I just want to say a huge and sincere THANK YOU to all who have read and reviewed. I am still getting to grips with this, so bear with me!
Also apologies for the short chapters, I do seem to have trouble with the length of my stories!!
Chapter 3
I walked around the ballroom. Crystal chandeliers hung majestically from the ceiling, scintillating rainbows of light when spotlights dazzled over the facets. Crimson velvet drapes framed the bay windows that overlooked the emerald grass of the gardens below. The soothing sounds of water flowing could be heard from the marble waterfall in the middle of the grounds. It was breath taking. A scene I could picture experiencing on my real wedding day.
And a bride I could only imagine in my dreams.
I stopped on the edge of the dance floor and watched her as she mingled with people. I spotted three undercover agents who all had their eyes on her, and who could blame them? Her eyes were sparkling like the diamond on her finger as she held her champagne glass. Her cheeks blossomed with a faint rosy glow. And her lips were berry colored, as if she had tasted cherries and the juice had stained her skin.
I wanted to kiss her. And see if they tasted as sweet as they looked.
I walked towards her as she stared at me. Some guy was about to ask her to dance but that wouldn't be happening. I grasped her hand and pulled her towards me, "Excuse me for interrupting, I'd like to dance with my wife."
The words were alien on my tongue, but oxymoronically, also so right. She didn't take her eyes off me. I gently took the champagne from her and set it on a nearby table, where candlelight flickered over its surface, making the bubbles look burnished in the light.
She wrapped her arm around my waist and stepped close. I held the side of her hip and took her right hand in mine. Tiny lights dotted the dance floor, swaying over the polished floor like fireflies in the night. The band played a soft song. I don't know what it was. I couldn't hear the music. She filled my senses, intoxicating me. I sighed as she slipped closer, sliding her hand lower on my back. In her heels she was an inch shorter than me. Wisps of her hair brushed my cheek and the diamond ear-rings that made her look so elegant brushed my shoulder as she turned her head. We danced like this for two, four, five songs. Holding each other as we shuffled across the floor in small steps to maintain the contact between our bodies. The silk of her dress swished fluidly as she moved, as if she were sheathed in liquid. I was pretty sure we were doing a convincing job of looking like a couple in love. At least I knew I was. After all I'd had five years of nurturing this eternal flame.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Her words are a whisper, her breath hot against my ear. I smile wistfully. "Yeah, although it's a bit strange." I lean close, closer than I should, to really ensure that I cannot be heard.
"What about you?" I can't resist the question.
She pauses, weighing up her words carefully. "More than I ever thought I would."
Her words are like cocoa on a cold evening whilst it's snowing outside. They fill me with warmth. And hope.
"I'm sorry you have found this so hard. I know how important marriage is to you." I am touched at her concern, and her respect for my beliefs. I take in a deep breath.
"I had no idea how hard it would be until I saw you this morning by the window."
She stills in my arms. We stop moving. I am aware of my pulse racing as I wonder how she will interpret my words. She pulls back and looks into my eyes and I am drowning by the understanding and compassion that are reflected in hers.
"Well I guess it's not every day you have to pretend to be in love with your partner is it?" The pregnant words hang in the air between us. And the words run through my head.
No.
Every day I don't pretend.
I just am. In love with you
