Sincerely, Philip

One

I-

"THEODOSIA, TONIGHT IS ABOUT FUN!" Miriam, Theodosia's closest friend, exclaimed, dragging her friend across the ballroom floor. The Knox's ball had just begun but Theodosia had picked her dancing card off the table and did not intend on returning it to its place. Luckily for Theodosia, who had been dragged to the event, no one had chance enough to write in their name on her card. Instead, she and Miriam surveyed the room.

"It just isn't going to happen, alright?" Theodosia shook her head, then adjusted her Venetian mask. The solid gold lace covered her whole face efficiently and brought out her eyes beautifully. She smiled and waved at a few familiar faces milling around the dim ballroom.

Miriam smiled mischievously as she set her eyes on a tall handsome young man with a bronze and black Venetian mask. He wore a permanent smirk on his lips as he flirted with another young woman. Miriam turned to Theodosia.

"Oh, yes. It is." Miriam smiled. "Just wait here."

Miriam made her way across the ballroom floor and held her head high. She didn't belong to a prestigious family like all the rest but she had been raised alongside Theodosia as though they were flesh. She knew her way around a ball and she knew her way around a man. She walked up to the young man at ease and smiled softly, "Excuse me."

The man raised his eyebrows slightly, "Why yes..."

"Miriam Roberts," She held out her hand graciously towards the man. When he took it he pressed a gentle kiss upon it. His dark eyes fluttered upward through his thick lashes.

"A pleasure, Ms. Roberts. Philip... Hamilton." The man hesitated. Before Miriam could reply, Philip continued, "How may I be of service to you this evening?"

Miriam smirked, "Well, before I press you for any favors, I feel obligated to inform you that the young lady which I am about to introduce you to is quite the beauty." She took his arm and led him back slowly to where Theodosia was people watching. "However, not one gentleman has filled their name into her dance card."

Philip furrowed his brow, "Either the eligible men in attendance are foolish or there are none."

"My thoughts exactly," Miriam nodded. She unhooked his arm from hers, "Maybe we should change that, my dear.... Theodosia!"

Theodosia turned, and in the midsummer's evening candlelight, her hazel eyes looked every bit as gold as her mask. "Miriam, I was just speaking to Elizabeth Livingston and dear what a-" Biting her tongue, Theodosia noticed the man beside her friend. Meekly, she greeted him, "Oh- oh, hello."

"Good evening," Philip smiled softly. Although her face was covered in a mask, her beauty was unmistakable.

"Theodosia, Philip. Philip, Theodosia," Miriam introduced, purposefully avoiding the small detail that was their separate and conflicting heritages.

"Nice to meet you," Theodosia spoke softly as she always did around those she was unfamiliar with. She held out her hand hesitantly, as if she was unsure if this man in front of her would accept the offer.

Philip took a second before taking her hand. She held it out like a man would greet a man. She didn't hold it out daintily in front of her as though she expected a kiss like most women did. It confused him and yet ignited a strange kind of feeling within him. It was a good strange kind of feeling.

He shook her hand firmly, but didn't let go of her hand right away. He didn't want to. It was crazy and he knew that but to him it felt as though her hand fit perfectly in his.

Theodosia felt the same way. She enjoyed the way his skin felt on hers more than she knew was proper and felt the need to slip away, but his piercing gaze wouldn't let her.

He didn't mean to, but Philip couldn't help but drink in her shimmering eyes, one of the only facial features of hers that was identifiable. "The pleasure is all mine," Philip answered blindly.

Theodosia covered her mouth and laughed softly and as soon as Philip realized what he had said he joined her, although he felt that the sound of her laughter could only be matched by that of an angel. He'd never found himself so desperately entranced by a woman so quickly in his life.

"I apologize," Philip chuckled at his mistake.

"That's quite alright," Theodosia smiled shyly and looked anywhere else but him, taking a step back.

"Ms. Roberts," He looked to where she had been standing only to find the spot empty, "Cautioned me of your beauty, but I obviously didn't take her advice seriously enough."

"Well, I would accept the compliment," Theodosia smirked, a little bolder than seconds earlier. "But, I just saw you with another young lady across the ballroom floor. Looked like you were charming your way to loosening her corset."

Philip's jaw dropped slightly. Gobsmacked, he wondered where the reserved woman he had just met had gone.

The string quartet playing for the event began to play the next song as if on que.

"Would you possibly give me a chance to make a better impression and allow me this dance?" Philip pondered, extending his hand to lead her out to the dance floor.

Theodosia thought and put her hand in his.

They danced until their feet ached and Philip felt glad he didn't pen himself in for any other lady's dances. They laughed and poked fun at the other and Theodosia seemed to forget everything negative she'd observed about Philip before she met him.

The music slowed and the people around them drew their partners closer.

Theodosia stepped into Philip's body and sighed contentedly before resting her head on his shoulder. He smelt nice. She thought she might like to keep the scent around beyond this whirlwind night.

-

She didn't know how they had gotten there, but just a few minutes later, she and Philip were standing in the garden of the Knox's home.

As they strolled through the moonlit scenery, Philip listened as Theodosia joyfully explained the plot to her favorite book. He never took his eyes from her and couldn't stop smiling.

He listened to his heart; It was singing.

His whole life, Philip believed in the idea that love followed hard work. Love couldn't fester and blossom after just a few hours. Not knowingly, at the least. Tonight,
Philip's world had fallen away around this one woman.

Love at first sight was for fools, right? Maybe- just maybe- it wasn't so foolish after all.

Philip stopped for a fleeting moment and Theodosia fell silent in front of him as she noticed the look Philip wore.

There, under a beautiful willow and in the cool spring air, Philip placed his hands on Theodosia's waist.

There, without the bias their fathers imposed upon them, both leaned close to the other.

There, Theodosia got on her tiptoes and placed her hands on the shoulders of a man she thought she had just met.

There, both stopped inching closer to the other for a split second and examined the other, searching their eyes for some sort of a sign that this would never be a mistake.

There, Philip removed Theodosia's mask and Theodosia removed Philip's mask.

There, as Philip took a brief glance at Theodosia's plump lips, she pressed them to his.