The Dancer

Chapter 10

Cait stepped into her bedroom for the first time since the start of term. It was exactly as she had left it, right down to the dual toned pink striped wall, zebra print bedding, and that poster of the muggle actress Audrey Hepburn that she had put up to further infuriate her father. Smiling, she relaxed back onto the plush bed and closed her eyes. If there was one thing she enjoyed about being home, it was her bedroom. Well, that and her dance studio room.

Smiling a little more, she slowly pulled herself up from the bed and made her way to her closet where she stripped off her clothing and changed into a pair of black jazz pants and a neon blue dance tank. Grabbing her point shoes, she headed for her dance room.

"Come in," Cait called from the bathroom when she heard a knock.

"Caity!" Theo exclaimed as he made his way into the bathroom, "Why aren't you ready? We're leaving in ten minutes!"

Cait calmly met her brother's eyes in the mirror. Her hair was wet and twisted up into a towel, her body still clad in her plush pink bathrobe.

"I'm not joking, Caity. Father said ten minutes."

"Well, then he'll either have to wait or you two will have to go ahead without me."

Theo shook his head and then gave his sister a smirk. "You do these things on purpose, don't you?"

"Normally, yeah, but not tonight. This was completely by accident." She laughed and went back to applying her makeup.

"Well, hurry up anyway. I want to watch the Malfoy fantasy unfold tonight."

Cait blushed and spun around to face her brother. "Out!" she pointed.

Laughing, Theo made his way out of her room. "Just hurry up, okay?"

Draco was milling around among the few party guests that had already arrived. His mother was currently on door duty, and he was doing everything that he could not to have to take her place, which meant looking like he was mingling. Unfortunately, those who had already arrived were rather dull in his eyes.

"Zabini," he greeted, stepping up beside the darker bloke and grabbing a glass from the table.

"Ah, Malfoy," Blaise returned, "Another lovely party we have here tonight."

Draco nodded and took a sip of his drink. "You haven't seen the Nott's yet, have you?"

"I walked in just ahead of Theodore and his father."

"And Cait?"

"No, she wasn't with them."

Draco wondered where she could be. He had a feeling that something big was going to happen tonight. He didn't know why, but his gut told him that it would involve Cait. Spotting Theo, he quickly excused himself from Zabini and made his way across the room.

"Oi, Theo, where is your sister?"

"She wasn't ready, so we left her. You know girls."

"Yeah," Draco muttered.

"Is something wrong?" Theo asked as he took a drink that was being offered to him.

"I don't know yet."

"Well, here she is, finally." Theo droned.

"Sorry I'm late."

Draco turned towards the sound of Cait's voice and for a moment just stared. The brunette was wearing a cocktail dress made of champagne colored silk. It was sleeveless, with wide shoulder straps of black silk. The front of the dress came down in a deep V that ended at a black silk belt which made an empire waist with a bow sitting just under her bust line. The rest of the material floated out around her, ending just above her knees.

"Glad to see you didn't chicken out of coming." Theo teased, bumping shoulders with his sister and handing her a drink.

Draco shook his head, as if to clear it from thoughts that he would prefer to keep in his mind, especially since they involved his hands and a certain silk dress.

"Well, better late than never," He smiled. "Would you care to dance?"

Cait nodded, took another sip of her drink and then handed it to Theo before following Draco onto the lightly populated dance floor.

Draco suddenly felt self conscious, not something that he was used to feeling. As he slid his hand around Cait's back, he couldn't help but notice how soft the silk felt beneath his fingers. Her scent filled his senses—lily of the valley and almonds. He couldn't help but take another deep breath and smile slightly.

"You look beautiful tonight, Caity," he said softly as they skirted around the edge of the dance floor.

"Oh, just tonight?" she asked innocently, and then chuckled.

Draco laughed also, and then shook his head, "No, not just tonight. You always look beautiful."

Cait smiled and turned her face away, cheeks turning pink. "Thank you." She whispered.

Cait's teal eyes gleamed in the soft glow of the outdoor lighting. She was nestled under Draco's arm as they meandered around the garden. There was a slight chill to the air, but between the few drinks that she had consumed throughout the evening and the close proximity of Draco, she was in no danger of feeling it. His scent caressed her—a musky woodsy smell.

She felt a nervous flutter in her stomach as they came to a standstill beside a small pond. She could see the scales of fish flashing beneath the surface as they swam. Thinking that it was from the alcohol that she had previously consumed, Cait had a sudden urge to kiss Draco.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was standing on her tip toes and pressing her lips to his. She felt him respond to the pressure and deepen the kiss, bringing one hand to rest on her lower back and the other slid into her hair to cup the base of her skull. The kiss remained light and sweet, despite the fact that Cait felt like throwing herself at him.

Finally, Draco pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, smiling down at her.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"You never have to apologize for that, Cait." He replied, his voice slightly husky, as he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her.