotting someone, they began walking again before they stopped in front of two young women.
"Ned, this is my girlfriend, Maria," he said. "And this—" he turned to the other girl—"Is—"
"Nancy Drew," Ned finished softly.
He recognized her immediately. He would recognize her anywhere, after meeting her that night. She was staring straight into his eyes, and he almost thinks she doesn't remember him, that she's forgotten him. But then, she smiles the same soft smile she gave him the moment they met. "You remember me," she asked softly.
Ned's friend was looking between the two of them. "You two already know each other?" he asked.
"We've met," Ned said.
His roommate nodded knowingly. He said something quietly to his girlfriend before the two of them walked off together, leaving Ned alone with Nancy.
"Hello," she said, her voice still soft, her smile remaining as they stand together.
"Hello," he replied.
"You managed to find out my last name," she said.
Ned smiled. "I'd seen you before," he said. "Before the party that night. Never in person, but always on the news or in the newspaper. I just never realized it until later."
She looked away. "I wasn't sure if you'd want to see me again," she said. "If you knew who I was, if you knew my reputation. And then when you never called…" she broke off.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I never meant it like that."
She met his eyes again. "You don't have to lie to me," she said.
Ned shook his head. "I would never lie to you," he said. "That night…was amazing. And I wanted to call you, I did, but…I thought you wouldn't feel the same way, I guess."
She took his hand and gave him a small smile. "If that were true, I wouldn't have given you my number in the first place," she said softly.
The music changed then, from a fast upbeat song to a slow, soft one.
"Let's dance," she said.
They walked onto the dance floor and joined the other couples. Ned takes her in his arms again and they sway to the music in silence.
About halfway through the song, he's pulled her closer to him subconsciously. By the time he's aware of it, he knows that the damage is done, and he has most likely ruined the night with her by moving too fast. But suddenly, all of his thoughts stop as he realizes something else.
She didn't pull away.
The last few notes of the song played, and only then did she pull back to gaze into his eyes once again. And it was at that very moment that he knew he was in love.
Four years later, he finds himself standing in an old church, right under the alter, alone. The church is filled with waiting people, some talking quietly, others waiting, patiently reading through one of the programs. But Ned's gaze is straight ahead.
The music began playing, and soon, the guests in the pews were quiet; the bridesmaids came out of one side door; the best men came out the other, standing by Ned's side. Ned set his gaze straight ahead once again, waiting. Finally, he saw her.
She was in the doorway, waiting to be walked down the aisle on her father's arm. She looks absolutely beautiful to Ned, and he's sure that no one else in the room can deny that opinion, either. He watches her, his smile widening. Although everyone's eyes are on her and her alone, her eyes are on Ned as she walks slowly toward him. Then, finally, she's in front of him, and she looks almost just like she did the moment he first saw her. Even more beautiful than before.
She's all dressed in white.