SMILE

19. The arranged marriage

SMILE

Chapter 19: The arranged marriage

Nicole's P.O.V

Immediately, the waltz played, the lights dimmed, as the guests were either guided or whisked away by their partners, unto the dance floor - exactly at the center of the room. Hands on shoulders and hands on waist, the guests smiled to their partners, looking as though they were in their own little world. They moved to the beat of the music, each and every dance move coordinated, whilst moving in perfect sync, together.

Nicklaus drew me back to him, making me breathe in his fresh, familiar scent of home and that of masculine cologne. The kind of position we were sent tingles in the pit of my stomach due to the level of intimacy shared. My back went pressed into his front, one of my hands held down at the side of his face. One of his rough hands held unto my other hand, intertwining it with one of his. As for his other hand, it held me in place, by my slim waist.

I looked up at him, just to find him already staring down at me due to the position. I caught sight of each and every of his feature upwards. His chin slightly rested on top of my head, causing a bit of his side parted brown curls to fall out of its jelled placement, a bit of the hair falling into his sets of deep blue eyes that seemed to darken even more. He stared at me like the night sky, filled with uncountable twinkling stars and the moon, all beautifully created.

"You look beautiful, beautiful."

I fought the blush that had threatened to have its way, but to no avail, as the deepest shade of red crept up my cheeks. Nicklaus was in awe as I tried hiding it from him. He looked at me with a rare form of admiration. "Are you not going to compliment me, as well?" He asked, tilting his head to the very side. "I thought that's how these things worked?"

He didn't look offended at all, not even by a bit. Rather, he looked like he found pleasure in teasing me. And the staining blush on my cheeks didn't help one bit. Rather than that, it caused him to give me a beautiful smirk that made my stomach churn, mischief in his eyes. "You are blushing." He announced, with a wide grin.

"Y-you look...ahem." I stuttered, finding it hard to say the right words. I wanted to slap myself across my cheeks, wondering why I was stuttering over a small thing such as this. I cleared my throat, trying my best to at least, look at him. "Look breathtaking." I concluded. It was true, he took away my breath. But I knew that word was an understatement.

He hummed in reply. "I know."

With that, he brought me closer to him, if that was even possible. My breath hitched when I felt his at the very top of my ear, his lips slightly brushing against it. And at that moment, I froze, out of words and out of breath. "I am truly sorry for all I did and the scene I caused that day." Barely even a whisper, but I caught unto it, watching his gaze drop to the floor this time. "Do forgive me if you want to, and don't if you do not want to." Then he looked up.

"But please, can I have a dance?"

The feeling of hope swelled in his eyes, pinning me down, making of me - a captive. His eyes held an emotion I could not deny of him. All I had to do was disagree, say the syllable made up of just two letters; no. But I could not bring myself to, could not tear my gaze from his, couldn't utter the word, couldn't turn him down. His eyes imprisoned me, denying me of an escape to his temptations. The worst part, I didn't want to leave. "Just one dance." I accepted.

He grinned.

Wasting no time at all, he pulled me into arms length, then swiftly, spun me around and back to him at once, and as required of the waltz that played. I fixated my entire gaze on his perfection - in comparison to a rough diamond.