Labeled (A The Selection Fanfiction)

Chapter Thirty-Five

If I learned anything new yesterday, it was that the guards at the Palace don't dance.

It may look like it to an unexperienced beginner at dancing, but to one who has been taking ballroom dance lessons since she could walk, they look like blind monkeys with two left feet.

In case you're wondering, I'm talking about me. In the tango, they whipped my body and arms around like we were scorpions attacking our prey. In the waltz, they stumbled over their feet so much I thought they must have been dreadfully drunk, but their apologies were crisp and clear. Apparently, Jacqueline became frustrated with their and some of the Modest and even Elite's terrible dancing, because we were only able to begin those two dances.

Shouldn't dancing be a requirement of being a guard at the Palace? After all, during the balls they do have to be open to dancing, as the number of women flocking the Palace at special occasions is much higher than the number of men who would be dragged along.

Like my poor, poor, Daddy. Every time there was a ball at the Palace, my Mother would drag Daddy along with her to dance, insisting that we must make a 'golden family appearance' once again.

Does anyone really care whether the Dossen Family is golden and shining or not?

No, Mother. No.

§§§§§

After another three lessons of painful moving around with a male who thinks he can dance, I complained to Jacqueline about how horrid the guards are at dancing.

I mean, I'm practically teaching them as they stumble around like they just fell out of the nest!

"Now, place your head on my shoulder," Alexander says to me as he is 'teaching' me how to 'ballroom dance' with him. It's more like, Here Clarissa, this is how we should dance to show everyone that you're mine and I'm yours.

Well, he didn't say that, but...you could manipulate his words to fit my understanding of them.

And now our 'dance lesson' in the empty ballroom has turned to more of a 'romantic date' sort of thing.

We seem to be having a lot of these lately. Simple things turn into dates in a blink of an eye.

My thoughts are chased away by new ones when he places both of his hands on my waist.  He looks down at me, leaning his forehead on mine until I understand that he wants me to dip backwards.

I look at him nervously, knowing that I have never done anything close to this before, "I- I don't think I can." I tell him anxiously.

"I know you can. If you fall, I'll catch you. If you go down, I'll go down with you. If you give up, I will keep you going." He says seriously.

I smirk at him, changing the atmosphere into a playfully loving one, "I know!" and then, I fall backwards into his open arms.

He laughs at my actions, and holds me with both arms around my waist and lower back. Smirking right back at me, he whispers to my face. "So, my lady, I have permission to kiss you?" He asks, looking like a gentleman with a touch of bad boy.

I wink at him slyly, leaning in as if we are about to kiss. Then, I grab his arms from around me and twist away from him. Running, I look over my shoulder. "Nope!"

I can hear his laughter echoing from behind me, and the soft slap of his shoes as he runs after me. By the sound of his shoes on the marble floors of the downstairs hallway, I know that he is getting closer to me.

I pull the two pins that were holding my hair back out, and enjoy the feeling my hair being blown away from me, free.

Even though the feeling of being free comes and goes quickly, I relish it. It feels like a, well, a longing, of sorts, in me has been temporarily quenched.

I giggle as our chase concludes, and Alexander wraps his hands around my waist, burying his head in my hair. I feel his breath as he inhales deeply, "You smell good."

I laugh and turn around. "Yes."

He looks at me with a confused expression; eyebrows knitted, eyes squinted, and mouth lightly frowned, and asks, "Yes, you smell good?"

"No, you silly!" I laugh and poke his nose, wrinkling my nose at him in a playful manner. "Guess!" I cross my arms, leaning in.

"You truly and utterly love me with all of your heart?" He asks, and I am happy to report that I detect a rather large dose of hopefulness in there.

Too bad I enjoy seeing his adorable disappointed puppy dog look. "No..." I trail off.

"You're going to tell me what you got me for my birthday?"

Oops! What I got him? I might have forgotten to get something yet...

I cringe inwardly, grinning on the outside. "Unfortunately for you, no."

"You want to piggy back ride?" He asks as a sadly pathetic attempt at figuring out my secrets.

I brush my hand over my lip, trying to give him a hint. "Yeah, no."

I'm enjoying this way too much.

Haha. Just kidding. Maybe. "Try again!" I say, giving him a look that says he should have guessed by now.

"I give up!" He throws his hands up, pretending to be exasperated, but the impish grin on his face gives his happiness away.

I walk towards him teasingly. "Well...I mean, I... I guess I could show you what I meant." I say lightly.

"Yes, please!" He says joyfully.

I jump up and skip the last steps to him. I place my hands behind my back, and lean forward, looking into his eyes. He raises an eyebrow at me, and realizing what I'm doing, wraps his arms tightly around my waist once more.

"Ready?" He whispers on my lips.

"Always."

As I place my lips on his, a quote comes to mind: Kissing is a means of getting two people so close together that they can't see anything wrong with each other.

And it's true, I really can't see anything wrong with Alexander at this moment.

I can't see anything wrong with there being an us.

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The next chapter will have a time jump to the ball! Yay!  I'm trying to do a cliffhanger, but in my opinion, I always finish the scene....

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