AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sid hesitated.
“You did say you wanted to have fun dancing tonight.”
After a moment he smiled, shook his head, and began dancing with all the skill and expertise she had hoped he would. He led her through a series of increasingly elaborate steps, feeding off her energy. As he spun her out and back, she noticed the other dancers in the room had stopped and a small crowd had gathered around them.
But if Sid noticed they were the center of attention, it didn’t slow him down. As the music continued, his dancing grew more and more enthusiastic. Jayna spun and flipped and twirled, and Sid showed he was more than just a pretty face in a tuxedo.
After one particularly vigorous twirl, Jayna’s hair slipped out of its restraints. She felt something give in the left side seam of her dress but kept dancing. She had no intention of stopping unless her dress completely separated from her body. And even then, the cooling u-suit underneath provided her enough coverage that she’d probably finish the dance anyway.
As the song neared its end, Jayna said, “If you have a big finish up your sleeve, now is the time.”
He smiled at her, and the gleam in his eye made her heart flip. “When I tell you, jump.”
“What?”
“Just jump,” he said. “Ready…Go!”
As the drums thundered out their final rhythm, Jayna kicked off the ground. The strength she had glimpsed when he was a merman came into full play as Sid lifted her above his head, despite the incredible weight of her dress. She found herself flying above the dance floor, and it took every ounce of trust she could find to let him spin her, turn her upside down, and flip her around just in time to land gracefully on her feet.
The crowd broke into applause, and Sid graciously raised his hand with hers and led her in taking a bow. His face was flushed, and Jayna couldn’t tell if that was from exertion or embarrassment at all the attention.
She hoped the Cerulean Order spies had enjoyed the show. Any group that would object to a dance like that was thoroughly undeserving of Sid.
As the next song began, Jayna felt her dress shift and realized if she didn’t take care of it soon, something truly undignified was going to happen.
She gently pulled Sid down so his ear was next to her lips. “I’ll be back in a minute. There’s a wardrobe malfunction in progress, and I’d rather not draw that kind of attention.”
Sid nodded his agreement. “Your hair looks like it could use some help too. Would you like me to call Emmaline?” He tucked a loose strand behind her ear, and the thrill she felt at this simple touch was almost as powerful as their adrenaline-filled dance.
“No, I’ve got it.” She gave his hand a squeeze and went to leave.
Instead of releasing his grasp, he pulled her back to him and gave her a quick kiss. “Meet me out by the fountain when you’re done.”
Her skin buzzed where Sid’s lips had touched hers, and it nearly killed her to leave him behind. She walked across the ballroom as quickly as she dared with her right hand holding the dress together at the side.
Once she finally made it to the restroom, she slipped inside to inspect the damage. As she feared, she had a thirty-centimeter split along the left seam. At first, she wondered how the dress hadn’t completely come apart. But on closer inspection, she realized Lena had wisely reinforced the seam with an elastic panel that acted as a failsafe.
“Oh dear. That looks bad.”
Jayna turned to find a gray-haired woman in a Grand Manutai service uniform standing in front of what appeared to be a fitting room. “Come in here, and we’ll get you patched up.”
The woman, whose nametag identified her as Madison, closed the door once Jayna was inside.
“Do you need me to take off the dress?” Jayna asked, though she wasn’t sure exactly how she would manage fifteen kilograms of fabric and beads by herself.
Madison lifted Jayna’s arm and pursed her lips. “No, I can patch you up. But you’ll need to take it easy the rest of the night. No more ‘Magnatron Slams’ or whatever dance you kids are doing these days.”
Jayna let out a laugh. “It was the Lindy Hop, actually.”
Madison raised an eyebrow as she expertly stitched the torn seam. “In a dress like this? You’re lucky you didn’t have a catastrophic separation and flash the entire gala.” She tied off the end of her thread and leaned back to admire her work. “There. That should hold, as long as you don’t do anything more energetic than a waltz.”
Jayna fought back a wave of disappointment. It seemed so unfair that just when she’d gotten Sid to let loose and reveal his amazing dancing skills, she had to dial things back down again because of her dress.
But her relationship with Sid was just getting started. There would be many more opportunities for dancing in the future, and next time she would make sure and wear a dress that could handle anything she threw at it. Who knew what other talents Sid was hiding beneath his reserved exterior?
Jayna thanked Madison and moved to the bank of mirrors so she could repair her hair. As she worked to get the thin silver chain hanging from the tiara to drape gracefully across the back of her head again, the restroom door opened. A woman who had obviously spent a little too much time at the open bar staggered in, giggling and swaying.
The woman’s gaze locked on Jayna, and her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, it’s you!” The woman stumbled over to Jayna and wrapped her in a hug. She reeked of alcohol.
