Chapter One
A knock on Mirasol's door made her jump at the kitchen counter, where she'd been chopping tomatoes. She laid down the knife, wiped her hands on her shorts, and opened the door.
She was met with Amir's grinning face, a politely smiling Sanjay standing behind him.
"Oh," she said, surprised. What could these two be visiting her for? "Amir, Sanjay. Come in."
She forced a blush not to rise when she met Sanjay's eyes.
She ushered them into her small home, rushing off as they took a seat to prepare some tea. She was embarrassed at the size of her home-they must feel so cramped compared to the mansion they lived in. If only they had given her a warning!
Carrying a tray with her nicest china, she entered the living room. She passed around the cups, pouring the tea, and taking a seat across from the two men.
After taking a sip, Amir began. "Mirasol, Sanjay and I were thinking. In this town, we have nice festivals, neighborhood get-togethers, and all of those things. But we never have anything, well... Fancy. Everyone enjoys having a chance to put on their best clothes every now and then, right? We have nothing of that sort here." He paused, the excitement visible in his politely trained face. "What do you say in taking part in a masquerade ball?"
Mirasol had been shocked. Amir, an actual prince, had asked her to help host an actual ball. A masquerade ball, at that! Without thought, she'd nodded her head yes, and tried to keep up with all the details, Amir's excitement quickly rubbing off on her.
"It will be in a month's time," Amir had said. "We would like your help gathering resources such as flowers and stones for decoration, and some nice jewels from the mine, if you would. Sanjay will take care of passing out invitations in a week or so, and I'll work on the other organization details. If you ever get any ideas, feel free to come over and share." He grinned merrily at her.
Somehow, she had forgotten all about Sanjay's presence. She glanced up at him, to see that he was looking at her, studying her.
She looked down at her teacup quickly.
Then he began speaking, in the gentle voice she loved to hear so much. "You're forgetting one of the main details, Master Amir."
"Ah, yes!" Amir clasped his hands together, throwing an appreciative look at Sanjay, then looking back at her. "Do you know how to dance?"
Her excitement dissolved. Oh, yeah. You have to dance at balls. "Um... No."
Amir quickly waved it away, as if glad she had said no. "It's fine, it's fine. Luckily-" he grinned widely at his servant- "Sanjay here is one of the finest dancers I know. I would like for you to meet him at our home twice a week for the next month to practice up your dancing skills. He will teach you everything you need to know."
Her heart dropped even lower, sinking through a hole in her stomach she didn't even know existed. Oh, why did Fate insist on embarrassing her every chance it received? "Yes, Amir. I'll be happy to."
She'd chosen Wednesdays and Thursdays to meet at the two men's home.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow was Wednesday.
She dreaded it so much. She was so fearful, so self-conscious, so unconfident. All things men do not like in women.
She thought back to all her friends in the past, how they would saunter up to the boys they wanted and have them wrapped around their pinkies in days. Why hadn't she been blessed with such confidence?
She tossed and turned in bed, thinking back on all the occasions she had spent with Sanjay. She'd been living peacefully in her home before he and the prince had moved in, around three months ago. That had given her around a whole year's time to get comfortable and make friends. That, she had done. Allen, the hairstylist, was one of her closest friends. She loved Hanna like she was her own mother. She even wormed her way into Neil's extremely tight friendship circle, although she had no idea how. She'd never had any interest in the bachelors of the town. But when she had met Sanjay, she saw something in him. Maybe it was his grace, or his politeness. She had no idea. She just knew that she wanted him.
When they first met, she assisted him in moving all their belongings into the huge home. It took a couple days, so they eventually got to talking.
Sanjay had told her that he'd been an orphan as a child. He missed his homeland, but he liked the quietness of the small town. He enjoyed waking up early in the morning and waiting for his master to wake up.
Not only did she listen to him, but she watched him. He took such care with things. He was so gentle and kind-it radiated from him. Even though he was somewhat shy, when he got started, the conversation would drift along into pleasant dialogue.
And Mirasol? She was average. Average everything. Average height, average appearance. All her talents were simply average.
She never felt special. She'd always hoped that one day she would be.
Mirasol's eyes slowly opened, and she blearily glanced around her room. Morning light was filtering in through the window, leaving a blue tint to the white bed sheets.
I'll be dancing with Sanjay today.
The thought jolted her upright. She glanced at the clock: 6:30. She was late.
What to wear? What to say? How to not make a fool of herself?
She hopped out of bed, rushing around the house, frantically brushing her teeth and her hair, pausing only to make sure it didn't look like a jumbled mess. She tore through her closet, finding nothing adequate, until finally she settled on a slightly form fitting T-shirt and light shorts.
Her nervousness took away her hurry. She drastically slowed down her pace as she made her way to Amir and Sanjay's home. After doing her chores of taking care of the animals and crops, she said hi to Dunhill as he made his morning stroll. She teased Allen about a stray hair. She waved to a grimacing Neil, pulling along his cart of animal supplies.
Inside the palace, Amir was looking through the blinds of the entrance room. "Sanjay!" he yelled.
Sanjay trotted around the corner to stand next to his side. "Yes, Master Amir."
"Mirasol is coming. Open the door for her and do what I told you." He straightened up to look his servant in the eyes. "Come across as cool and confident. You'll be fine, Sanjay. If it is meant to happen, it will happen."
Mirasol's heart pounded as she made her way up the stairs. She stared at her feet, watched them go from porcelain stair to porcelain stair. She ran her eyes over her legs, making sure she hadn't missed any spots shaving. When she glanced up, she was surprised to see the grand door opening, Sanjay stepping outside to greet her.
"Hello, Miss Mirasol."
"Hi, Sanjay."
"Would you like for me to get you anything before we begin?"
"No, thank you. I appreciate it though." She attempted a small smile.
"Okay. This way."
He led her through the high ceilinged rooms, past white sculptures and huge paintings, and down one staircase. She began to feel incredibly underdressed.
Finally, they reached the end of the long walk. "This," he said, opening the door, "is the ball room."
Mirasol gasped. It was exactly like any fairytale ballroom you could dream of.
The staircase they stood atop curled on the sides, spilling out onto the floor. Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, giant quartz pillars balancing down the sides of the room. Her shoes clicked on the stone floor that had been polished so clean she could see her reflection.
"Wow," she breathed.
Sanjay looked over at her, memorizing the features of her appalled face. Her hazel eyes. Her dark auburn hair. The light freckles that danced across her pale skin. Her pink lips.
He realized he was staring.
"Ready to begin?"
She took a breath. Swallowed. Then, nodded her head.
They walked side by side down the staircase, Mirasol holding onto the rail to steady her clumsy nature. When they reached the bottom, he held out his hand to her, palm up.
Hoping he didn't notice her shaking, she carefully placed her hand in his.
Suddenly, he was pulling her toward him, her hand caught in his grip. His right arm slipped around her back, encircling her waist. He pressed a firm hand to the small of her back, bringing them together. Mirasol's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes came up to his jawline—she could smell his cologne.
"Your arm goes on my shoulder."
His voice was like poetry.
"Mirasol?"
The way his lips moved was mesmerizing.
"Miss Mirasol?"
She was brought back to the present by the feel of him pulling slightly away from her. She quickly placed her hand on his shoulder, ducking her head to hide her burning cheeks. "Yes, I'm sorry. I'm just… tired."
Sanjay worried. Was she uncomfortable being this close to him?
He continued anyway, beginning to move around. "I'm the leader. All you need to do, is follow my movements. It should come natural—oh, no—no, that's okay, it happens—just, focus less. Don't think about it. Just follow what I do."
Mirasol's heart was pounding. She was sure he could hear it, and her cheeks were so flushed it was bringing tears to her eyes. How embarrassing. She'd already trodden on his foot twice, and couldn't quite get his swaying movements to match with her stepping.
She stared down at her feet, praying that she might actually step in the right direction or move with the right pattern. She kept opposing him, cutting off the stride he had going. She felt as if she was making it difficult on him.
After a little while longer of the "dancing", Sanjay stopped. "Well, Mirasol, I think that's enough for today. You've done pretty well. I'll see you back here tomorrow."
He walked her to the door, offered her a smile, and watched her on her way.
He thought about her for the rest of the night. While he prepared dinner for Amir, his thoughts drifted to the way her hand felt in his. As he fiddled with the food on his plate, he imagined how their dancing could go tomorrow. And while he lay down, trying to sleep, he wondered if she was thinking of him as well.
