***
I was hot and flushed from all the dancing when Casper was finally willing to stop. It was more than just the dancing; it was all the things he said to me. Casper whispered everything he wanted to do to me that night, in my ear, right in the middle of the dance floor with everyone watching. I tried to hide my face in his shoulders. I bit down on my lips. I clutched his arms with both my hands, trying to stop my body from visibly quivering.
“You don’t seem like the kind of person who could ever get tired of dancing,” Casper said to me as we were walking back hand in hand toward a row of deck chairs.
“I don’t even know what that means,” I said, panting and trying to catch my breath.
I flung myself on one of the chairs while he stood over me, adjusting his bow tie. Not one hair was out of place on Casper’s head, despite all the dancing we had just done.
He didn’t look tired or flushed, just cool and calm as ever.
“It’s just that I had you pegged as someone who could dance all night,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
I narrowed my eyes at him as I slipped my feet out of my sandals, which were a grave mismatch to the dress I was wearing. I didn’t care anymore.
“It wasn’t just the dancing,” I said to him, and looked away from his face. He laughed, enjoying watching me squirm and grow red with embarrassment.
“For someone so vicious at the protest, you sure get embarrassed easily,” he said and thrust his hands into the pockets of his pants. I looked up at him, craning my neck to fully take in his tall figure. He loomed over me, and my mind immediately started working on overdrive, imagining what it would be like to have him over me as he banged me. It was madness. I couldn’t stop thinking about sex with Casper Argent. It was like something had taken over my mind.
I shook my head and looked away. “And for someone who pretends to not judge people, you sure have made a lot of judgements about me.” I slipped my feet back into my sandals.
Casper leaned his body back on the heels of his shoes and nodded. “Point duly noted,” he said, pulling his cheeks in, which instantly made him look like a little boy. I knew I was blushing again. I couldn’t even pretend to be mad at this guy.
“Anyway, thanks for the dance. I had fun,” I said, trying to change the subject. I didn’t want to be thinking about sex or my feelings for him all the time. But I couldn’t stop.
He shook his head again. “Stop thanking me all the time, Lily. I’m doing this for myself as much as I’m doing this for you,” he said, and stepped in closer to me. His knees knocked against mine gently, and I looked up at him again. His face softened and his neck bent forward toward me. I wanted to get up and just kiss him in front of everyone there, but I stopped myself.
“What are you doing this for? I know you didn’t want to answer the question earlier in the car, but I can’t help but ask you again,” I said, playing with the hem of my dress.
He was looking at me earnestly, keenly, like he was preparing an answer in his head. “The reason why I didn’t want to answer that question in the car was because I didn’t want to spoil all the fun we are having. If we talk about it now, it ruins it again,” he said, clenching his jaw.
I could feel my backbone straightening, my shoulders squaring. Alarm bells were ringing in my head. What was he even talking about?
“Why would that ruin the evening? What is the answer to the question? How can it possibly be that bad, Casper? And don’t you think that I have the right to know why I’m actually here?” I asked him, and now I stood up. Our bodies were inches apart, but I still had to crane my neck to look up at him. My muscles tensed, and my heart was beating fast again. As much as I didn’t want to hear him say something harsh, I knew I needed to hear it. This fairytale was all just a dream. I was so afraid that I was being duped.
The grimace on Casper’s face fell suddenly, and he broke into a smile. “God, Lily! You are always so serious,” he said, and grabbed my hand.
I tugged at it, trying to wriggle my hand free from his grasp.
“Just tell me what’s going on, Casper. Is this just about the sex? If it is, I’m okay with that,” I snapped at him, trying to keep my voice low. I was aware that I was probably coming across as crazy, but I didn’t care anymore. I had been so happy just a few minutes ago, and now I couldn’t forgive myself for my own happiness.
“Nothing is going on, Lily. There is no need to react this way,” he said in that smooth, deep voice of his. It had an immediate calming effect on me. I suddenly felt foolish and childish, like I wanted to be on my best behavior for him. I could still feel the rage bubbling up inside me, but I was forcing myself to remain polite. At least in front of all these people.
I said nothing to him and just looked away until I felt the pressure of his hand on mine again. He was pulling me away in a different direction.
“Come meet my best friends,” I heard him say, and I could feel myself panicking again. What was going on? Why was Casper Argent introducing me to his friends?