XII
~ The past few days have slowed down greatly at headquarters. Even the paperwork seemed to have dwindled down to nothing. Things were a bit...boring. Not that I was complaining. I was grateful that the paperwork was almost nonexistent. Especially after hearing that Mustang was finally getting his big transfer back to Central. The less things he had to take with him the better. I didn't know how I felt about the whole thing. As of now, he was the only being transferred. All of us were being left behind. Even Hawkeye. Of course, I was beyond happy that he was getting what he's wanted for so long but at the same time, I already felt lonely knowing he'd be so far away. The past few days when he would come home he would reassure me that he was going to get a transfer for all of us. Hawkeye, Breda, Fuery, Havoc, Falman, and I. Of course, I couldn't go around spreading the news with others. It was something that had to stay quiet just in case things didn't fall through. Being honest, I wasn't expecting things to fall through. Eastern Headquarters was already losing an asset; I don't think they would allow several others to leave.
My grip tightened on the clipboard that held the last bit of paperwork to my chest. I was waiting outside of General Grumman's office. I was needing Mustang's signature on a few pages before I could file them as complete but intruding on their game was unacceptable. Just as I was finishing my millionth yawn Grumman's door opened. Mustang was walking out with Grumman's chessboard in his arm. I turned towards him, giving him a quick salute. He looked a bit surprised seeing me outside the door.
"Is there something you need, Lovington?"
"Yes sir. I was just needing your signature on a few pages." I held out the clipboard toward him and exchanged it with the chess board. "I've highlighted all the places that are needed. This should be the last of them." He pulled a pen out of his pocket and started to sign. He had a small smile on his face. Normally when he leaves Grumman's there's a bit of a pout from defeat, but today, he was almost glowing. "How was the game, sir?" His hand stopped moving and he peered at me with his eyes. There was definitely some cockiness behind them. He must have finally won.
"After all this time, I finally got my victory." He flipped a page over and continued to sign away.
"Congratulations!" I gave him the biggest smile I could. He gave me a sly one back. I know he was always trying to get his win, but deep down I couldn't help but feel he was always messing around with Grumman. Mustang flipped the pages back together from the beginning and handed me the clipboard back.
"Is everyone in the office?"
"No sir. They're all out and about, but I think Hawkeye is waiting for you in your office?"
"I'm going to need you to round everyone up and report back to my office ASAP. I have something to discuss with all of you." He started walking off towards his office.
"Yes sir." I tried to fumble the chessboard below the clipboard so I could salute him before he walked off. Clearly Mustang didn't care if I saluted or not as he walked away just as I got the items assembled in my arms. I watched him walk off, curious about the little bounce in his step. I then made my way towards the other end of the hall, looking for the rest of the troops.
"Oh, Fuery!" That was fast. Hopefully finding the rest of them would be this easy. Fuery turned around, facing me as I stopped in front of him. "The Colonel is wanting everyone to gather in his room immediately. Apparently he has something he needs to discuss. So, I'd start making your way down."
"Let me take those from you." Fuery grabbed both the chess board and clipboard from me.
"Thanks."
"No problem. What do you think he wants to talk about? Do you think something happened?"
"No…nothing bad at least. He seems to be in a good mood actually. Which is weird on its own."
"Hmm…well I'll make my way there and drop these off for you." Fuery indicated with the items in his arms.
"Thanks, and if you see any of the others, could you tell them to head for the office?"
"Will do." Fuery gave me a small smile before making his way toward the office. Alright, one down, three more to do go.
Falman, Breda and I had finally reached the office after searching for Havoc, with no luck in finding him. We were hoping he was already here in the office, and just as our luck would have it, he was.
"It's about time you guys showed up. We were all wondering if you had gotten lost." He said with a smug smile. We just glared at him as we all made our way into Mustang's personal office. Hawkeye was, of course, already there waiting for the rest of us in front of Mustang's desk. We lined ourselves up with her.
"Sir, everyone is here." Hawkeye said quietly. Mustang had been facing the window the whole time. He turned around, facing us for the first time since we entered. There was determination written all over his face.
"Master Sergeant Kain Fuery, Warrant Officer Vato Falman, Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda, Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, Major Abby Lovington, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye…Gather up your things. All six of you are transferring to Central with me..." My eyes widened with surprise. "And no objections. Understood?" We all saluted him simultaneously. Our eyes locked for a moment as I gave him a heartwarming smile, before he turned back around looking out the window once more. He actually did it. It wasn't even a discussion; we were all going with him. Just then Havoc seemed troubled. He walked over by Mustang with no hesitation.
"I've got a problem sir. See, I just started dating this girl and I really like her." Oh yah. That's right. I wonder what will happen with Emily? Will she come to Central with Havoc?
"Dump her." Mustang said it so casually. It shocked us all, but more for Havoc. He was completely shattered by his words, but for me, I couldn't help but hide a smile as everyone went to comfort Havoc. "That goes for you as well, Lovington." Mustang gaze shifted to me. Huh? What was he talking about? Wait…he couldn't mean-
"You're not talking about Earl are you?" I seemed a bit panicked. Who even told him about Earl?
"So that's his name." Mustang's eyes sank into a hard gaze.
"You've got it wrong Colonel! I'm not dating-"
"No need to be shy, Lovington." Breda had a smug look about him, obviously trying to make things more difficult for me.
"Shut up Breda! Honestly, Colonel, I-"
"Doesn't matter, just make sure you end it before we leave. It doesn't have to be right away. At least wait until the Ball is over."
"But there's nothing to end!"
"That's all, you're all dismissed." Why do I have a feeling he didn't hear a word I just said. I hope things won't be awkward at the Ball. Oh yah! The Ball's tomorrow. I should actually stop by and see Earl to make sure everything's still in order. After all that's happened the past few weeks, I'm finally feeling excited about something.
It was the evening of the Military Ball and I had just finished with my hair. I had decided to go with a nice half up, half down do, and I had to say, I couldn't look any better! Even my make-up was on point. Now the only thing left was to put on the dress.
As I slipped it on, I remembered I was going to need another body to help me lace it up. I know Mustang and I are close and what not, but I couldn't possibly ask him to do it. I guess I would have to wait for Hawkeye to get here to ask her. She should be here any minute anyways.
"Abby, I'll be leaving now. Are you sure you're not needing a ride?" Perfect timing! I cracked open my bedroom door and stuck my head out.
"No, I don't, but could you ask Hawkeye to come up here please? I need help with my dress." I could hear him mumbling something off in the distance as he opened the front door. Moments later I could hear Hawkeye and him discussing something.
"I don't know…she needs help with her dress, or something?" I could hear Riza walking up the steps in her high heels. My eyes lit up when I saw her. She was beyond beautiful! The dress she had picked suited her perfectly. It was silk light blue, almost silver looking form fitting dress. It ended just before her ankles but had a slit on one side that came up to her high thigh, along with a very seductive low-cut top. She even let her hair down this time. Such a rare sight that I always love seeing.
"Well look at you!" My compliment didn't faze her. She entered my room and shut the door behind her. "Thanks, you're truly a life saver!" I turned my back to her so she could start lacing me up.
"You look very cute." I could hear the small smile on her face. Unlike Riza, her compliment had me blushing. I couldn't help but think about the evening ahead. I actually had a date...or at least a reason to really doll myself up this year. Just thinking about it got my heart racing. "Now this gentleman you're bringing this year, will be a gentleman right?" Why does she sound like my mother all of sudden?
"Of course."
"Alright, but I don't think I need to tell you that the Colonel will have his eyes on him for the evening."
"Stop! I'm already nervous as it is!" Seriously… Riza just chuckled.
"How's this? Is it tight enough?" I moved around in my dress a bit, testing it out.
"Yep, feels good. Thanks again!" I turned around facing her with a grateful smile. Her eyes had a warm gaze to them when I faced her.
"Why don't you come down and let the Colonel see you."
"No, it's good. I'll see you guys when I get there."
"Come on now, I'm sure he would want to see you before he leaves." Riza linked arms with me and started to guide me to the stairs. I was suddenly feeling shy. "Sorry to keep you waiting, sir." Mustang turned around and seemed to be frozen from shock. Who could blame him? Two captivating women right before his eyes, I would've felt a bit insulted if he didn't react like this, but it didn't stop me from feeling nervous. "Well, what do you think?" There was a sense of playfulness in Riza's voice. I shyly looked at Mustang, waiting for his answer. That warm gaze that Riza had just a moment ago was now in Mustang's eyes.
"Beautiful. Both of you." Some of my muscles relaxed with his response. I was even able to smile more naturally. "I'm not going to have to worry about you tonight, am I?" And there went that moment.
"No! Jeez, I'm grown adult woman! I can take care of myself!"
"That's what I'm worried about." He mumbled it, making it almost inaudible, but I caught it. I was a bit surprised. "You have your gloves right?"
"Oh, yah…" I reached down the front of my dress pulling out my alchemy gloves. "But I don't think I'll need them." I hesitantly shoved them back in place.
"I prefer if you did. Better safe than sorry." I guess he had a point. "Well, we should get going." Riza broke away from me and walked towards the door. "You sure you don't need a ride?"
"I'm sure. Earl said he would pick me up a little after 7:00, so he should be here any moment."
"Alright, we'll see you there." I gave a small waved as he shut the door. Now all I had to do was wait in anticipation. I had talked to Earl yesterday explaining all that I could about the Ball and gave him directions to Mustang's. He found it humorous for some reason. I even ended up telling him about Central and the transfer. He seemed rather disappointed about it, but still congratulated me with a smile. I honestly thought that he would've cancelled on me. A part of me almost wanted him to. This was the closest thing I've had to a date in years. I honestly can't remember the last date I had. I think it was right before I had signed up for the Military, and it didn't end so great. No wonder my nerves were going into overdrive. I wanted the night to be over with just for my heart's sake. Several minutes had gone by, but there was still no sign of Earl. I wonder if he got lost? He's never been over in this neighborhood before, and I'm horrible when it comes to giving directions.
Just then I saw a pair of headlights outside the house. I glanced out the window and saw the car turned off and the person who was driving get out. My heart leaped into my throat as I rushed over to the door to put my heels on. I quickly slipped them on and opened the door, making sure it was locked before closing it.
"It's about time. I thought you were lost…" My voice trailed off when I saw who was standing just a few feet away. "What are you doing here?" I was trying to put the pieces in my head together to come up with a valid reason why Havoc was here instead of Earl. He hasn't moved since I walked outside, and his staring was starting to make me feel uncomfortable. "What?" My last question got him to blink a few times, and he finally walked over, closing the last few feet between us.
"Sorry, Earl had called me earlier today. Said he ended up getting stuck with a shift. So, he asked if I could come pick you up."
"Oh." I felt a bit disappointed. So now I was going dateless.
"But he said he would show up a bit later. As long as I didn't mind entertaining you for the mean time."
"Oh, so he's still coming?" Havoc nodded his head a few times. Thank goodness! "Wait a sec, how did Earl get your number?" Havoc chuckled at my suspicious expression.
"Remember that time you got wasted at the bar?"
"Which time?" I felt a bit uneasy that I had to ask that.
"The night…Nina passed away." A quick, sharp pain went through my heart. "Anyway, when I went back to pay your tab, I gave him my number so next time he could just call me to come get you." Jeez, could I be any more pathetic. Always having someone watching out for me. My eyes then locked onto the item Havoc was holding. I couldn't quite make it out in the dark. "What's that?"
"Oh yah, he dropped this off for me to give to you." Havoc opened up the clear box and gently took out a beautiful corsage. Now I know why Earl was pushing about my dress color. I couldn't help but give a quick laugh.
"He does know it's not one of those occasions, right?" No one wore these types of things to the Military Ball. It was more about the high-priced jewelry and expensive champagne.
"Trust me, I already tried to explain, but he insisted." Havoc set the plastic box to the side and held up the flower. It really was pretty. I kinda felt bad that Earl wasn't here to put it on.
"Maybe I should wait for him to put it on."
"That's what I said, but he said you had to wear it as soon as possible." He took a step closer. "Something about not wasting a beautiful moment? I don't know. He said it better."
"Still…"
"Would you just give me your hand." He said it so sternly but still with a chuckle, while reaching down and grabbing my hand. "You're so stubborn." He smoothly slipped the corsage on my wrist. The sensation sent tingles up my arm. We both stood as still as we possibly could, looking at the flower placed on my wrist. "Perfect." That one word sent my heart racing. I didn't dare look up to him for fear he would see everything written on my face. Is it me, or did the night air get a bit…warmer? "Well…we should get going. No reason to be any later than what we are." He briskly turned around and headed straight for the car. I was a bit surprised to see him opening the front passenger door, holding out his hand for me, like last time. That time it had sent me into a world of happiness, but now I was unsure. I peeked in the back seat to see it was empty. I hesitantly took Havoc's hand as he guided me into the car.
"Where's Emily?" I asked before he shut the door on me. I watched him walk around the car with a troubled expression. As he got in and started the car I continued to stare, waiting for an answer.
"Emily won't be making it...we broke up." He said it so quietly. There was great sadness in his expression.
"I'm sorry..." I didn't know what else to say. We sat there for a moment, in silence, before Havoc spoke up.
"When I told her about the transfer, she broke down almost immediately. She even tried convincing me to let her move with me, but...it just didn't make sense you know?" I hate the pained expression on his face. "I mean, we just started dating. Plus, she really loves her job here and to take her away from it, when for all we know the relationship wouldn't work...I couldn't do it. I had convinced her to reconsider and apologized at least a dozen times." He fell silent again for a moment. "To be honest, I wasn't going to come tonight, but Earl wouldn't let up until I agreed to take you." He said with a sad chuckle, putting the car in gear. I wish I knew what to do, what to say, to get that expression off his face. Maybe he'll perk up when he gets a few drinks in him? Loosen him up a bit. "Anyway...ready?" He looked at me, waiting for my response.
"Yes sir!" As Havoc stepped on the gas, my heart raced with anticipation for what was waiting this evening.
As Havoc and I climbed the stairs to the Military Banquet Hall, I had to loop my arm with Havoc's for support. I'm used to heels and what not, but this dress was an all-new experience. I had to hold my dress up with my other hand. I could feel Havoc's body heat through his dress jacket where are bodies were touching. The night air did have a good nip to it. I probably should have brought a coat as well. Oh well.
When we reach the top of the stairs, I started to take my arm back from Havoc. It sent my heart back in a dangerous speed when he placed my arm right back where it was.
"You're fine. We have another set of stairs to go down inside, right?" He gave me a gentle smile.
"Yah..."
"Plus, until your actual date gets here, I'm your escort for the evening." There was no doubt in my mind that I was blushing. This would be the first time Havoc and I came together to this event. Something I had always wanted. I shook my head quickly trying to reevaluate my thoughts. I was here with Earl. Not Havoc. I'm supposed to be moving on from Havoc. "You okay?" I glanced up to see him staring at me with an odd look.
"Oh, yah. I'm fine." I laughed nervously, trying my best to brush everything off.
As we reached the door, Havoc slipped from my grip so he could open the door. Still holding onto my hand, he guided me through the door first, as he followed right behind, placing my arm back with his when we were both through. Seriously, what was Earl thinking? He could have called me and told me to go on ahead without him. Then again, I guess he didn't have any way of contacting since I never did give him the house number. I was too nervous if Mustang was ever the one to answer the phone. As we reached the bottom of the stairs, I gave my ticket to one of the security guards, stating it was for my plus one when he arrived. We looked around to see who was all here. It seems the ballroom was already open for dancing. There were still some bodies in the lounge, mingling. I spotted Mustang schmoozing with some high ups from Central, with Hawkeye right at his side. Even in her stunning dress, she still looks like a bodyguard. I look over the room once more when my gaze set on one person.
"Jessica?" She heard me say her name and looked over at me. The moment she processed that I was here, she started to run my way. I followed suit and broke away from Havoc.
"Oh my God!" We grabbed each other's hand and started to jump around like boy crazed schoolgirls. "It's been too long!"
"I know! I'm happy that you came this year!" We now were embracing each other, squealing a little too loud. People around us were watching us, some disturbed, others seemed to enjoy the outburst, laughing with us.
"We have SO much to catch up on! I hope your evening is free."
"We'll see. I actually have a date this year." I boasted with a big smile.
"Good for you, and as for me..." Jessica showed off her left hand, making a certain diamond ring shine beautifully on her ring finger.
"What?!" I grabbed her hand and brought it closer to my face, analyzing the ring. "Oh, my goodness-Congratulations!" I brought her in for another hug.
"Thank you! I waited to tell you now because I wanted to ask you personally to be in my wedding?"
"Of course!" We both started to squeal again.
"Hey, you two, quiet it down. You're disturbing a lot of people." Havoc had finally made his way over, holding two full champagne glasses.
"No one asked you Havoc." Jessica glared him down. I guess she still hasn't warmed up to him. He returned her glare and handed me one of the glasses.
"Oh, thank you." I accepted it with a shy smile. I looked back at Jessica as I took a sip, who now had a very confused look.
"Wait...don't tell me he's your date?" I started choking on my drink, with champagne almost coming out my nose.
"Whoa, you okay?" Havoc started to pat my back as I continued to choke.
"I'm-cough-fine..."
"I don't believe this." Jessica was jumping to conclusions.
"No! We're not-cough-cough-He's not my date!" I finally manage to spit it out. "My date won't be coming till a bit later, so Havoc is just escorting me till then." One of Jessica's eyebrows went up. She didn't seem to believe me.
"Then where's your date, Havoc?"
"Don't have one."
"Pfft, that's a first." Oh boy. They're gonna start arguing. It's never a pretty sight when these two get going. Havoc started to open his mouth to counterattack Jessica's statement, when I grabbed his drink out of his hands, shutting him up. I quickly set our drinks down and wrapped my arm around his again.
"Now, now you two, this is supposed to be a party!" That seemed to put the bickering at ease. "Let's go dance, Havoc?" I started to pull him towards the ballroom.
"No, I'm good." He took his arm back and walked away.
"Hmph, typical. Come on Abby, I'll dance with you." Jessica said the last part more loudly than she needed. She took my arms with hers and guided me to the dance floor. As we walked past a gentleman she quickly told him where she will be. It must have been her fiancé.
"Was that him?" She only nodded with a proud smirk. "He's very handsome." We made it to the dance floor and merged with all the other couples.
"You'll meet him later, but first...we dance!" We started to dance ballroom style. Jessica decided to be the male lead, while I followed. We had our own fun with it though. The whole time we danced we caught up with everything's that's been going on. I told her about the Central transfer, which of course got her all excited. After years of being apart, our group was slowly coming back together. Sophia and Amy were also stationed in Central. I was even more anxious for the move now.
"I don't suppose I could cut in now?" The voice behind me almost made me jump. I turned around to see Earl smiling very handsomely. "Since you've had her for the past few songs."
"Hey, you made it!" I almost gave him a hug but stopped beforehand. It was weird.
"Yah, sorry. The afternoon shift got sick and had to go home. I was the only one who could've covered." Earl rubbed the back of his neck, seeming a bit embarrassed.
"It's okay. I understand. I should've given you a way to contact me."
"Well, I'm glad Havoc fell through with his word. I even see he gave you the corsage." Earl took my hand and brought it closer to his face, examining the flower. His gaze then went to me. I could feel my heartbeat pick up a bit.
"Huh?" I turn my head to see Jessica trying to figure out what was going on.
"Oh, Jessica, this is Earl. My date for the evening. Earl, this is Jessica. My old Academy friend that I talked about before."
"Pleasure to meet you." Earl finally let go of my hand, just so he could take Jessica's and gave it a brisk kiss. Jessica instantly blushed and took her hand back. I couldn't help but laugh quietly. It takes a lot to get Jessica all bothered. Now that I think about...
"Hey Jessica, where is your new fiancé? I want to meet the man who was able to tame the Man-Hunter." I threw her old nickname out in the open. Jessica only blushed more.
"He didn't 'tame' me. No one can tame, the Man-Hunter!" An evil smirk spread across her face.
"Man-Hunter?" Of course, Earl didn't know the story behind the honorary nickname.
"Back at the Academy, Jessica had this reputation that if you pissed her off, she would hunt you down and make you pay. 99% of the people who did piss her off were men. She usually had a very...creative way of her revenge." There was an expression of impressed on Earl's face.
"Yah, so you better watch your back and treat my beautiful friend right!" Jessica linked arms with me as she spoke.
"I'll be the perfect gentleman." Earl grabbed my hand and pulled me out of Jessica's grip. I could feel my cheeks get warmer.
"See that you are." I glanced up to see Jessica walking away now. Probably going to find her fiancé.
"Now then..." Earl spun me around once, then placed one hand in the middle of my back, and the other hand continued to hold mine. "Shall we dance?" I gave him a shy smile and placed my other hand on his shoulder. As we started to dance with each other, we talked about our day as we floated across the dance floor. He's a better dancer than I thought. We had danced for the past couple of songs before we decided to take a break. I spotted Mustang and Hawkeye in the Lounge room, eyeing us.
"I want to introduce you to someone." I took Earl's hand and started to guide him off the dance floor. Mustang puffed out his chest a bit when he saw us walking towards him. "Good evening Colonel." I greeted with a cautious smile.
"Good evening Lovington. Enjoying yourself?"
"Yes sir, very much!" Mustang returned my smile with his own smile. His eyes narrowed when his gaze met Earl's. Earl's grip on my hand tightened a bit. I gave him a quick squeeze, trying to let him know that everything's okay.
"Is this your date?" Mustang's words were a bit harsh. Jeez...
"Yes, this is Earl. Earl this is Colonel Mustang, and 1st Lieutenant Hawkeye."
"It's a pleasure, sir." Earl stuck out his hand for Mustang to shake. His voice seemed a bit more timid from before. Riza and I eyed Mustang, waiting to see what he would do. After a moment, Mustang finally took Earl's hand. I sighed in relief, feeling some of the tension go away, but Mustang's expression did not soften.
"So, are you finally done schmoozing." A deviant grin crossed my face.
"For the evening yes. We'll probably head to the dance floor soon, then go home." Mustang always dances at least once with Riza.
"Oh, is it already that late?" I glanced at the clock, seeing it was almost late evening. All the big wigs with the high ranks only stay till ten o'clock. After that, that's when the real party begins. All the lower ranks, who were lucky enough to get an extra ticket stay behind and really dance the night away till about midnight. Now that I'm looking around, there are a lot less people around. That's when I spotted Havoc at the open bar. He was hunched over, looking down at his current drink.
"What time do you think you'll be getting home?" I completely ignored Mustang's question and started to walk over to Havoc, leaving Earl behind. When I reached the bar, I placed both my elbows on the bar, and propped my head with the palm of my hands. Havoc gave me a quick look with his eyes and straightened himself up a bit.
"What do you want Lovington?" There was some annoyance in his voice.
"Just wondering if this is where you're going to spend your evening." The bartender walked up to me, raising his eyebrow, silently asking what I wanted to drink. I shook my head gently, and his gaze went to Havoc.
"I'll have another." Havoc pushed his almost emptied glass to the side. The bartender walked away to prepare the drink.
"Just how much have you drank?"
"Does it matter?" What the hell is his deal? I guess he did just get dumped...I shouldn't be too harsh.
"Why don't you come dance one song with me?" I placed both my hands on his arm that was resting on the bar. He finally turned his head, looking at me fully. I gave him a big smile, trying to convince him to step away from the bar.
"I said I'm good." He looked away again, but his arm was still under my hands.
"Oh, come on! Don't be such a grouch!" I wrapped my hands around his wrist, making sure he couldn't take his arm back from my grip, and started to pull him away.
"Hey!" Despite his small protest, he was walking with me with no fight.
"He'll be back for his drink." I said as I turned my head back towards the bar, informing the bartender. Mustang, Riza and Earl were still at the door, eyes full of questions as they watched Havoc and I walk by. "He needs some exercise to work off all the beer he's had. Be right back." I said it mostly to Earl. I didn't want him to think anything of what was happening. Havoc didn't have a date. He was all alone this year, and besides, it was just one dance.
I quickly turned around to face Havoc once we were close to the center of the dance floor. I forcefully placed his hand toward the middle of my back and made sure I still had a good grip on his other hand. I placed my other hand on his shoulder, just like I did with Earl, and looked up at Havoc, giving him the same big smile. He wasn't moving. He was only looking down at me, with such a sullen look.
"Ok, guess I'll take the lead." I started moving my feet, forcing him to do the same. It was all awkward, but I was determined to get him to smile, at least once. "Man, leading is a lot harder than it looks!" I mumble looking down at our feet for a moment. "I should give Earl some props when we dance next." Havoc's body seemed to have gotten tense.
"Don't say his name." I looked up at Havoc, surprised of his sudden words. He seemed angry.
"What?"
"Don't say his name...when you're with me." Havoc's grip on my hand tightened, and he pushed me closer to him as we continued to dance. He instantly took the leader position, guiding me smoothly around the dance floor.
What was this? This sudden closeness? My head was touching his body. Normally I would've come up to his mid chest but with the heels I was wearing tonight, I could rest my head just below his shoulder. The song that was being played by the band started to pick up a bit. Havoc quickly spun me out and brought me back in. He started to quicken our pace, matching the song's beat. We were moving so fast, that I was starting to forget how close our bodies were. It's so much fun. I couldn't help but start to laugh as we moved around. I happen to notice Mustang and Riza on the dance floor as well. They always seemed to become one body when they dance. Part of the reason why I loved watching them so much, but this time...I had no time to watch. I was too busy having fun with Havoc.
"You're beautiful, by the way." I looked up at him, seeing that he's been looking at me. I then remembered how much our bodies were touching. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach go nuts. His gaze was so sincere. There was even a hint a smile on his face. Just then, he surprised me. He quickly dipped me down when the song ended. No one had ever dipped me before. I started laughing again. I always wondered what it was like to be dipped. Havoc kept the position, not looking away from me. I stared back, no longer knowing if my heart was racing from the fast dancing, or if it was from his gaze. Havoc's eyes looked up for a second, before he brought us back up, straightening out.
"That was quite a show." Mustang was right behind me, with Riza linked to his arm.
"Didn't think you had any competition, did ya?" I was just realizing how out of breath I was. Mustang made a small laugh. Havoc didn't say anything. He just started to walk off the dance floor. I watched his back as it disappeared back into the Lounge. Earl was still at the door, watching me, watch him. Crap...for that short moment with Havoc, I actually forgot all about Earl.
"We're heading out now. Are you going to be alright?" Mustang asked, pulling me out of my guilty thoughts.
"Yep. I'm probably going to stay until it's all over."
"Alright, who's going to be taking you home?"
"I would imagine Earl?"
"Just checking...you be careful and use your gloves if you have to."
"Alright! I get it! Jeez, you've never been this worried all the other years."
"All the other years, you brought someone I could trust." He really likes setting the mood. I gave him a bland look. Riza gave me a quick smile before leaving with Mustang. I glanced over at the door to see Earl leaning on the frame, still watching me. I took in a deep breath before walking over to him.
"Sorry for the wait. I figured it was the least I could do for Havoc, since he came alone this year." Why was I explaining? It's not like anything other than dancing happened. I tried to push my guilty conscience back, knowing it was all a lie. The band started to play a much livelier song. All the high ranks must be gone. "Ready for the real party?" I reached for Earl's hand again.
"Yah." There was a pained smile on his face. I almost commented on it, before Earl pulled me in for an embrace.
"What?" I was a bit shocked.
"Sorry, it's just...watching you two..." He couldn't finish his sentence. My eyes automatically found Havoc at the bar. He was facing Earl and I, his eyes filled with anger. He finished off his drink, while keeping eye contact with me. I could feel my face getting warmer and warmer. Earl loosened his hold on me and brought me out arm's length. "Okay, lets go dance." He was forcing a smile now as he guided me back to the dance floor.
He tried his best to dance like we did the night at the bar, but with my big dress, it was much more of a challenge. Regardless of it being a challenge, we were still having fun. Jessica had joined us at some point with her fiancé. He seemed like a great guy, and clearly loved her. After playing a few fast-paced songs, the band toned it down with a slower song. Jessica and her fiancé drifted away as they clung to each other. Earl was standing still, our hands still holding each others. I was concerned of our stillness. He seemed to be debating something. His face held some regret.
"Is everything okay?"
"I think..." He paused for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. "I think I'm gonna go." I was surprised by his response. I subconsciously squeezed his hands.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"If I stay any longer...it's only going to be that much harder to say good-bye." I could feel my heart tightening in my chest. "I might even beg you to not go...and that would be wrong of me." He finally smiled, but there was only sadness in his eyes. "Sorry...but I'll do my best with good-bye here." He leaned in towards me. I closed my eyes, waiting for the kiss. My eyes shot back open, surprised that he kissed me on the forehead. I felt a slight blush cross my face, from embarrassment thinking he was actually going to kiss me. He pulled away, not looking me in the eyes. "If you ever find yourself back here, don't hesitate to swing by the bar." I couldn't say anything. I just kept starring at him, with a pained expression.
Finally, after a few moments of silence, with only the band playing in the background, Earl locked eyes with me. "Good-bye, Abby." He quickly turned around and walked out of the Ballroom. My hands still hovered where his hands once were. It was weird. I didn't know how I felt about this situation. I didn't feel sad...but I also didn't feel happy. It was like emotion wise, I was numb. I needed a drink. I headed for the bar, hoping that Havoc had found a new activity...~
TO BE CONTINUED...
END OF CHAPTER 12!
THANKS FOR READING!